Link


Saw this last niight said what the hell wat that

Yeah, no freaking clue on this one.

It's supposed to be irrelevantly funny -- but still somewhat hip to help fight Apple's marketing campaigns. ( Remember this conversation? )

I thought it was funny.

And this ladies and gentlemen is why Microsoft products are so complicated, was this supposed to be humorous? Now the Apple commercials are hilarious. . .

mikull wrote:

It's supposed to be irrelevantly funny -- but still somewhat hip to help fight Apple's marketing campaigns. ( Remember this conversation? )

I thought it was funny.

Yes I know what its trying to do, Mike.  I still don't really get the marketing though.  The more I watch it, the funnier it seems to get.  But it is really pretty pointless when it comes to PC relevance.

Jody wrote:

mikull wrote:

It's supposed to be irrelevantly funny -- but still somewhat hip to help fight Apple's marketing campaigns. ( Remember this conversation? )

I thought it was funny.

Yes I know what its trying to do, Mike.  I still don't really get the marketing though.  The more I watch it, the funnier it seems to get.  But it is really pretty pointless when it comes to PC relevance.

Many commercials decentralize focus to associate brand recognition - often ignoring direct marketing. It's more of a product comfort approach coupled with the flare of viral marketing - a somewhat standardized methodology these days. How does it work? Everyone is talking about it. It = Microsoft trying to be relevant. Success? We'll see.

new


Link

WTF

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY

????????????

BERTMAN wrote:

WTF

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY

Read my posts above. That's why. Look how it affected you. Obviously it's working.

I am really lovin my Apple - I think what Microsoft is trying to convey is that you can't be more scatter brained, more complicated and more pompous than two rich guys making commercials which are way too long and pointless.  What a waste of my 4 minutes.

Interesting critique. It seems you and Bertman not only love your Mac, but recognize the problem Microsoft is having. I read somewhere that Microsoft is targeting an 'older' audience with 'older' coolness with these commercials... attention is gained, but it doesn't seem like anything more is happening.

Don't get me wrong, these make me laugh, and have made me 'think' about Vista. Ever so briefly....

But perhaps Jody has put it best: pointless when it comes to PC relevance. Those around these parts who are or have recently gone Mac are happy and unlikely to go back for awhile, but even if you were - what exactly is Microsoft pushing ASIDE from product awareness here?

We're looking at a FAIL if they don't swing something fast.

From http://www.tuaw.com/

Quote:

Microsoft aired the second in its series of new ads featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates, and unlike the first ad, we finally discover that the pair are trying to find out what life is like for the average person.

Since Gates "lives in a moon house over Seattle" and Seinfeld "has so many cars he gets stuck in his own traffic," the pair are living with a stereotypically average family in order to "connect with real people." Thus the theme of the campaign: "perpetually connecting." PC. Get it?

Mac developer Daniel Jalkut thinks the ads are genius: "They are so random, indeed so touchy-feely, that the universal reaction among the 'smart-asses' I know, is to declare them ridiculous, not-funny, and utter failures. [...] So if you think the ads suck, don't worry, you're not the target audience."

You Look Nice Today's Adam Lisagor adds a salient point: "If you smile even once, the Windows brand wins."

Thus the heart of the matter: The ads are not intended to sell Windows: They're ads to sell The Windows Brand. Think of it as The Soul of Windows. If, by the end of this campaign, we only think of Microsoft as the company with the weird ads, then Microsoft will have saved Windows' soul.

Valleywag was one of the first to report that Microsoft will be officially moving away from the use of Jerry Seinfeld in "phase two" of their $300 million ad campaign, though there appears to be some debate about whether or not this was part of the original plan.

The NYTimes confirms this plan but also reveals that Microsoft will be taking direct aim at Apple's "Get a Mac" ads in which John Hodgman who plays "PC" opposite Justin Long as "Mac".

One new Microsoft commercial even begins with a company engineer who resembles John Hodgman, the comedian portraying the loser PC character in the Apple campaign. “Hello, I’m a PC,” the engineer says, echoing Mr. Hodgman’s recurring line, “and I’ve been made into a stereotype.”

The new ads will have some appearances from Bill Gates but will also show other celebrities as everyday PC users in "fast-paced, upbeat vignettes" about their use of Microsoft Windows based PCs.

The NYTimes cites a number of research companies who felt that the buzz surrounding the first two ads were sufficiently positive and accomplished their goal.

And it all leads into this:


Link

I like it, that's where they should have gone originally.

Quote:

After canning Seinfeld, Microsoft is now starting stage two (planned all along, they say) of their campaign with a new series of I'm a PC ads by the Crispin, Porter + Bogusky ad agency. As is clear from the John Hodgman look-alike at the start of the ads, they're supposed to be a direct response to Apple's Get a Mac campaign that's been running since 2006.

It almost goes without saying that it's rather sad for one of the richest companies in the world to stoop to this level of reaction. But I think one of things that's interesting here is the difference between the central motifs of the respective ad campaigns. What Get a Mac suggests is that your Mac is your kinda cool, but laid-back and easy-going friend that'll help you get things done. In other words, your Mac is your friend, not who you yourself are.

On the other hand, the I'm a PC ads say exactly that: you (the user) are a PC. Who the heck would want to be that? What they're trying to maintain is that PC users are unfairly being stereotyped as besuited, boring, glasses-wearing losers. But with the repeated exclamation "I'm a PC," the ads actually suggest a kind of Borg-like insistence that I as a user have to be assimilated into my computer.

In short, Microsoft and its ad agency still don't get it. We Mac-heads don't see ourselves as all being Justin Long (or, heaven forbid, wanting to be Justin Long). I can proudly say I'm not a Mac, and I'm not really planning to become one either. Or to put it another way: I use a Mac in no small part because I don't want to be a computer (Mac or PC).

mikull wrote:

Quote:

After canning Seinfeld, Microsoft is now starting stage two (planned all along, they say) of their campaign with a new series of I'm a PC ads by the Crispin, Porter + Bogusky ad agency. As is clear from the John Hodgman look-alike at the start of the ads, they're supposed to be a direct response to Apple's Get a Mac campaign that's been running since 2006.

It almost goes without saying that it's rather sad for one of the richest companies in the world to stoop to this level of reaction. But I think one of things that's interesting here is the difference between the central motifs of the respective ad campaigns. What Get a Mac suggests is that your Mac is your kinda cool, but laid-back and easy-going friend that'll help you get things done. In other words, your Mac is your friend, not who you yourself are.

On the other hand, the I'm a PC ads say exactly that: you (the user) are a PC. Who the heck would want to be that? What they're trying to maintain is that PC users are unfairly being stereotyped as besuited, boring, glasses-wearing losers. But with the repeated exclamation "I'm a PC," the ads actually suggest a kind of Borg-like insistence that I as a user have to be assimilated into my computer.

In short, Microsoft and its ad agency still don't get it. We Mac-heads don't see ourselves as all being Justin Long (or, heaven forbid, wanting to be Justin Long). I can proudly say I'm not a Mac, and I'm not really planning to become one either. Or to put it another way: I use a Mac in no small part because I don't want to be a computer (Mac or PC).

Is this guy serious?  Yes we all get it Mac guys, you love your product.  

The mac ads say "I'm a mac", they don't say "What Get a Mac suggests is that your Mac is your kinda cool, but laid-back and easy-going friend that'll help you get things done".  Where the heck did you drum up this idiotic quote, Mike?

I really don't care what product wins or is better, pick which one suits you best.  But this constant ridiculous analysis and defense is utterly and completely retarted.

I'm a PC and wear stone washed jeans. . .      

WTF, is this desperation? hell, yeah Apple is better and so are their ad campaigns!

I'm a PC and I use a Mac!!

can we just end this thread already!

Jody wrote:

Is this guy serious?  Yes we all get it Mac guys, you love your product.  

The mac ads say "I'm a mac", they don't say "What Get a Mac suggests is that your Mac is your kinda cool, but laid-back and easy-going friend that'll help you get things done".  Where the heck did you drum up this idiotic quote, Mike?

I really don't care what product wins or is better, pick which one suits you best.  But this constant ridiculous analysis and defense is utterly and completely retarted.

I believe this came from PC magazine actually.

The Mac commercials were annoying... but they were effectively successful. Yes, this is somewhat a heated debate in the geek circles even now: sheeple vs. people, consumer vs. nostalgia, reason vs. nonsense... it goes on and on... but they still changed everything. If you truly are a proponent of choice, you should be thanking Apple shaking the tree.

Honestly, I never cared for the commercials from Apple. Some people did though... and they shared their experience with me. I ended up loving Mac the last couple of years, yet I still don't care for Apple marketing.

After all, I'm a guy who rocked Microsoft 10 years - but now I’m 100% Apple in the office and at home. My friends and family too. Why? Because there’s a quality choice, and product that works for us. Not because the commercials were compelling or annoying; rather, because they were effective. At least for Apple.

That's why I do partially agree with the quote above. This is all Microsoft has? Tired celebrities painted over image campaigns, and a take off the original competitor's ad? Seriously? Pathetic. The article got it right: "your Mac is your friend, not who you yourself are." It was amusing, but a very late response instead of an innovative new campaign. Christ, it's reinforcing the Apple brand!

Look, some people are enthusiastic about their product experiences, and simply want to share them. Other people feel the need to defend their product choices because it's some sort of personal reflection of themselves. The car you drive, the phone you have - the shoes you wear. It's ALL nonsense. The computer you use is not you. All of this talk, for years now, because of commercials. You cannot deny it, even if it annoys you. Apple marketing = epic win; for now.

Where’s that Dell I loved so much 10 years ago now? Where’s this iMac I’m typing on now going to be in 2018? Everyone feels a certain way about their computer, but in the end - does it really matter? Sure, it’s interesting to consider the developing relationship of man and machine - but let’s share the human experience, not separate ourselves by consumerist lines. Let’s get back to being amused by commercials, not arguing on the internet about them. Don’t you see - this thread is exactly what they want.