Shameful Admissions: I Kind Of Like The New Microsoft "I'm A PC" Ads
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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There is nothing shameful
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.
Not every one can afford a
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.
The new ads are an escape
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!"