First Microsoft software flops, now their marketing does
Jed | September 4, 2008Apple has been running their “I’m a Mac. I’m a PC” ads for years now. All the while, Microsoft has basically been holding their hands over their ears saying “I can’t hear you!” over and over. So it was big news when they announced they were actually going to fire back with a new $300 million ad campaign starring none other than Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates.
Unfortunately, the first new video ad is out, and oh-my-gawd is it awful. The Apple ads are short, to the point, and for the most part pretty amusing. The Microsoft ad is rambling, confusing, and not really funny.
Somewhere in here there’s a good analogy to recent Microsoft software versus Apple software. But at this point I feel too bad for Microsoft to keep ripping on them. Just watch the video and be amazed (in a bad way):
You’d think millions of dollars could buy you a laugh, or at least a chuckle. I’ll say this, they have definitely brought the “wow“, but like Vista, they just didn’t do it in a good way.
You are only one of many people wondering what were
Ruben LozanoYou are only one of many people wondering what were these marketing guys thinking. According to Bill Veghte, the first add is “an icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context”. I believe that the ad could have been mildly successful if it started on minute 1:12. Oh well. My only hope is that the whole campaign will be better. The $300 million are not just for the series of ads. Oh well.
In any case, I have to say that I hate the Mac guy
— He thinks he is so cool and he knows everything ? he is very annoying.