Microsoft Embeds Wi-Fi Routers in Magazines to Push Office 365

Even in the age of augmented reality advertisements in major city centers and holographic billboards promoting the latest running shoe, the lengths some companies will go in order to promote certain products and services continues to surprise. The latest cutting-edge, tech-powered promotion comes from Microsoft, which has combined traditional print advertisements with cloud computing.

The unique promotion was discovered by a group of commenters on the forums of the shopping site Slickdeals.net. Those commenters received the latest issue of Forbes, which featured an embedded Wi-Fi router that offered 15 days of free Internet service from T-Mobile as an incentive to get readers to try Microsoft's Office 365 cloud software suite.

According to a report in MediaWeek, Microsoft used similar methods last month to promote the service in the U.K. by embedding Wi-Fi devices in the benches of public parks. For the U.S. magazine promotion, the service allows up to five devices to connect to the hotspot and the rechargeable battery reportedly last for up to three hours. Based on user reports, the service allows access to the entire Internet rather than limiting the router's access to only Microsoft websites.

There's no word on exactly how many of the specially equipped magazines actually reached consumers, or how much the high-end promotion cost in terms of equipment and bandwidth charges. And while keeping the limited-time service open to the entire Internet was likely the right move, it also raises the question of whether the slick paper-meets-the-cloud strategy actually compelled recipients of the special magazine to visit and subscribe to the company's cloud service. You can take a closer look at the embedded Wi-Fi promotion via a video one recipient uploaded last week.