Category: Technology Author : Duncan Riley Posted: April 4, 2009
Tags : microsoft
There’s been much discussion about Microsoft’s current ads pitching PC’s as being cheaper than Macs. As with many, I’m not a huge fan of the campaign (see here and here) but there’s one mistake many, including myself have made: the lack of the contextual big picture.
The current ads aren’t a standalone campaign, they’re actually the third major release in Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s $300 million contract with Microsoft. When they signed the deal, a Microsoft statement said “Crispin was chosen based on their strategic approach, the strength of their creative ideas and the passionate and diverse team of people at the agency.”
The emphasis is mine, but it’s key to the bigger picture. Alone some of the Microsoft ads have been nothing short of terrible, while others brilliant (the I’m a PC campaign for example was splendid.)
Lets look at the picture so far:
Stage 1: Bill Gates/ Jerry Sienfield and related ads
Bizarre, pointless, but at the time Microsoft said it was about getting people thinking about the brand.
Stage 2: Combat Mac advertising with I’m a PC
The normalized PC user vs the Mac ad version of one.
Stage 3: combat on price and hardware
As noted, this ignores Windows but positions PC’s as a cheaper and more featured alternative to Macs. Even takes on the aesthetics of the Mac.
Stage 4: (not yet launched): will be Windows 7, which is due out either late 2009, or 2010 (mixed reports on the release date.)
Crispin knows it can’t sell Vista, but Windows 7 is a fresh start for Microsoft. After getting people talking about Microsoft, normalizing PC use, then making statements on value and hardware, the trump card is a new OS that (in theory) doesn’t have a baggage Vista does, and (in pitch) brings PCs up to par with Mac’s on the desktop.
We know the campaign isn’t over: this is a multi-year $300 million campaign. There has to be a trump card at the end, something that ends the overall campaign. The missing link in the campaign has to be the operating system, because it’s the main thing left out so far. Microsoft of course will never admit to giving up on Vista, but Windows 7 is already being hyped as putting Microsoft back in the game.
I may not like (actually, I don’t like) the inidvidual parts of the campaign, but the overall strategy is actually rather clever. There are risks of course, like cheapening the brand with the current ads, but they’re betting that stage 4 negates that. We’ll find out later this year or early next year.
Apr 5, 2009
I like the ads, i like the mac ads. (Well i think they are funny, but very very false).
At least microsoft is taking a truthful approach.
Apr 5, 2009
completely agree with macman
apple tries to convience people to buy their product by broadcasting “300 new feature” in leopard. only new feature I see is new dock and cover flow. if Microsoft counter these kind of small “New Changes” in their Operating System, they could have comeup with thousands of new feature. Microsoft rewrote the whole operating system with Windows Vista, and I don't see any change in Mac os x since they release os x 10.0 in january 2001. Apple doesn't even have their own database program, and 3rd party programs are too pricy.
Apr 5, 2009
This opinion only puts all the pressure on the upcoming 7 release …which I feel is unrealistic considering it may be close to a year away yet. Also, I'm quite sure this 'strategic approach', when first conceived, didn't plan to fail. Failure may have been a consideration …but they definitely didn't expect to hinge success on the single release of a new OS.
I'll give you 4 out of 5 stars for your optimism though
Apr 5, 2009
It's true. Microsoft's campaign has been goofy at times, reactive at others, and really almost forgettable. The Justin Long Mac commercials, on the other hand, are etched in my brain (as they are in many) and I actually look forward to seeing them. However, that doesn't mean I'd BUY a Mac. The programs I need are all on PC. I would not be able to function in business with a Mac, and when I encounter the rare client who works solely on Mac, we have many problems exchanging files, etc. And what about Mac's claim to fame that you can run Windows on Mac? I have a client who does this and never stops complaining about the issues. Yes, I'm happy where I am, being an HP girl for many years, and where I've been for the past year-plus is on Vista 64-bit. I waited until some of the Vista glitches were worked out, and I could not be happier with it–I think it has gotten, and continues to get, a bad rep. The only issues I ever had were a few isolated ones having more to do with the 64-bit system than Vista itself. Little things like having to install a new PDF printer for my Quicken to spit out invoices…big deal. The only complaint I have about Microsoft is that I wish they would actually not revamp Windows and Office so often…makes it hard to work collaboratively when everyone is on different systems. All in all, I am a PC!
Apr 5, 2009
How would you respond to these ads?
Microsoft is positioning itself as “cheap” against “cool”.
If I were Apple, I would respond: “Yes, we are cool. If you want cheap, look for Linux”.
That would put Microsoft in the corner: if it continued to push the “cheap” card, would remind that there is a cheaper option. The only solution, for Microsoft, would be silence.
Apr 6, 2009
THIS ARTICLE DOESN'T READ AS A” FREELANCE” ARTICLE BUT AS A PURE MICROSOFT COMMERCIAL.
MICROSOFT ARE IN BIG TROUBLE. OTHER FIRMS ARE OUTSTRIPPING THEM IN DEVELOPMENT TERMS INCLUDING LINUX. WINDOWS 7 IS NOT WHAT IT IS BEING ADVERTISED AS: IT IS ONLY AN UPDATE OF VISTA.
N HOROBIN.
Apr 6, 2009
… IT IS ONLY AN UPDATE OF VISTA…
Which, in turn, is only XP SP4.
I like to mess around with code and scripts, so neither Windows nor Mac OS attract me. Give me my Linux!