Apple's iPod may have the cool factor, but Microsoft's marketing for the launch of its media player Zune will try to position it as the player for the people.

With the wildly popular iPod ruling the media player market, Microsoft is emphasizing Zune's Wi-Fi capability in its launch marketing, Ad Age reports. The $100 million campaign, featuring the tagline "Welcome to the social," has already broken online and offline, in anticipation of Zune's launch later this week; it features hipsters, rappers, break dancers and snowboarders sharing music on their Zunes. McCann Erickson is handling media buying, and 72andSunny, Los Angeles, is overseeing creative. Paid media will include cinema, network and cable TV, outdoor, online and radio.

Zune will debut with a 30G hard drive, three-inch screen and $249 price tag. But the big differentiator is its Wi-Fi capabilities, which Microsoft is emphasizing with its "social" positioning. Users have the ability to wirelessly send a song to a fellow Zune user, which the recipient can play up to three times over a three-day period. The track can then be purchased for 99 cents, or as part of a monthly $14.99 subscription.

Microsoft might not have to rely on stealing market share from Apple, because the market as a whole could be primed for growth. Ad Age cites an NPD Group survey finding that only 25 percent of consumers older than 18 use a portable digital-music player. The campaign's ability to appeal to a younger demographic could ultimately determine whether Zune can challenge the iPod.