Apple ads slam Vista marketing
Apple has launched two new installments of its “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” campaign, this time attacking Microsoft’s handling of Vista’s difficulties. It’s a surprisingly strong attack, though one that doesn’t necessarily come off as very positive.
The first ad involves the PC character dividing up a pile of cash, the punchline being that he puts virtually all of it into Vista’s advertising budget, and a token amount into the pile for ‘fixing Vista’.
The second spot sees the PC character sounding a buzzer every time the Mac character attempts to say the word ‘Vista’. It appears to be intended as a satire either on the way recent Microsoft ads have steered clear of mentioning Vista, or the recent confirmation that Vista’s successor will have the functional name Windows 7 rather than a ‘Vista’-style brand.
On first look, the ads seem clever and punchy, making a very sharp dig at Microsoft’s woes. However, it’s questionable how well they’ll come across to the public. The first ad is much more concerned with the corporate side of the battle, which is great for striking a chord with the tech media, but likely of little interest to consumers.
There’s also a striking irony in delivering this message – that Microsoft is putting its financial efforts into advertising – via presumably-expensive TV ad slots.
The second ad might be more effective in achieving a specific goal, namely adding to the image of Vista as a failed brand. It’s also a preemptive strike at Microsoft’s attempts to take a fundamentally similar system (Windows 7) and market it without the Vista stigma.
But the big problem with both ads is that it comes off as negative compared with the current Microsoft campaign. As vague and saccharine as some of the ‘I’m a PC” ads may be, they at least try to promote Microsoft’s products (or at least a positive corporate image). The new Apple ads simply snipe at Microsoft without communicating any benefits in buying a Mac, a particularly strange tactic given there’s a new range of MacBooks to promote.
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October 21st, 2008
The pile of money for ‘fixing’ Vista is small because Vista can’t be fixed, and Microsoft knows this:
http://thebeezspeaks.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html
See below for an extract:
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In an article, originally featured at http://www.smartofficenews.com.au (which has mysteriously disappeared a short while later) and the (paid) online version of Wall Street Journal, David Richards describes what happened. Jim Allchin personally broke the bad news to Bill Gates. “It’s not going to work,” he told Gates in the chairman’s office. “Vista is so complex its writers will never be able to make it run properly”. He showed Gates a map of how Windows’ pieces fit together. It was 2.75 meters tall and 3.75 meters wide and looked like a haphazard train map with hundreds of tracks crisscrossing each other. Of course, Windows could be designed so that Microsoft could easily plug in or pull out new features without disrupting the whole system, but it would have to throw out years of computer code and start out with a fresh base.
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Of course, Microsoft tried to start out with a fresh code base for Vista, but the attempt failed, so what we got was re-hashed 2003 code. So Microsoft cannot code an OS from scratch, and the OS they have has now reached the point that it cannot be maintained any more. They can’t go forwards, and they can’t go back. Everyone and his dog is pitching missiles at Microsoft for all it’s worth, and they deserve every bit of it – including negative ads, sniping, and whatever else it takes to hasten their demise. Microsoft is a classic example of a bully, who, when the tables are turned, turns out to be a pathetic, whimpering coward.
Quote: “… adding to the image of Vista as a failed brand.” I would have thought that Vista is a failed product, rather than a failed brand. Of course, Microsoft were not content to simply shoot themselves in one foot with the massive product failure, but have in fact diligently put a round through their other foot by following up with a comprehensive brand failure as well:
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/marketing/why_im_a_pc_is_a_brand_failure.html
It doesn’t bode well for the future of Microsoft.
October 21st, 2008
The second ad is great as Microsoft has been granted a patent on BLEEPING
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10070201-75.html