Microsoft and Advertising
(today’s post: 246 words)
Every Apple commercial humorously educates the viewer about a specific Windows failing (real or perceived) that Apple does (or claims to do) better. For example, one ad lampoons Windows for struggling to protect the user against computer viruses while asserting that anti-virus software isn’t even necessary on a Mac.
Microsoft has tried, miserably up until now, to generate appeal for Vista with TV ads.
- I believe the start was the god-awful Seinfeld commercials. They might have been interesting in their weirdness but they didn’t attach themselves to the Windows brand, nor did they sell Windows’ features.
- Then there was the “Mojave Experiment” series where we see people raving via web cam about the new Windows Mojave OS - only to find out that Mojave is Vista. It’s a poor ad that doesn’t tell us why the users were so excited for “Mojave”; instead, it’s just a tease to get us to their website.
- Then we got the “I’m a PC” (again, via web cam) commercials which showed different people who say they use Windows but won’t tell us why.
Now, finally, we’re getting an actual advertisement that seems to get it. I just witnessed a Windows commercial where people talk about how easy it is to use the built-in Windows software to watch TV anywhere and it’s just like Tivo (without the fees). A solid feature! Something the Mac can’t match! And it’s not even a (as Candice put it) crappy web cam video!
Is this the start of something, uh, competent?
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Just saw another ad for their photo gallery software.
I’m a PC and I’m commenting on my boyfriend’s blog!
Hahahahaha! Awesome.
Those Mac commercials are getting tiresome.
Yeah, “good” commercials are so rare that when one comes along you want to see at least a few more like it. Apple came up with a good idea and then milked it dry. They’re milking a dead horse now. (???) They need some of the new freshness. And MS needs a clue. Maybe they finally have one? The new ads are simplistic but at least they cover the basics. Maybe that was the idea? Get back to the practice field, focus on tackling, passing and catching, and trying not to trip over their own feet.
Hey Candice, you should webcam yourself and submit it to MS. You know they’d run that!
I only webcam myself for you
Ooh la la!
The iPhone is a superior product. The iPod is as well. The marketing on the iPhone is to show what it can do, and even though the 3G speeds are exagerated in the commercials, they still stick to function to sell. The iPods use image marketing around some nifty innovation in size. But the Mac trashes Vista to try and sell Macs. Why don’t they go head to head with Vista and advertise on the merits of OSX? Play some music, have some neat effects where the laptop is spinning…have it so we don’t know if it’s a Gap or Old Navy commercial.
No, they insist on trying to trash Vista. Why doesn’t Microsoft hire some clever marketing people who can fight fire with fire? Apple is running negative campaign ads (and consumers are idiots to buy into them), but M$ can’t do nothing back.
Y’know, it just occured to me now. Apple are bullies. Microsoft is accused steady of being industry bullies, but Apple is the company that actually ridicules people who use PCs as the nerd that nobody wants to be.
I have to admit, I respect MS for not hitting back like this. They could easily hit back with the image that Apple users are the idiots that will pay $6 for a latte and then defend having a single mouse button as advanced featury that only smart turtle-necked people could understand. But they don’t, besides the backlash that would occur. There is some aloofness at M$ and I’m glad to see it.
Hmmm…
It’s fair to say Apple is being aggressive/bullyish/namecalling now but they have to be. Don’t they?
Microsoft has illegally/monopolistically bullied the competition since Windows 3.1. They (literally) own the market. Apple has, what? A 10% share? And that’s with their current marketing.
It’s kind of like when you’re down by two or three scores in the NFL and it’s the 4th quarter. One team can afford to run-and-punt, or maybe throw an occasional short pass to the TE or a screen to keep the clock running. The other team has to be chippy, push the limits of the rules, work the sidelines, throw on every play, take the RB out of the backfield and bring in an extra wideout, kick it onsides and go for it on fourth down. Right? One QB is smiling with a clean jersey. The other is taking sacks and willing his team to compete.
I’m not disagreeing with you. Apple pushes image first, before functionality - and some people gladly pay extra for, as you said, the image behind one less mouse button, almost no gaming, and the loss of a great deal of popular productivity software/open source software.
But they do get some functionality. Built-in web cams. Great wi-fi. Track pad gestures. Fewer virus/malware worries. Etc. The stuff Windows is now copying. Not sure about now, but once upon a time there wasn’t anything wrong with picking up a MacBook if you got a good BioDeal on it and avoided the silly upgrades (like $200 for black).
Look at the consoles. Xbox 360 came out with aggressive pricing and a powerful system. PS3 added more functionality and power (supposedly). And the Wii went a different route entirely. They each brought something to the competition. All three are more viable than style. The 360 has now sold more than the original Xbox. The Wii is outselling everyone. And Sony insists the PS3 is set up for years to come.
And this response has gone on too long so I’m going to shut it down abruptly and without conclusion. OK, a quick conclusion. I think the point I’m going for is that Apple is losing big time and in order to compete they’re poking fun at Windows and trying to highlight their strengths. Sounds admirable to me. Even if I do love Vista (modified) more than Mac OS.
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/12/02/1857253
“Online market share of the dominant Windows operating system has taken its biggest monthly fall in years to drop below 90%… Microsoft’s flagship product has been steadily losing ground to Mac OS X and Linux, and is at its lowest ebb in the market since 1995. ‘Mac OS X… [ended] the month at 8.9%.’”