By now many of you may have heard about Microsoft’s “Mojave” Experiment. CNet’s Ina Fried reported on the method Microsoft is using to help overcome XP users’ incredulity of the infamous Vista.
Vista skeptics were brought in for questioning, mainly about why they hadn’t yet switched to the platform. In most cases, word of mouth about the program’s lack of usability had left the study group members disenfranchised, as we all are.
To entice the study groupies to give Microsoft another shot, each was given a copy of the “new” OS; they were told it replaced Vista, and that test users were needed. Sing with me; And Mojave was it’s name-o.
Now, news of this little project broke late last week, and we learned that the whole thing was videotaped (with super-secret hidden cameras, so test subject didn’t know they were being recorded) and we’d get to see it eventually.
It’s a classic bait-n-switch. “Mojave” as you may know, was really just Vista. After giving it a test-run of unknown duration, the skeptics were asked how they felt about the product; of course, all those shown were ecstatic. They were then told the truth (all the while being recorded with hidden cameras, again) and a nifty little campaign piece was born.
Much more after the jump.
This excerpt from Gizmodo explains:
What’s interesting about this experiment is that sure, people who don’t know anything/enough about Vista are knee-jerking their way into hating it. These people are the ones that are easily convinced with a slight-of-hand that Vista is good. But what they didn’t show was the day-to-day usage of Vista, like accidentally installing an XP printer driver and not being able to print. Sure, we like Vista just fine, but this demographic that Microsoft has in its video would be just the kind to not really be tech savvy enough to fix the aforementioned printer problem.
A call to Crispin Porter + Bogusky was not returned by mid-morning. But if it was, we’d ask them to verify that this is their work, and when the next leg of Project Raise the Sunken Vessel is due out. We’ll wait, patiently. Check out the Mojave Experiment here.
One last thought — a few people have mentioned that this hidden camera stuff feels a bit like Whopper Freakout, sans the freakout.