Believe it or not, the above video is a new ad from Microsoft — no doubt set to reposition the software giant against Mac’s slew of anti-PC commercials. Between the corny jokes and esoteric references, we’re not quite sure what to make of Microsoft’s new push.
Thank goodness a leaked internal email from vice president Bill Veghte, posted by Engadget, is here to help out:
The first phase of this campaign is designed to engage consumers and spark a new conversation about Windows – a conversation that will evolve as the campaign progresses, but will always be marked by humor and humanity…
Think of these ads as an icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context. Later this month, as the campaign moves into its next phase, we’ll go much deeper in telling the Windows story and celebrating what it can do for consumers at work, at play and on-the-go.
Hmmm, icebreaker, really?
ice·breaker (-brāk′ər) – anything serving to lessen formality or break down reserve
Shoe Circus? Churros? Conquistador? Shower? Running tight? Big top points? Jupiter & Saturn?
Who’s feeling a little less formal and reserved and a lot more confused?
In my view, Microsoft is now trying to follow Apple’s advertising lead — to be “hip” (maybe “avant garde”?) in this new ad. Yet they’ve missed the mark entirely — they just don’t “get it.” A word that came to my mind when I saw the ad is that they’re getting *desparate.*
Who in the “younger crowd” (who Microsoft seems to be targeting here) is even going to know who Jerry Seinfeld is? …let alone understand this off-beat humor? Seinfeld’s show hasn’t been on for 10 years. Worse, the older crowd (who can still remember that far back) won’t get it either.
I’m a long time PC user who just got a Mac two weeks ago. I think Microsoft is on it’s way down. It’s going to be a hard fall. Remember the “old” IBM?
Micro-Shaft and this campaign are completely pathetic. Just like Vista is. They remain string purely based on the market dominance they have enjoyed for 20 years. But slowly, that is shrinking…
I was an Apple user 25 years ago, then went PC for 20 years… now back on Mac for 2 years, with 3 iMacs, a MacBook, an AppleTV and an iPhone. I don’t even use the POS Dell/WindowsXP laptop my company gives me, and shelled out $1,500 of my own money to use MacBook everyday. Microsoft just doesn’t get it. How many Mac users went out and bought a PC and said “wow… I can’t believe I what I’ve been missing!”