Windows 7 can’t take a joke 

According to OS software giant Microsoft, The Family Guy is too ribald for their brand. They have decided that the animated TV series did “not fit with the Windows brand”, and have pulled out of sponsoring the show to be aired 8 November in the US.  

The Family Guy special was going to incorporate Windows 7  branding into the show instead of running commercials. The seamless assimilation and product placement in the much loved American sitcom would have seen the broadcast go uninterrupted, yet the deal was canned as a result of the content being uninteresting and humourless.  

The shows crude and no-punches-pulled approach to just about any subject from politics and religion to sexuality and marriage, made the sponsorship by Microsoft a bold move earning them much praise. The idea was to use unconventional means to access non-traditional audiences.  

With that goal in mind, Microsoft plan on carrying out their proposal to avail Windows 7 to 4.3 million college students around the US via a 12-week tour with trials, planned movie nights and entertainment.  

The Family Guy would have made more of an impact though, and proven that Bill can take a joke, even if it’s at his expense.