Beef Jerky and the Personification of Microsoft

In a rather uncharacteristically forward move by Microsoft, Ms. Dewey has become the latest online phenomenon to join the Internet-personified cast of characters that includes lonelygirl15 and a now-retired Mr. Jeeves.

From a corporate giant’s smart-alec, ethnically ambivalent librarian, to your 17-year old son’s MySpace page, the Internet has morphed into more than just a container for information. It is truly being utilized to express who we are. The latest generation of Internet utility and applications has allowed brands to come alive in a way that has, arguably, not been seen since the introduction of television commercials.

On another note, Harley Davidson recently focused growing its brand by introducing beef jerky to its line up, stating in this USA Today article, “The company has considered making edible products in the past, but nothing fit with the brand and its image like jerky.”

Considering the talkative Ms. Dewey, what’s this say about the way Microsoft has chosen to personify itself?

As David M. Ewalt of Forbes notes in his blog on the subject, at least “actress Janina Gavankar is a lot more appealing than a guy in a chicken suit.”

(ps. Remember I was saying I get paid to blog? The above is the result of an hour's salary. Laughing. All. The Way. Bank.)