“I’m a PC, and I’ve been turned into a stereotype,” says the John Hodgman lookalike at the start of Microsoft’s new Seinfeld-free commercials. Then they jump to all sorts of people saying “I’m a PC”.
The message is simple: PC users aren’t all nerdy puffy white guys in tweed suits — many different people use PCs and they leading interesting lives and do cool things with them. If the goal of Microsoft’s new ad campaign is to counter Apple’s “I’m a Mac/I’m a PC” ads and rehabilitate Microsoft’s and Windows’ sagging image, these ads are doing a much better job than the Seinfeld/Gates” ads (here’s the first ad, here’s the longer follow-up) about nothing.
Take a look:
What do you think?
5 replies on “The New Microsoft Ads: Why Didn’t They Just Start With These?”
My favorite is this one, which was on IGN gaming website today. It’s rather amusing if you recognize the source pic:
btw, as far as i can tell, that wasn’t a spoof… unless someone paid to have their spoof put in a banner ad spot and linked back to MS site for the campaign..
Are they going to run any Jerry+Bill commercials still? or did they just get rid of them all together?
I notice their ending splash screen is orange rather than blue. How Ubuntu of them.
Well, I think they’re worlds better than the bizarre Seinfeld/Gates ads, but they still leave me cold. Actually, they leave me shouting at the TV “Oh, wait, you mean a lot of people use PCs? I had no idea!” And then I fall over in shock. I’m not quite sure what we’re supposed to get from these ads, other than that it’s a virtual monopoly. Makes me want to get a Mac in protest.