New Microsoft Ads Win Most Improved Award (It Wasn’t Hard Though)
Here are videos of three of the new “I’m a PC” ads from Microsoft’s next phase of its Vista-doesn’t-bite advertising campaign.
You can decide if you like them or not. But BoomTown is declaring them a vast improvement on the quirky initial commercials that featured Microsoft Founder Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
Microsoft has insisted that those three ads, which attracted a chorus of critics, were just a “teaser” to this second phase of a $300 million ad campaign, in which the software giant seems to be returning from its short visit in hipville to a more normal marketing message.
And these new Microsoft (MSFT) ads are definitely normal and more clear, having an it’s-a-small-world-after-all panoply of people declare that they are all PCs.
The message is aimed at attacking the more elitist message of Apple (AAPL) ads, which have effectively mocked PC guy relentlessly over the years as an oaf.
In Microsoft’s ads, its own PC guy complains at the start of each that “I’ve been made into a stereotype.”
The ads proceed to show regular folk with some celebrities mixed in (including Gates, TV hottie Eva Longoria and feel-good author Deepak Chopra), all proudly declaring their PC affiliation.
While the ads feel like they are tapping a little too much into that uneasy red-state-blue-state vibe–as if we need more of that–they’re also nicely done, thankfully, although not particularly new or innovative.
Which, after the Gates/Seinfeld oddity, is a good thing.
Here are three of the new ads (click them all at once for an even better experience!):
Comments
The ads remind me of Microsoft somewhat - Stuck in a Rut!
Posted by Barry Clarke at September 19th, 2008 at 4:43 amthe seinfeld ads were atrocious!! anything has to be an improvement
Posted by alan wolf at September 19th, 2008 at 5:05 amAs a Mac weenie, I say: “Well done Crispin Porter”.
Cute.
My only complaint is that that they don’t work with the sound off and doesn’t everyone mute TV commercials?
Posted by Dave Barnes at September 19th, 2008 at 7:09 amI think the first batch with Seinfeld and Gates set these up nicely — they got people’s attention and were humanizing. These build on that in way that’s not about Gates or even Microsoft, but is about people and what they can do.
Where the first batch was a sort of re-introduction of Microsoft through the face of Gates, this one is a re-introduction of PC users — helping them re-imagine and proudly recognize their identity as PC users. Good stuff - a good second step that also helps make the intent of the first batch more clear.
It does leave me wondering what’s coming up… maybe the next step is introducing what Windows brand stands for?
One comment on the post: I don’t think this is the “Vista doesn’t bite” campaign — I believe that’s Mojave Experiment campaign.
Posted by John Mullinax at September 19th, 2008 at 8:15 amMicrosoft should have started with the new series of ads first and kept Gates and Seinfeld on the drawing board. The pair did nothing to humanize the company and instead made Microsoft an object of ridicule. In this case, I don’t buy that the series was needed to re-introduce people to the company.
“We make your life easier and help you do cool stuff,” should be the cornerstone of the software giant’s campaign.
I don’t know if I like the “stereotype” comment as it makes it seem like the elephant is bothered by the mosquito.
Posted by Ken Okel at September 19th, 2008 at 11:27 am