In this article there is a hint that Vista is yet another system that requires collaborative software (also from Microsoft) to be utilized effectively and marketing it in quips is ineffective because of this interrelated operating style. (Wilcox, Dec. 30, 2007, NP) Any real marketing failure would simply relate to Microsoft's inability to foresee that the complicated nature of Vista would not easily play to traditional marketing attempts, as the benefits cannot sell themselves if users do not see them right away. "The key to effective technology marketing is simple: Articulate real end user benefits. The Vista videos take a very task-oriented approach: You can do this and you can do that. You can do this much more with these two products together." (Wilcox, Dec. 30, 2007, NP) One final thought on the potential aspect of failure as it is related to Vista is that the reality of the OS even preloaded demonstrates that many of the interrelated software systems are offered to the user as trial ware, that then requires additional subscription purchases to run. This turned off many early purchasers of the software and the full systems, and Microsoft must now offer systems that contain full operating programs. This belated offering demonstrates that Microsoft was unaware of how much these unsuspecting "trial ware" purchasers would protest the reality of putting out hard earned cash on a system that required them to then purchase additional software within six months to fully utilize the system. (Vamosi, 2007, NP) Consumers who were blindsided by the expenditure requiring additional subscription when they purchased the most basic of the packages,...

The response to this was to develop the basic versions of the software, preloaded on less expensive PC models and hope that the revenue would be made up by users being forced to further invest in the system by buying additional subscriptions for Microsoft products, the most essential of which being Microsoft Office, which provides a good deal of the home user's functions. Microsoft Windows Vista could be easily equated to the Windows 2000 consumer response which was weak initially due to the inability of Microsoft to prove to consumers through marketing that there were any benefits to upgrading and therefore made the consumer deal with the exclusivity of PC purchases with preloaded Windows 2000 OS.
A icPulse Article, 2007 NP http://topicpulse.com/articles/article/is_windows_vista_a_failure/

Windows Vista Home Page http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/default.mspx

Wilcox, D. (December, 30, 2007) Real Vista Marketing Finally Begins

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/real_vista_marketing_finally_begins.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535

Vamosi, R. (2007) CNet Reviews Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic http://reviews.cnet.com/windows/microsoft-vista-home-basic/4505-3672_7-32013641.html