The Divine Art of Self-Parody

A WesterBlog first: Well done Microsoft!

Recently they posted a parody of what the iPod box would have looked like had their team designed it. "It was an internal-only video clip commissioned by our packaging team to humorously highlight the challenges we have faced RE: packaging and to educate marketers here about the pitfalls of packaging/branding," said Microsoft spokesman Tom Pilla. OK, Tom but it's also a pretty brilliant piece of self-parody.

I'm impressed not only with how funny this clip is but also with the sophistication required to be able to effectively mock oneself which MS surprisingly demonstrates. Anyone who has been a part of a marketing effort that has wandered through development should be able to appreciate this as well.

The Point? Easy. (Gulp!) Be like Microsoft. Laugh at yourself.