Cool Marketing Thoughts

I was surfing the web and stranded on a site that refused to open. It said my FlashPlayer was outdated and that I needed the new version of Macromedia’s tool in order to be able to experience the site. There was a button that took me straight to the download section of the official dotcom, and indeed, no flash animation was playing. The auto-install took over, and that’s where things went wrong.

I have a stand-alone player that’s especially for ‘other’ browsers than IE, and when I double-click it, I get to select and pick options along the install-procedure. It goes like that with all software I know. Well, seems to me the time of custom installs has gone to a better place, because what I’ve just experienced really goes beyond my comprehensive thoughts.

Part of the freedom I have as an end-user is the fact I can or will not allow certain things to be installed. This ‘custom’ install is very well known to all people who have some sort of knowledge about pc’s and how to work with them. The entire ‘meaning’ of a personal computer is that you can personalize it.

I have a thing against toolbars. In fact, I hate toolbars. They just fill the screen and I don’t use them anyway. That’s my good right. That is my choice.

However, I no longer have a choice. Seems Macromedia forces every user that needs the new flashplayer to accept a frigging toolbar as well. In this case, the Yahoo toolbar.

Don’t get me wrong, I was aware of the fact they were offering the possibility to install the toolbar, during a custom install. Of course I never installed it, because I had the opportunity to say ‘no, thank you’ and to not check the tickerbox. I understand the fact Macromedia likes Yahoo. There is no law against this, but does that mean I too have to like Yahoo’s products? I think not.

I have nothing against their (Yahoo) services, but I’ll go there when I need them. I’ll download it if I feel like it, and I’ll use it how and where I please. At this time, I’m pretty confused about Macromedia’s possible motivation to jam this piece of malware down my cable and even more, to install it on my pc without even bothering to alert me that in order to get the flashplayer, I will be needing the Yahoo toolbar.

I think Macromedia abuses its position as a dominant player on the market to push products that aren’t even related to the service people are trying to gain access to. What does this stupid toolbar has to do with graphical support?

I never said I wanted the toolbar, I just needed the flashplayer. What gives Macromedia the right to decide for me that I might be needing a toolbar? Who gave them the right to install this toolbar without even warning or informing clients? I feel betrayed, dirty and used.

Significant fact : Macromedia has decided I might like the french toolbar instead of the regular english one. Not that it matters, but hey : I live in Belgium. People are supposed to speak Flemish here. So, if you were trying to serve me better, you haven’t. I hate this geolocation stuff.
Why can’t they let me pick the things I like, in the way I like ‘em best?

Click to enlarge misery : 

 

I don’t have Yahoo mail. I don’t have Yahoo Messenger.
And if I wanted to ‘ouvrir session’ I’d have surfed to your website.
I don’t have a ‘Mon Yahoo’ and after this I’ll be damned if I ever have one. With your filth. Rencontres? I think not. Big bummer.

What I really dislike here is the fact that everybody needs Macromedia’s TrashPlayer. The program has become so common, almost no dedicated surfer can do without. Everyone who has a downstream that goes over 65kb/s has visited a site with Flash elements in it. Imagine all these people being forced to use the toolbar.

Not so long ago, Levi’s had mistakenly redirected all users in Belgium to the French version of the corporate site. I can tell you that every Flemish customer who knew was totally outraged. People blogged about it, it got to the website of a Flemish paper and became a real issue.

Levi’s has sent out a press statement through the comments section of the news site, a scoop by the way, only hours after the incident got wired. They had to. No Flemish citizen in Great Flanders wants to be addressed in French, except when he’s on his vacation in France, where he will then speak the native tongue, adapting himself to the local culture. This adaptation only makes sense when it’s mutual. That means that if you want to sell anything or advertise here, you’ll have to do it in Flemish. It’s a must. We accept English as well. ;)

Not only do I have to bother removing this toolbar, I have lost my faith in the products Macromedia offers. Who knows maybe when I update Photoshop or Illustrator all of the sudden some adware or malware is installed ‘for greater good’, in another language than my own.

And ow yeah, I think I’ll stick to KBSearch, Findory and Google for my searches, as I always have. Now to find myself an alternative for this TrashPlayer, so I can kick out this lowlife-toolbar-installing app.