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Comment by dendory | Hacker News Reader

I heard a story the other day where a new computer magazine was starting up in Brazil in the late 1990s. Microsoft went to them and offered to take full page ads. But when the price came into question, Microsoft PR said they would not pay, and that the magazine should just run Microsoft ads for free, because "nobody trusts a computer magazine if Microsoft isn't advertising in it."

This is classic Microsoft practice, and this is why so many people hate the company. I don't hate Bill, and I'm sure most people don't hate him personally either, but he was CEO of this company that has made many, many bad things happen.

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This is such a silly complaint.

If the story is true, then Microsoft is simply making an offer. Either it's worth enough to the magazine to place a Microsoft ad without being paid for it, and they accept the offer; or it isn't, and they reject it. It's not like Microsoft was trying to get them to drop competitors' ads or something.

There's just no evil there. Maybe it would be nice of them pour cash they don't have to let go of into a startup magazine, but Microsoft isn't a charity. If their PR department can sell someone on the idea of running ads for them for free, that's not evil, it's just good salesmanship.

I might as well complain that I'm not getting a check from Apple when I go places with my laptop and its glowing logo. Never mind that on the whole, buying this computer was a beneficial transaction for me – just look at all this free advertising I'm giving them!

I disagree, Microsoft would be a great advertiser to get, and the only reason they can get away with the practice is because they are a monopoly. Would be illegal in the US, but they do it to other countries.

So MS is supposed to just give the magazine money? If MS really needs to advertise in that magazine, they'll pay to do it. It's a simple value equation. You do realize how MS being an advertiser (non paid) can immensely help that magazine get paid ads? Who is getting hurt here?

This is a classic brand practice. It's not limited to Microsoft, and... they're right.

I've been a small-time publisher for over a decade now, on and off, and I have been approached by brand advertisers a number of times in different capacities with exactly this argument. The first few times, I reacted the same way. But one time, the pitch came from a friend, who took me aside and told me that this isn't just some line brands use to get free ads -- it's actually true, and I should do it. So I did. Figured my friend wasn't trying to screw me.

He was right. I made a few big sales soon thereafter, using the free-run brand in my pitch.

The only reason you won't find this story on snopes is because it's too lame.

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