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Shameful Admissions: I Kind Of Like The New Microsoft "I'm A PC" Ads

By Josh Fruhlinger  9 comments

September 19, 2008, 10:14 AM — The reaction in the Apple blogosphere when Microsoft unceremoniously dumped Jerry Seinfeld from their ad lineup -- going so the far as to leave completed Seinfeld ads in the can -- was swift and derisive. And hey, I wouldn't be an Apple-guy-since-the-first-Bush-administration type if I wasn't feeling just a hint of the schadenfreude myself.

Microsoft's new tack -- the I'm A PC ads, which take Apple's marketing on directly in a way that Redmond has never done before -- has met with similar scorn: "Microsoft's $300 million ad campaign tumbles," "Something Is Fundamentally Wrong," etc. Will they take my new MacBook away, then, if I admit that I find the ads -- in which ordinary folks (and a celebrity or three) defiantly proclaim their PC-ness -- kind of charming?

I think I was most hooked in by the John Hodgman lookalike fellow in the opening, who proclaims "I'm a PC, and I've been reduced to a stereotype." Because here's the dirty little secret about the Apple ads they're spoofing -- John Hodgman is infinitely more appealing than Justin Long. Even you aren't already a fan of his other work, his character in the ads is an endearing and lovable schlub, whereas Long's Mac can grate even on even a young fellow with pretensions of hipsterdom such as myself. I think the Apple ads are quite effective, but you ask people which of the two characters they find more appealing on a personal level, it would probably be Hodgman's PC -- which makes him a good starting point for Microsoft's counter-ads.

But as mildly positive as I feel about the new Microsoft ads, there is one terrible truth about them: they more or less directly acknowledge Apple's existence. And that's not the sort of thing you're supposed to do if you're the monopoly with 90 percent market share, is it?

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Josh Fruhlinger is ITworld's associate online news editor.

9 comments

    Anonymous 3 years ago
    John Hodgman is *supposed* to be more appealing - the whole point of Apple's ads are to get PC users to identify with John Hodgman and his frustration with the constant failings and shortcomings of his software. Apple's ads would not work if "Mac" was anything other than helpful and supportive towards "PC" - although happy Windows users see "Mac" as smug, unhappy Windows users see him as a way out.
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    Anonymous 3 years ago
    The ad agency behind "Windows. Life Without Walls" is Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Their principal tactic in a number of recent ad campaigns has been the notion of perception reversing.[...]Therein lies Microsoft's problem. Perception reversing by appropriating your enemy's words can work only if your insurgency has an identifiable goal. Witness Apple which effectively used its insurgent status to barge into the consumer desktop, digital music and cellphone businesses and changed them in alignment with users' shared aspirations.Microsoft, one of the most lucrative monopolies ever, however, is no insurgent. Its enemy is smaller, cooler, better liked, more nimble, more creative and more aligned with users. So Microsoft has to not only show "it's OK to use Windows" but tell us why it's better and show us a goal that we can all identify with that the enemy cannot provide. Microsoft "I'm a PC" ads are channeling Apple's "Crazy Ones"
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    Anonymous 3 years ago
    Let's kill off this whole "if you have lots of money and want to prove you're cool, you get a Mac" idiocy. I don't have lots of money and I have nothing to prove, but I have used Macs for years. I also have a BS in Computer Science and am working on an MS, so I'm not intimidated by computers in the least.Rather, let's ask the questions in the opposite direction: how many of us drive a car with primer but no paint? It works just as well. How about wearing clothes that are reasonably comfortable, but look like crap? Do we own a watch or stereo that simply tells the time or makes the appropriate sounds? Do we live in a house that provides a roof and that's all we need?Are all of these things a desire to prove something or waste money? No. Neither is a Mac, if only for the aesthetics. Though it goes much beyond simply the look and feel. Macs have UNIX under the hood, so I run R, Python, vi, and a whole host of professional programs in an environment that also looks, feels, fits, and works well.If I wanted to turn it around, I could say that some of the posters here are feeding their big egos with a "I am smart enough to use the no-nonsense, professional tool... none of that bling and flash for us geniuses!" Uh huh.
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    Anonymous 3 years ago
    "I'm a PC and I've been sober 21 days..."
    Flag comment  |  Permalink Reply
    Anonymous 3 years ago
    I always hear this from PC users, how Mac zealots (as they like to call us) think our computers are so much better than PCs but if they were, how come 90% of the world uses PCs? But I'd say that's the opposite of what Mac users are saying and have always said. What I always say is that I love my Mac, and have for 20 years. It's how I like to use a computer and the interface is my preferred method. The problem for us Mac users is that Windows is run on 90%, so we spend most of the time fighting and defending our choice just so we can get equal access to most products & services. We have to fight Adobe to keep Flash, we have to fight Microsoft to keep Office, we have to fight EA to get games (at least within 3 years of the PC release!), and so forth & so on. It's ridiculous to think that there should only be one car brand, one TV brand, one phone brand, yet we propose that's how our personal computers should be chosen?! Listen, I just as soon everyone (or even a majority of people) not switch to Apple. Otherwise, Apple would be overburdened and not work as well as it has the last 2 decades. I think that's the biggest problem for Microsoft...they try to do too much in too many areas and are way too big to move fast enough. But for goodness sake, why should I be denied access to the same functionality as someone who uses Vista? Because of economics?That's exactly why I revel in Apple's growing market share. It allows us Mac users to finally get the services we want and need on the computer platform we prefer. So anything that supports that is fine with me...including lousy TV ads from Microsoft! (sorry, Jerry...it sucked!)
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    Anonymous 3 years ago
    The new ads are an escape from the Seinfeld, and I remain happy at towards the end of the ad. "Windows not Walls" or whatever the devil the mantra is. It becomes quite apparent that Microsoft is attempting to do all they can to diffuse the bomb and let everyone know that it really ISN'T VISTA that we need to be mad at-- Oh no, no, no! The problem is much bigger- be mad at everyone involved in the PC industry. And it works! It slaps me across the face with the genius of a socialist marketing message with a hint of passive aggressiveness woven together with a strong amount of Peer Pressure and elite debonnaire:"Damnit, these guys are putting up with Vista Problems and you should too! Join the regime and GET BACK IN LINE, comrade!"
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    Anonymous 3 years ago
    Not every one can afford a MacBook. I have bought my notebook for less than $500 and it works like a GEM. It just fulfills my needs (I am a software developer, which extensively uses my machine from programming needs).So in effect, if you have ton of money and want to "prove" your self-worthiness next time you go out, yeah MacBook will make it a bit easier for you. But if you know what you need and want a bang for the buck, nothing beats a Windows notebook.
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    Anonymous 3 years ago in reply to Anonymous
    That's total BS to imply that the reason you'd spend more for a MacBook is because you want to prove your self-worthiness. Way to marginalize Mac users as insecure wanna-be people and Windows users as secure practical people. No wonder Windows seems so boring.On to the ad, why Microsoft even acknowledges Apple is beyond me. The acknowledgment itself, validates the Apple argument. I mean, what does Apple have? 3% of the market share? Why do they even care what Apple does?Speaks of fear to me.
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    Anonymous 3 years ago
    There is nothing shameful about it... I am writing this on a Windows PC; I own numerous Windows PC's. Probably a billion people use Windows PC's worldwide on a regular basis. Windows PC's are the standard for this planet and their sales have added billions of dollars to our economy. I am a professional and use computers all day, every day of the week in numerous locations, and I have gone months without even seeing an Apple computer (the last one I saw was on a teenager's lap. Now, it was a sweet notebook--the one that is advertised in an envelope--but since we are talking about OS's, I didn't even see the screen). It has been years since I have laid eyes and mouse on the actual Apple OS. We like to root for the underdog in the US, which is precisely why I have always rooted for the PC character in the commercials. I am not old by any measure, but the Apple Hipster in the commercials is, to my eyes, just a smarta$$ kid. Microsoft's ads raise the bar.Apple is really a great hardware company, and Windows is really a great software company. They should just merge. I suppose Apple picked the fight, but it boggles my mind that Microsoft even acknowledges Apple.
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