Windows Live Confusion - One Year On

This write up on the Windows Live branding challenge sheds some light on possible reasons for the Live brand not catching on with users. The inherent confusion between MSN and Windows Live has divided the user community to some extent. As Yahoo's CEO said late last year, it is spread too thin and its brand is losing lustre. Can it then be argued that the unified strategy of Google is the best way to go? I guess Business Development and Strategy is a really interesting area of research...