Taking its year-long campaign against Google to the next level, Microsoft has begun selling "Scroogled"-branded merchandise on its website.
The software giant's online store features a variety of anti-Google merchandise, from t-shirts to hoodies to mugs. Like the Scroogled ads on TV, the descriptions about each item are centered around the idea that Google is exploiting users' private information. For instance, a $7.99 mug that features the phrase "Keep Calm While We Steal Your Data” – and is already sold out – boasts this description : “Put 15-ounces of your favorite beverage into this stoneware mug to let the world know that even though Google is trying to make money on almost every aspect of your digital life, you're still calm. And fully caffeinated.”
Then there's this biting description of an $11.99 Scroogled t-shirt: “Gulled. Humbugged. Buffaloed. Wire-tapped. Extorted. Sold out. Chicaned. Fleeced. Scammed. Conned. Surveilled. Double-dealt. Ensnared. Suckered. Sandbagged. Gossiped. Scandalmongered. Flimflammed. Skullduggered. Bamboozled. Hornswoggled. Beguiled. Cheated. Fooled. Double-crossed. Defrauded. Hoodwinked. Swindled. Duped. They’re all just synonyms for being Scroogled – and you can get them all on this American Apparel 50/50 t-shirt.”
A rep for Microsoft told the merchandise is not an aim to make money, but to give consumers a way to express their feelings about Google's privacy practices.
The items, which range from $7.99 to $25.99, include free shipping and free returns, according to the website.