Last year, Microsoft launched a vicious marketing campaign called #DroidRage, in which it asked Android users for their malware horror stories. If your story was deemed worthy, you got a free Windows Phone. Now it’s doing it all over again; apparently this is a December thing as the company gets into the spirit of holiday gift giving.
In 2011, Microsoft used BenThePCGuy‘s Twitter account, which has some 18,000 followers (and had even less last year), but now the company is stepping up its game and is using the official Windows Phone account, which has over 219,000 followers at the time of writing:
Do you have an Android malware horror story? Reply with #DroidRage with your best/worst story and we may have a get-well present for you.
— Windows Phone (@windowsphone) December 5, 2012
Microsoft is hoping to highlight that the Android app market contains risks that the Windows Phone app ecosystem doesn’t. Some will argue that iOS also doesn’t have as much malware, but Microsoft will of course rather you buy a Windows Phone than an iPhone. Either way, our own Alex Wilhelm is not impressed by Microsoft’s move.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
Last time, the marketing campaign yielded thousands of responses. Apparently that wasn’t good enough, and Microsoft wants to see tens of thousands.
Many stories will of course be fake, discuss Windows malware and not Android malware (see #WindowsRage), or will just be attempts to score a free Windows Phone handset. Still, it will get the discussion going again, and that’s exactly what Microsoft wants.
It’s not clear if we’re talking about Windows Phone 7.8 devices or Windows Phone 8 devices, or even how many Microsoft is planning to give away. One thing is clear though: if the company is using the official Windows Phone account, it is stepping up its game.
See also – Android malware surged in Q3? Sure, but only 0.5% came from Google Play and Sophos declares 2012 the year of Android and Mac malware, as cybercriminals look beyond Windows
Image credit: Lorenzo González
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.