The peoples' democratic blog of Matt Hayward

So I’ve been using Microsoft Hotmail for a while because I’m a little bit paranoid about Gmail. If only because Google have your mail, web analytics tracking, calendar, browser, applications, potentially everything they would ever want to know about a human being. Which brings me to my point.

Frankly you could never expect much of Hotmail. It’s a lo-fi “me too!” approach to online services. They bought it from an Indian guy years ago who was experimenting (Hotmail being kind of an acronym of HTML – HoTMaiL) and kinda grafted a Microsoft head on it in some Frankensteinesque way. Then of course they leave it out to pasture for years until Google kicks their arse into online oblivion. Harsh, but pretty much true.

Yes the functionality has improved over time, but it’s still not cutting edge. And for such a lo-fi experience, you wouldn’t expect ads from the bleeding edge would you? And rightly so because Microsoft are now advertising the new Hotmail to existing users!

In what must be the most poorly executed online campaign since I was organising online campaigns, there’s a ‘the new Hotmail is here’ banner appearing in Hotmail. Better still, when you click it, you are taken to some ridiculous page of a guy in a hoodie asking you to sign up for the service. But I’m already a customer. Then the schpeel about how great it is makes it look like it’s not actually live yet. Golly I’m confused.

Well with campaigns this poorly executed, hopefully big brother at Microsoft can be trusted not to be able to do anything too intelligent spying on my web mail.

Oh and it gets better! Scroll to the bottom of the ridicilous hoodie page, and they have the  ‘more from Ninemsn’ section. One tab says ‘time for a new car?’ they have used a picture of a TRD Hilux – a vehicle which was discontinued due to lack of well, interest. From anyone. Yay Microsoft. Well done for having your eye on the ball yet again.