Microsoft’s uphill Struggle for the Masses
Okay so I know this has been debated before and I know both sides of it. But I still can’t help but wonder. Apparently Microsoft can’t help but wonder as well.
Why don’t we see cooler Microsoft TV spots?
I ask this because Apple has always had semi-cool plugs (for some tech firms they practically set the standard on what is considered “cool”). Personally, I’ve found their ads more annoying than anything else. Partly due to the fact that they know they set the standard and take advantage of the fact they’ve got this massive following of style driven Apple nerds that will think they’re cool no matter what. No offense to Apple nerds… They do make great stuff…
HP recently has had some adverts that, while not necessarily marketing any particular product, are very cool and very good adverts. In some ways they help transform my opinion of the company (even though I already thought they weren’t half bad 
). They do give the idea of HP’s invent catch-word too. TV Campaigns like “you” and “everything is possible” are awesome.
How many times can you say you’ve actually liked an advert so much you downloaded it just so you could watch it again? I’ve done it with those HP adverts. But I can only say that I’ve done it once or twice for a Microsoft advert. One of which wasn’t even for the states! I’m speaking of course about the well known Swiss Microsoft ad for Office XP. It’s a sexy advert that I’ve watched over and over again every time I stumble upon it on my HDD. The girl in it is gorgeous! When I first start watching it I think to myself “right this guy is an über cool Microsoft Office programming geek that has a really hot girlfriend in a pretty slick flat, I want to be that guy…” Then you get the humor with the little SmartTag when he struggles to get her bra off (note to dude, use thumb to push down on one side while using index finger to push and slide the other clasp side off, works through tops and sometimes even sweaters too). The SmartTag menu says; Get Help, Print Instructions, Open Immediately, and Cancel. But of course, he goes for the gold, but alas it’s encrypted. This had works on so many levels, and it’s just plain cool! I tried linking to it on AdCritic but forgot they went pay for play so I’m linking to it here on my server, which is a little bandwidth limited at the moment so please keep that in mind while downloading the 3,777KB MPG.
IBM seems to come out with something new every couple of weeks, whether it’s the ubiquitous letterbox ads or like the one ad I talked about earlier watching SciFi. The ad, IBM calls prodigy basically features a kid (aka Linux) taking in information that is being unloaded by great people of knowledge and wisdom. Supposedly this is an effort to show how quickly Linux is growing and is being contributed to. Or see it however you’d like.
Now the point I’m trying to make is that Microsoft doesn’t have to pump out ads. It’s already got it’s marketshare, it doesn’t need to spend loads of money on adverts for Windows. But what it does need is a major change in public image and opinion. Campaigns like HP’s help do that. Campaigns like IBM’s Prodigy help do that in a different way, even though many normal people haven’t a clue what Linux is about or have only just heard of it, it gets IBM points on coolness – just for having Muhammad Ali even. Worse for Microsoft it starts sending the sound waves of Linux back to the open untuned ears of the masses.
My hope is that this realization is finally starting to sink in for Microsoft and they will finally start to address their lackluster ad campaigns.
Oh and one last thing, I’m no marketing guy, I personally hate marketing, but if I’m going to have to eat it, it just might as well taste good. 
