Microsoft vomit ad more than half of campaign's views

Vomit throws up viral views.

At least that is the conclusion of the strangely anal examiners of viral video at Visible Measures.

Perhaps some of you may have avoided the splashback from the Internet Explorer 8 vomit ad, featuring a husband, a wife, and former Superman Dean Cain.

The ad was slipped online and was pulled shortly afterward, as some people thought watching a housewife throwing up in the kitchen after seeing something untoward on her husband's laptop was not entirely edifying.

However, the Visible Measurers have offered some pleasantly risible measurements.

Apparently, 57 percent of all the views enjoyed by the various ads in the IE8 "Browse Better" campaign came solely from the vomit ad.

There were four spots in the campaign, which means that the other three might have suffered from a lack of open-mouthed self-expression.

Visible Measures surmises that before the "Oh, My God, I'm Gonna Puke!" ad was pulled, enthusiasts of yellow projectile liquid copied it and reposted it to their blogs, their friends and, who knows, their mothers.

The company then offered this view of the numbers: "We're left to wonder whether or not this was part of the plan all along: publish a controversial though on-message ad, create some heated dialogue, apologize for offending customers, take it down, and drive big viewership numbers."

Such faithless cynics, those Visible Measurers.

[lennie22]

because there were a lot of buzz about that same ad

[assman]

What in the hell? I thought the ad would be about people puking upon seeing IE on a computer and then recommending alternatives such as Firefox.

Can't believe they produced that ad though, gotta give props to them for showing the vomit.

[aMUSICsite]

Puke and IE do seem to go together quite well, maybe that's why the video went viral so well. Not sure if it does MS any favours though.

[solitare_pax]

It's rather like the VW Polo ad with the terrorist from a while back - weirdly funny, politically incorrect, and of little use in its purpose in selling the product.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZMITiGh-f0

[rudestar]

This has got to be the coolest thing I have ever seen Microsoft do.

[CDubber]

Smut sells. Porn and vomit are cool, says Microsoft, the self-proclaimed hip new kid on the block.

Me - I see it as desperate and pathetic. It's almost inconceivable that this is the most powerful technology company on the planet. Hopefully not for long.

[xzonnia]

A lot of people saw the Dominos employee video too, but that didn't turn it into a good PR stunt. I watched this and sent it to others as yet another example of how awful MS ads are. Views aren't always a win.

[lennie22]

the ad was awful to you? it was humorous to me....I guess we're on two defferent wave lengths of funny

[cyclonica1980]

Hasn't safari had this option for like 5 years now?