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Youth-Oriented Designer Tells Microsoft How to Fix the Zune

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Here's a highlight from a May 29th, 2008 article on the Wired blog network on my article for last100.com:

"What's a global mega-corporation to do? Michael Pinto, creative director for the youth-oriented design firm Very Memorable has a few suggestions Microsoft may want to follow if it wants the Zune to survive and thrive. He says Microsoft needs to offer a $25 model, pre-load every Zune with content and release limited editions directed at niche markets."

Here's the full article:

Youth-Oriented Designer Tells Microsoft How to Fix the Zune
By Eliot Van Buskirk | May 29, 2008 | 8:26:34 AM

Although Microsoft's Zune recently doubled its marketshare, that still only represents about 4 percent pf the market, and the videogame retailer GameStop recently decided to stop stocking the device.

What's a global mega-corporation to do? Michael Pinto, creative director for the youth-oriented design firm Very Memorable (and fellow Fall fan) has a few suggestions Microsoft may want to follow if it wants the Zune to survive and thrive.

He says Microsoft needs to offer a $25 model, pre-load every Zune with content and release limited editions directed at niche markets:

"These limited edition Zunes should feature co-branding and creative collaborations with both well known trademarks and fashion forward artists. For example, there should be a Hello Kitty Zune, or on the high end a limited edition Takashi Murakami Zune. Microsoft should also go after unfashionable males with both sports and comic book themed Zunes. And then instead of having a generic display at Kmart, these limited edition Zunes should be available at targeted retail locations and high profile events. So for example, you’d be able to buy a Iron Man Zune at the Sand Diego Comic Book Con much in the same way you’d buy a Star Wars Mimobot Designer USB Flash Drive."

(To its credit, Microsoft has dabbled in this concept -- see the Joy Division Zune -- but could certainly do more along those lines.)

Pinto says the one thing Microsoft has done right with the Zune is the design of its website and service, but that the company needs to make "the social" tagline more palpable to users by continuing to expand the device's social features.