Advertising for two new products.
That's right, the company behind Windows, Office, Xbox Live, the Xbox 360 and a myriad of nearly successful consumer electronics is planning to spend an estimated $900 million to market the Xbox 360's Kinect and Windows Phone 7, according to two recent reports.
This morning The New York Post reported that Microsoft is matching the money they spent pushing the original Xbox out the door in 2000 on the 2010 launch of Kinect, planning to spend half a billion dollars on the motion-detecting add-on. Add that to the estimated $400 million that Microsoft is spending on the launch of Windows Phone 7 and you have quite a tidy sum.
The Kinect launch is being orchestrated by Microsoft and Hollywood producer Steven Spielberg, according to the New York Post article. Microsoft clarifies, saying that the New York Post is simply referring to Spielberg's E3 stage appearance when the Kinect campaign kicked off.
Maybe he's overseeing the promotion partnerships with Burger King, Pepsi and Kellogg's which will see the Kinect slapping on cans of soda, boxes of cereal and creepy King games.
The Post also reports that there will be about 7,000 stores staying open past midnight for the Kinect launch.
Other marketing ploys:
Taking over YouTube's home page.
Nickelodeon and Disney website presence.
Showing up in television shows like Dancing with the Stars and Glee.
Tons of print ads, yes print because that is apparently how mothers read.
Microsoft's move [New York Post]