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Image of Microsoft's American ad above the one used in Poland Microsoft Apologizes for Racially Charged Image Alteration Daniel Ionescu, PC World Aug 26, 2009 6:03 am Microsoft apologized Wednesday after a Polish version of the company's ad had a black man's head replaced with the head of a white man. News of the image alteration in the picture was making the rounds on forums last night. Microsoft pulled the picture today from the Web site hosting the image. The edit of the Microsoft ad for its Polish division was crude. The U.S. ad depicted three people at a conference table: an Asian man, a black man, and a white woman. When localizing the marketing image for Poland, Microsoft replaced the black man's with that of a white man. The photos are basically identical (as pictured above). However, in the picture, only the black man's head was replaced -- the hands noticeably a different color. Originally many thought this was originally a joke, but Microsoft's public apology set the record straight. Microsoft told Cnet it was "looking into the details of this situation." A couple of other details are peculiar about Microsoft's (even unedited) image. First of all, the laptop in front of the black man is an Apple MacBook (yes, another Apple product in a Microsoft ad with the logo covered) and the computer monitor in front of the woman is not plugged into anything, even though the keyboard is. Perhaps Microsoft should either look twice before buying stock photography or just hire a local photographer when they want to localize some marketing images. http://www.pcworld.com/article/170820/mi...alteration.html  There's certain times where I appreciate watching somebody else step in it besides me for a change.
Last edited by Reckon; 08/26/09 10:19 PM.
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First of all, the laptop is an Apple MacBook
#gmstrong #gmlapdance
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Legend
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LOL! The guy they replaced looks like Romeo.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
- John Muir
#GMSTRONG
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LOL! The guy they replaced looks like Romeo.
You're killing me.
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Dawg Talker
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LOL! The guy they replaced looks like Romeo.
And the guy in his place looks just a little like Mangini. 
"Team Chemistry No Match for Team Biology" (Onion Sports Headline)
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I wonder what is worse.. MS photoshopping out the black guy for a caucasian market or colleges photoshopping in a black guy to appeal to the african american market..
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](http://i.imgur.com/FUKyw.png) "Don't be burdened by regrets or make your failures an obsession or become embittered or possessed by ruined hopes"
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I dont get what they did wrong here. They made an ad that fits the demographic of their market.? Are we so scared of offending someone that a black guy cant be taken out of a picture. 
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss...
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I dont get what they did wrong here. They made an ad that fits the demographic of their market.? Are we so scared of offending someone that a black guy cant be taken out of a picture.
Um, yes.
"Team Chemistry No Match for Team Biology" (Onion Sports Headline)
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I don't see it so much as that it's bad to have taken out the guy. The problem is they didn't take him out, they simply did a (very) bad job of photoshoping the guy's head. For a multi-billion $ company, you'd figure they'd get a local photographer.
KeysDawg
The fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. - Carl Sagan
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I believe the situation merits humor and what really makes the story is that both renditions look so cheesy. When I distributed this story to some folks around the office yesterday I couldn't resist making a cheesy Arizona version by replacing all three of the original people with folks from our accounting department.
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Legend
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I dont get what they did wrong here. They made an ad that fits the demographic of their market.? Are we so scared of offending someone that a black guy cant be taken out of a picture.
From a business perspective I don't think they did anything wrong by trying to appeal to the market.. If the ad was to run in Brazil would they use an Asian, a white woman and a black guy? Probably not.
The problem is that it would take very little effort to make a new "staged" work photo. We do it here all the time, for almost every proposal. They could hire a photographer and do it right or they could use any old Kodak and take a picture, upload it, crop it, etc until it looked decent. It doesn't take a world of skill to make a decent photo these days....
yebat' Putin
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did anyone notice that in both pictures (even the photo shopped one) the guy has the same dark skinned hands. ... gotta love Microsoft, I have to think someone is losing thier job over this
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For DCDAWGFAN and Rage dog: First DC, Quote:
If the ad was to run in Brazil would they use an Asian, a white woman and a black guy? Probably not.
Why wouldn't they use that pic in Brazil since Brazil is more multi-ethnic than the US??
Ragedog:
The silly part of the taking the black guy out and putting the white gut in is for a couple of reasons:
1) They did a sloppy job at photoshopping the pic anyway
2) Using a APPLE Macbook in a Microsoft ad - But they probably wanted the computer look like it actually works!..LMAO!
3) if you are going to appeal to a certain market, don't be lazy, just take pics of local people from that area. I'm sure there are not alot asians in poland either!
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Legend
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did anyone notice that in both pictures (even the photo shopped one) the guy has the same dark skinned hands. ... gotta love Microsoft, I have to think someone is losing thier job over this
That's how they figured out it was photoshoped, by the hands. I doubt anyone loses their job, it's really minor in the grand scheme of things. And I doubt a polish Jesse Jackson is going to start a big fuss over it.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
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Just to make a comment on the Apple computer in the ad. Microsoft makes products for Apples; in fact, last I heard, they were the largest employer of Mac programmers in the world. A lot of Microsoft's design teams use Mac's as well - I've seen several use them at presentations in podcasts. MS folks aren't nearly as bigoted from my experiences as the Apple followers....
#gmstrong
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Quote:
I dont get what they did wrong here. They made an ad that fits the demographic of their market.? Are we so scared of offending someone that a black guy cant be taken out of a picture
I don't think anyone on here is really scared.,. Just laughing at it is all... no biggie...
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
Damanshot
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That is really funny! The guy's head doesn't even look like it's the right size!
I am unfamiliar with this feeling of optimism
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you'd be surprised what little stuff media and PR people get fired over at MS
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Quote:
did anyone notice that in both pictures (even the photo shopped one) the guy has the same dark skinned hands. ... gotta love Microsoft, I have to think someone is losing thier job over this
Give M$ a break. They probably tried to fix it but they kept "blue screening", gave up and said, "Screw it, we'll wait and see if it works in Windows 7."
"My signature line goes here."
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Legend
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Quote:
Why wouldn't they use that pic in Brazil since Brazil is more multi-ethnic than the US??
Stop nitpicking.. my point was that I see no problem with using a different demographic in the photo for the USA or Poland or Brazil.. heck even between Los Angeles and Nebraska I'd probably stage a different photo for my marketing material.
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The silly part of the taking the black guy out and putting the white gut in is for a couple of reasons:
1) They did a sloppy job at photoshopping the pic anyway
2) Using a APPLE Macbook in a Microsoft ad - But they probably wanted the computer look like it actually works!..LMAO!
3) if you are going to appeal to a certain market, don't be lazy, just take pics of local people from that area. I'm sure there are not alot asians in poland either!
Those are basically the same points I made. 
yebat' Putin
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j/c
this ad was made in poland where they're practically 99% white. they probably had to fight to keep the asian guy in. not saying they're racist but poland is known for...being racist.
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Quote:
Quote:
did anyone notice that in both pictures (even the photo shopped one) the guy has the same dark skinned hands. ... gotta love Microsoft, I have to think someone is losing thier job over this
Give M$ a break. They probably tried to fix it but they kept "blue screening", gave up and said, "Screw it, we'll wait and see if it works in Windows 7."
Maybe they could release multiple service packs and finally git this pic fixed
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Speaking as a black man...I'm not offended at all. I truly could care less. So they changed the picture to fit the area their advertising in....so what. Last time I checked, there weren't a surplus of salt and peppered black men in Poland.
My beef about the picture is...WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY SMILING ABOUT?!?!?!
"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good" Thomas Paine
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Legend
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My first thought was of the line from the Jerry Lee Lewis movie about a piano player with a white right hand and a black left hand... 
yebat' Putin
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DawgTalkers.net
Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Microsoft Photoshop disaster:
Black guy out, Asian guy stays
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