Microsoft to Embed Viral Growth into Zune MP3

zune.jpg

In what could be a masterful viral approach to growing a business that goes far beyond viral marketing, Microsoft is embedding viral expansion into its new iPod competitor, Zune. Users of the Zune MP3 player can send songs to friends over the devices Wifi who have three days to listen to them before they disable. If the recipient of the song decides to buy the song within the three day period, the sender of the song will receive a portion of the song's purchase price in the form of credits to be used towards purchasing music and other items from the Zune Marketplace.

Currently, it's a rumor and it would certainly be difficult to topple iPod from its reigning position but the approach is indicative of what many brands should be doing to grow their business beyond just traditional advertising tonnage. And yea, yea, yea, the whole referral thing has been done since cavemen traded rocks but this is high profile and it will be intresting to see if it works.

Written by Steve Hall    Comments (2)     File: Best, Brands, Social, Viral     Oct-25-06  
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Comments

Zune is dead.

Posted by: rat on October 26, 2006 09:49 AM

To make this "sharing" possible, Zune applies DRM to all the files you move onto it, even the Creative Commons-licened music. The problem is that CC licenses prohibit this, and microsoft is violating copyright law.

Posted by: John on October 28, 2006 11:46 AM

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