Microsoft Drop Family Guy Special Sponsorship Deal

MacFarlane humour did not fit with Windows brand.

Microsoft has pulled the plug on its sponsorship deal of the Fox comedy special featuring Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane after it decided the material was too edgy for its brand image.

MacFarlane will be joined by fellow Family Guy actress Alex Borstein, who provides the voice of Lois in the comedy series. The comedy special: Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show is still due to be aired on 8 November by Fox despite Microsoft’s late withdrawal.

Microsoft must have known before they entered into the sponsorship deal that MacFarlane is hardly the safest option in animated comedy. Family Guy is infamous for taking the dysfunctional family comedy set-up of The Simpsons and then pushing it to new limits of what is acceptable.

Clearly someone at Microsoft hadn’t done their homework properly, as a company spokeswoman told Variety: “We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humour of ‘Family Guy,’ but after reviewing an early version of the variety show, it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand”.

Which is a shame, because as this preview released on YouTube shows, the Family Guy format as an avenue for promoting Windows 7 works and is really funny.

Microsoft can’t be blamed for trying to reach a new audience to make themselves more appealable to the “iYouth” intent on consuming everything shiny and Apple embossed; but having made the decision Microsoft should have stuck to their guns and run with the idea.

Who’s next to promote the Windows 7 brand? Surely Microsoft want fall back to Friends stars Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry?