Microsoft gets the ad thing right

Nice ad. The use of “PC” rather than Microsoft or, god forbid, Vista is brilliant.

The new ads are great. Reaction from young and old across the board seems to be positive. (and that is both my professional and personal opinion :)

I also didn't mind the Seinfeld ads, and certainly they got lots of people talking which is a good thing. This ad is a little more mainstream, not out-of-the-box thinking but perhaps that is what people will connect to.

The worst part of these new ads is the Hodgman wannabe: his presence effectively positions them as a reactionary, anti-Apple measure instead of a genuine attempt to reposition the brand. These ads work for the human quality that they appeal to (Chopra's “human being”…) not as a measure against Apple.

A couple of things give me pause–not sure they're problems, but they make me stop and think.

The larger “I'm a PC” campaign feels to me like a concession to Apple. Whether you like them or not, the Mac vs. PC ads set a pretty clear brand identity for Apple (as does Apple's marketing as a whole) . This campaign seems to be saying “we don't know what our brand is, either, but a lot of people use PCs so we'll go with that.” That might end up working, but could just as easily fizzle; it's a straight reaction to Apple's marketing, not a statement about Microsoft.

With that in mind, I wonder whether this will end up being shadowboxing for Microsoft. The Mac/PC campaign has gotten long in the tooth and a bit off track, and Apple's ear is pretty good for that sort of thing. It wouldn't surprise me to find that before very long Microsoft is hitting back at the spot where Apple's marketing used to be, while Apple brings out something new.

On a personal note, the “I'm a PC site” also kinda freaks me out. Viewed in the context of dozens of other people all repeating the exact same phrase, the little girl saying “I'm a PC and I want to be a scientist” hits me as less touching and more creepy-ass cult member.

Perhaps the Sienfeld ads were just the bait Microsoft needed before these newer ads were released. Who knows, but it did get people talking. I find this newest ad to be more in touch with its audience. Even without Jerry’s humour it is still light and likeable with an identifiable message. I sort of feel like I can come out of the closet now and admit… I’m a PC.

I think you're right, Greg — I think I would actually like them better if they just left the PC guy out. As Whitney mentions in his comment, that feels a little too much like Microsoft is reacting to Apple instead of doing its own thing.

That's a good point, Whitney. As many people have mentioned, responding so directly to Apple's ads effectively gives them even more power than they already had, and I think you're right that Microsoft could be taking aim at something just as Apple decides to do something different. Even if they weren't thinking about it before (which I expect they were) they're probably thinking about it now :-)

And you are both professionally and personally right, as always :-)

Yeah, besides the reactionary nature of the ads… I'm a PC and I don't run Windows. ;)

I don't either, Blaise — I'm a Ubuntu guy :-)

[...] there were a few tech bloggers like Mathew Ingram, Mike Masnick, myself and Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins (but then he has a really warped sense [...]

[...] there were a few tech bloggers like Mathew Ingram, Mike Masnick, myself and Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins (but then he has a really warped sense [...]

[...] there were a few tech bloggers like Mathew Ingram, Mike Masnick, myself and Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins (but then he has a really warped sense [...]

I agree that the PC guy included in the commercial concedes to Apple's marketing strategy to some extent. If they're smart, they will no longer use him in anything. The commercial is ok. They should have more catchy music, though (which Apple does) and eliminate the guy in the end who “sells fish”. What an awful note to end on. They should've just ended it with Deepak Chpra…that would've been perfect.

Oh just had another thought. In a way, though, if Microsoft is smart about all of this, they can adopt the “I'm a PC” phrase as their long-term ad theme and not just as a reaction to Apple's ads. If they take ownership of it while at the same time distancing themselves from the original concept of the dorky PC guy, it could be a great slogan. Currently, Apple doesn't have people saying “I'm a Mac” in their ads except for that one young kid. So Microsoft can totally run with the theme and use it to their advantage…hmm

I agree that the PC guy included in the commercial concedes to Apple's marketing strategy to some extent. If they're smart, they will no longer use him in anything. The commercial is ok. They should have more catchy music, though (which Apple does) and eliminate the guy in the end who “sells fish”. What an awful note to end on. They should've just ended it with Deepak Chpra…that would've been perfect.

Oh just had another thought. In a way, though, if Microsoft is smart about all of this, they can adopt the “I'm a PC” phrase as their long-term ad theme and not just as a reaction to Apple's ads. If they take ownership of it while at the same time distancing themselves from the original concept of the dorky PC guy, it could be a great slogan. Currently, Apple doesn't have people saying “I'm a Mac” in their ads except for that one young kid. So Microsoft can totally run with the theme and use it to their advantage…hmm