Comments for Disney's Vista Gadget Points To Future Of Marketing Widgets

Disney's Vista Gadget Points To Future Of Marketing Widgets

2007-05-02T19:43:20Z

All the buzz here at Microsoft MIX in Vegas is rightly about Silverlight, but one other impressive demo I came across was a Vista gadget (a.k.a. widget) for Disney. Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach was on the main stage yesterday, talking about marketing Microsoft's connected entertainment services. One of the case studies wheeled out was Disney, which - as The Seattle Times reports - is working with Microsoft and large OEMs selling computers in China to install a software gadget on new PC desktops. The gadget features content meant to attract people to the company's Hong Kong theme park. Bach pointed out that Vista's gadgets (mini web apps that run on your desktop) are a way for brands such as Disney to establish a presence on "some of the most valuable real estate in the home" - i.e. the PC desktop. The Seattle Times goes on:

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"The Disney gadget is aimed at an emerging Chinese middle class that does not have the history with the Disney brand that Americans do, said Edward Kummer, a Disney executive in charge of online promotions of the company's parks and resorts.

The gadget is constantly being updated via RSS feeds with news about the theme park and also includes long-format video, itinerary planning tools and other interactive content.

"This is effectively having a Disney application on the PC," Bach said.

No details were provided about the size of the application, the computing resources it uses or whether consumers could remove these branded gadgets."

There is a video of the Disney talk during Bach's presentation, up on the Visit MIX07 site. I've taken a few (rough) screenshots of the Disney gadget from the video, because I think its interactivity and rich real-time data (including video) is a great example of how widgets/gadgets will evolve over the next couple of years. I also expect this kind of interactivity and multimedia in widgets that run in the browser (e.g. Microsoft's own live.com widget platform).

Note that I haven't yet seen the Disney gadget on the Web, so if anyone has a link to it -- please note in the comments.

Comment from Merija - Taste of life on 2007-05-02

2007-05-02T20:02:56Z

No, I haven't seen this gadget too. The idea is quite interesting...

Comment from Phill Midwinter on 2007-05-03

2007-05-03T08:49:48Z

Is this not a bit... too much for a gadget? it seems very cluttered, i'm really not in touch with what kids want from computers though shouldn't this kind of in depth functionality be in a stand alone app? I thought that gadgets were supposed to be clean, functional, quick?

Comment from Ali on 2007-05-03

2007-05-03T11:23:36Z

I think this is idea is invasive and hopefully they should allow a user to decide if they want to install it, or provide a very clear uninstall/disable button.

There's enough advertising being pushed down a web surfers throat anyway while browsing.

Comment from Alan Brown on 2007-05-03

2007-05-04T05:28:34Z

The desktop has some of most valuable real estate in the home? I guess I would agree if I spent any time looking at it.

If the tv displayed an ad for just ten seconds when I turn it on, that would get more of my attention than whatever icons are on the desktop. oops! Did I just pollute the television by thinking of that?

Comment from Eric Rice on 2007-05-05

2007-05-06T02:50:57Z

While Disney is a media company, the idea put forth about marketing + gadgets reinforces my personal belief that all companies can potentially be media companies.

And companies have fans, and that media will be happily consumed by a brand's fans.

Gimme Red Bull gadgets any day of the week, so I have something else to do after watching all the Apple ads which have no effect on me since I'm a Mac user. I just love the entertainment. The other Other Side of the great advertising debates. :)