03.01.10

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comScore is Microsoft is comScore is Deceiving (and How Microsoft Controls Minds)

Posted in Deception, Marketing, Microsoft at 7:27 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: The myth of Microsoft in search is further perpetuated by what now becomes even more of a business partner; Singapore’s big media also liaises with Microsoft

Microsoft and comScore are involved in so many partnerships (e.g. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]) that the conflict of interests there becomes impossible to ignore; comScore ranks Microsoft’s ‘search’ engine (Microsoft manipulates its results to control customers’ minds, so it’s not exactly search) but because of the way comScore measures everything, the stated market share of Microsoft is about 3-4 times higher than it really is. In essence, comScore perpetuates the Microsoft lie that the company commands about 10% of the search traffic. Microsoft has partners that spread the same lies about operating systems share.

According to this new press release, comScore and Microsoft are growing even closer.

comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced that Microsoft Advertising will use the comScore Audience Advantage™ platform to help consumer packaged goods (CPG) advertisers in the U.S., including Campbell Soup Company and Alberto Culver, reach their desired audiences across Microsoft’s online properties, such as MSN and Windows Live. As the inaugural comScore Audience Advantage partner for the CPG industry, Microsoft will use the platform for anonymous audience modeling and reporting to improve the effectiveness of ad delivery for its customers.

There are also some intrusive aspects to this relationship [1, 2, 3], which involves profiling (spying on) Web users. Microsoft uses a lot of spin though. For example:

“Through the pilot, through listening to customers, [we decided] to look at ways to expand this program. That’s how we started this dialog with comScore,” said James Colborn, Microsoft Advertising director.

Speaking of advertising/marketing, watch how Microsoft is corrupting the media in Singapore (where the head of Microsoft decided to quit some while after the apparent corruption):

Changing the way you experience entertainment – that’s what Microsoft and Singapore’s leading media company MediaCorp are doing, by coming together to launch a new online portal called xinmsn.com.

That ought to be another Microsoft Web site masquerading as unbiased news. It’s a simple case of following the money and Microsoft spends a lot of money controlling authorship because there is high RoI. Watch this new chart of who sponsors Web sites. “It lists the top ten,” says Groklaw’s Pamela Jones, “and Microsoft is there. It’s AT&T, Verizon, Experian, Scottrade, eBay, Ask Network, Microsoft, Netflix, Vertrue, Sprint Nextel.” As Microsoft's friend Dina Bass explained some days ago, Microsoft wants more Web presence and advertising so that it can control minds. Based on how Microsoft abuses its search (and Ubuntu should pay attention), it’s pretty much expected if not implied.

Here is a new reminder of how Microsoft uses the hockey games to advertise itself.

Direct TV MSNBC HD is a cable news channel in partnership with Microsoft and NBC. Although, the two companies hold shares on the said cable news channel, only 18% remains with Microsoft as NBC bought the larger share.

Microsoft has done a lot to promote itself using the Olympic games in Canada, starting with Silver Lie exclusivity and ending with a lot of fluff from Microsoft boosters about members of families of Microsoft employees participating in the events and the use of Windows XP, courtesy of Microsoft booster Ina Fried. It was the same when an earthquake hit Haiti and Microsoft used it to promote itself [1, 2, 3]. █

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3 Comments

The Mad Hatter said,

March 1, 2010 at 9:10 am

Microsoft has done a lot to promote itself using the Olympic games in Canada, starting with Silver Lie exclusivity and ending with a lot of fluff from Microsoft boosters about members of families of Microsoft employees participating in the events and the use of Windows XP, courtesy of Microsoft booster Ina Fried.

Note that Silverlie was only an issue in the United States, in Canada CTV used Flash.

Roy Schestowitz Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 9:39 am
What would the US government say about such an exclusion? Oh, wait.

The Mad Hatter Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Yep. I am very cynical about the U.S. political system. It was designed so that a very small elite could control the country, and as we can see, a very small elite can control the country. So from that point of view I guess the U.S. political system is a success.

It’s too bad that this success denies the people of the United States the government that they deserve.