New Microsoft Commercials

By: Moses Mehraban on September 19, 2008 
Filed Under Branding


They’ve finally arrived!  The long, overdue commercials from Microsoft defending the stereotype that Apple created for PCs.

Since the “Get a Mac” commercials first aired back in 2006, Apple not only took control of their own brand destiny, but also took Microsoft’s out for a few rounds.

I thought we’d see Microsoft punch back, with their own ads much sooner. Three years later, they have finally responded with these:

New Microsoft Commercials

The three new commercials don’t mention Vista or Apple, but they do try to break the stereotype that cool people don’t just use Apple, there’s plenty of cool and interesting at Microsoft.

In contrast to the Apple commercials, Microsoft, features everyday PC users, from teachers to ordinary professionals from around the world showing their PC pride. Among everyday users, we also see several Microsoft employees and even Bill Gates gets in the fun, sharing his email address. Be sure to drop him a note at “bill@windows.com“.

Overall, not sure if these ads will do much to change the public’s perception of the PC; it seems very passive to me. But think, if Microsoft wants to really change customer perception, they may want to take a chapter from this year’s US political battle, and go negative against Apple. Studies have shown, negative ads in the case of Apple commercials, help people retain and learn more, then positive.

If negative ads work, then the Apple commercials score better ad points than the one’s from PC, as Apple tends to highlight the frustrations of being a PC user, and demonstrates how Apple makes life easier.

Will we start to see PC highlighting the negative* attributes of Apple in future commercials?

*As Apple users we’d like to see what they come up with.

{update: rumor has it, that the the “Microsoft’s I’m a PC Ads were made on a Mac”}

Filed Under Branding

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