XBOX 360 available this Friday in very limited quantity! We'll have this season's hottest gift in our stores and online this Friday in very limited quanitity. The revolution in gaming flew off our shelves when it was released. Come in early Friday to get yours!
You see, FutureShop was not allowed to hype the 360 prior to the official launch. That's because Best Buy was the official launch partner. And Best Buy owns Future Shop, so Future Shop got snookered. Some weeks before the launch, the FutureShop website's intro screen did show the 360, but closer to the launch date, all references to the 360 were removed, replaced by the grayish shadow of a 360-like electronic device.
(News reports indicate that Best Buy got even more greedy. In addition to cutting out FutureShop, the American firm advertised low prices for the 360, but then required purchasers to buy expensive bundles. Oregon's attorney general is now looking into the scam, which was documented by internal emails.)
Unable to hype the original 360 launch -- and see long line-ups of frantic customers outside its stores in news reports -- FutureShop is now attempting a Second Coming. I suspect they -- and Microsoft marketing -- hope the reaction will be more enthusiastic than was the case in Japan.
FutureShop's slogan is, "We get it." (I liked their older one better: "See what the future has in store for you.") In the case of the 360 launch hype, FutureShop didn't get it.
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