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Irony Alert: Microsoft is Advertising Outlook.com on YouTube

And if you do adopt Outlook.com, you'll have fewer reasons to ever visit YouTube again
Feb. 21, 2013 Paul Thurrott

I’m bothered by the ads in Microsoft’s Windows 8 and by the fact that Google is an advertising firm masquerading as a technology company. But there’s something about seeing an ad for Microsoft’s Outlook.com on Google’s YouTube service that just makes me smile. Ironic? Hypocritical? Who cares, it’s funny.

Here’s a shot of the ad, though this static image doesn’t betray the animated, TV ad-like quality of the real thing.

The punch line, of course, is that Microsoft is advertising that Outlook.com lets you watch YouTube videos right in the Outlook.com email experience. So if you do switch to Outlook.com, you’ll have fewer reasons to actually visit YouTube. You know, where you saw the ad that made you switch to Outlook.com.

Funny.

Discuss this Article 10

shanepbrady
on Feb 21, 2013

Ah, and google will still get the money with pre-rolls ?

Osborn4
on Feb 21, 2013

Actually, I think it's brilliant of Microsoft. I'm not one that enjoys munging about in YouTube, so the ability to just play the videos w/o having to leave my email would attract me to that service.

YouTube on the other hand will be missing out on the ability to throw all those other ads and video suggestions at you that clutter up the youtube screen.

So, no not hypocritical or ironic on Microsoft's part. And if Google thought it was a real threat, I'm sure they would have turned down the ads. But I don't think Google is sweatting loosing a lot of gmail customers to Outlook.com.

papamoto
on Feb 21, 2013

It will take more than a youtube ad to get me to switch to outlook.com

GWLeibniz
on Feb 21, 2013

Humour me, expand. If you are looking at a web site mainly covering MSFT products its a reasonable leap to say you are interested in using them. So why the offhand rejection?

aras
on Feb 21, 2013

Email address could be one of the main things. People don't like changing email they had for years. Especially if service they use is "good enough".

Sterling
on Feb 21, 2013

Ironic? Maybe. Hypocritical? No. Just Microsoft using one of the Internet's most popular site to reach people.

saqrkh
on Feb 21, 2013

It's good to see Microsoft going at Google where it can really hurt. What are they trying to do? Pry away key Google users (Gmail) to Outlook, and do it where all Google users (i.e. YouTube viewers) can see. It's a tactical loss (paying Google) for an attempted strategic win (less committed Google users), let's see if Microsoft succeeds.

Can't wait to see Outlook.com and Surface adds in Gmail.

SoundersFan
on Feb 21, 2013

Which will come first, this feature added to Gmail or Google breaking the feature in Outlook by "updating" the YouTube back end. Ooh, wait, I know. These two events will happen at the same time; just you wait.

Trappist
on Feb 21, 2013

There are ads in Windows 8? What the H...?

piebald
on Feb 24, 2013

"I’m bothered by the ads in Microsoft’s Windows 8 and by the fact that Google is an advertising firm masquerading as a technology company."

I'm glad to see *some* people are getting it right.

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