The HD Digital Radio Alliance will incorporate the Zune HD into its marketing when the product is ready for retail. Alliance leader Diane Warren tells me the marketing will really be triggered when the product is ready for consumers to purchase online and at big box retailers.
Moving into the portable environment “is a complete game-changer” for HD Radio, she says. The fact that Microsoft made an announcement early is like a salute from them, showing how that company feels about the product, according to Diane, who’s been talking with Microsoft for some two months about promoting the Zune HD.
When I asked if Microsoft would kick in money to promote the product, she said she wasn’t sure and that plans are still coming together — plans such as what will be said on the radio, online and in stores. However, Microsoft is “very serious” about marketing the player so consumers will know what to expect, she said. “They do things in a big way.”