The Sugababes are fronting the latest marketing push for Microsoft’s Windows 7 with a new ad and related radio promotion.
But proving their forte lies in singing, not acting, the work has not struck the right chord with fans the online giant might have hoped for.
Sugababeslovewindows7.com hosts a number of videos showing the girls using the Windows 7 tools in their day to day lives.
In one entitled ‘Shake It’, Heidi Range and Amelie Berrebah are shown creating a ‘surprise’ birthday card for fellow band mate and newest recruit Jade Ewan.
There’s been much press speculation over the dynamic between the babes and this work only goes to demonstate their acting skills are more wooden than the shopfloor of Ikea.
The influential pop music website, Popjustice, has panned the campaign as, “Very clearly the worst thing of all time.”
It adds, “We do actually quite like the current Sugababes lineup, you know, but you've got to admit that this Microsoft thing is fairly woeful. Come on now. Even those of you who are fans of the new lineup. Just admit it.”
User generated responses have seen one video where Heidi and Amelie appear to use Windows7 to create an advert reading ‘Wanted. New Sugababe’, editing Jade out of a photo and replacing her image with balloons.
The online activity is part of a wider promotion brokered by UM involving radio activity on Global Radio’s Heart FM’s 33-staion network and 95.8 Capital FM.
On-air activity aims to drive Heart audiences to visit heart.co.uk or sugababeslovewindows7.com and will ask listeners to suggest fun and original occasions where the Sugababes could perform, echoing the ‘My Idea’ theme from the Windows 7 media campaign.
The overall winner will have their idea turned into reality, with the Sugababes performing at their very own intimate gig.
Activity on 95.8 Capital FM sees Microsoft as headline sponsor of the Jingle Bell Ball (on December 5-6, 2009), using the publicity in the build-up to the event to raise awareness of the launch of its latest operating system – designed to make PCs easier, simpler and more fun to use.
“The campaign aims to engage all consumers and offering listeners a chance to choose their own intimate Sugababes gig ensures that this really is ‘their idea’,” said Head of Marketing Communications, Microsoft Consumer & Online UK, Paul Davies.
See the Sugababes acting skills in action below.
But this is what they should really stick to:
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