New Windows 7 ads signal Microsoft evolving (into Apple)
Apple has for as long as I can remember trumped Microsoft in one important area: advertising. Microsoft really didn’t do adverts for a long time, and when it did they generally came across as staid, old-fashioned, and a little bit tired. But things have started to improve, and the latest ads for Windows 7 signal just how much Microsoft is evolving… into Apple.
The release of Windows 7 is almost here and, make no mistake about it, this is an important product launch for Microsoft. The relative failure of Vista hurt Microsoft badly, which leaves Windows 7 the unenviable tasks of selling well in its own right, persuading people to upgrade from XP, and restoring confidence in Windows as a whole.
While there’s a certain school of thought that suggests Windows 7 doesn’t need to advertised or actively sold, as people will upgrade when their PC fails, Microsoft isn’t taking any chances on this score. Which is why it’s releasing a multitude of adverts designed to inform mainstream consumers about Windows 7 and interest them in the new features and UI additions.
The newly released adverts are available to watch on the Windows Videos YouTube channel. They focus on key elements of Windows 7, showing new features in this latest Microsoft operating system. The three embedded below show a generic look at the OS, a concept ad for Aero Shake, and the range of personalization options in Windows 7.
I’m impressed. Very, very impressed in fact. The ads are simple enough to be understood by all but colorful and intriguing enough to catch your attention and make you want to know more about the product on show. The ads are clever, and the branding throughout is strong, especially the reveal at the end.
But it has to be said, whether Microsoft wants to admit it or not, that this latest round of ads owes something to Apple and the way it has marketed its products over the years. While I’d hate for Microsoft to morph into some sort of Apple clone, borrowing some of their advertising and branding ideas is a great idea because it is, after all, what Apple does so well.
Related Posts:
September 27th, 2009
The first ad is great! Not to sure about the second one; I thought it was a joke at first, until i realised it was real… a bit of a gimmick if you ask me. The 3rd one was boring… WOW! She changed her wallpaper and added some gadgets to her desktop, you can do that on any computer!
September 27th, 2009
The problem MS is going to have is the upgrade path to 7. For the millions running 2000 or XP or something even older, you can’t get there. You can’t “upgrade”. Users are going to frustrated as all get out aNd the gnashing if teeth online over this is going to be deafening.
September 27th, 2009
Ads like these are sort of like car ads: they aren’t “selling” the product as much as making people feel good about the purchase they’ve already made.
Ads that want you to buy a car will show you pricing and APRs and deals; ads that want you to feel good about being an owner of that make of car show you beautiful landscapes and beautiful people driving beautiful cars. The reason why this kind of advertising is important is that it sustains the long-term image of a product that someone owns long-term and makes them more likely to stay with that make when they buy a new car in several years.
Similarly, OS advertisements often work like this: they make you feel good about the operating system that you’ve ended up with, and the usually connect you with style or hipness or a sense of being cutting edge. The goal is to keep you from buying a different operating system the next time you buy a computer.
With Vista, there was a lot of hype leading up to its launch, and then the ads started backfiring because the image the ads were portraying (e.g. “Ray of Light”) didn’t jibe with real-world reports, which made Microsoft seem out of touch with its product and its consumers. (I might also point out that the music and musicians Microsoft used to sell Vista was aimed at too old a target audience.)
Microsoft’s attempts at remedying this (e.g. “I am a Windows PC” and “Mojave”) only reinforced the perception of Vista as dead on arrival because they smacked of desperation. Microsoft was never able to successfully sell a “good feeling” about being a Vista owner.
These new Windows 7 ads are quite different from the Vista ads; Microsoft seems to have learned not just from Apple but from *any* competent advertising campaign selling anything like OSes and cars, etc.
September 27th, 2009
I hope Microsoft doesn’t turn into Apple. They have little need to advertise, seeing as how they don’t build computers. Vista has grabbed around 18% give or take a few points since SP1 came out. If that’s failure what’s the description of 10%?
Microsoft values other parts of it’s business more than the desktop, while it’s the entire world to Apple.
Microsoft let Intel and a few other vendors grab the process away. They should have never allowed it certified on rigs that couldn’t run it.
Macs and OSX are fine pieces of tech and it’s peachy the consumers rank them #1 in different categories. Well deserved, but still no big threat to Microsoft. Being the tallest midget in the circus so to speak
Pretty strange listening to all the people a year back dinging Microsoft for hanging on to legacy code and now bitching about upgrading.