Microsoft asks what's wrong with SE Asian gamers

Posted Feb 5th 2007 5:25PM by Kyle Orland

Marketing rule #1: If you want people to want your product, imply that not wanting it is somehow abnormal.

That seems to be the idea behind WhatWrongWithU.com, a site promoting the Xbox 360 in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. The English version (for Singapore) starts things off by posting a a big, "What's Wrong With U" on your screen and drives the point home by showing a snazzy picture of the system with a hand scrawled "You don't want this?" next to it. And what if we don't, huh? You won't be our friend? You won't share your lunch with us? What?

If the rhetorical question didn't convince you, how about a list of six totally gnarly features for the system, like "awesome gaming experiences" and "looks cool." The Xbox 360 has it all, and if you enter your e-mail address, you can have some awesomely rad Xbox 360 icons, emoticons and wallpapers, as well as more advertisements in your e-mail box.

We can't really picture the type of person who is going to be swayed by the petty schoolyard logic behind this site. In fact, because of this site, we'll now always associate the Xbox 360 with Eddie Murphy's ill-advised single WazUpWitU. Marketing rule #2: Being associated with Eddie Murphy's singing is not a good idea.