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For your consideration...

Posted: Fri 05 Sep, 2008 17.29
by Nini
The all-new Microsoft ads trying their best to upshoot Apple's "I'm a Mac" ads... no, not the shit ones with Mitchell and Webb, the good ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afR5J7eskno

Re: For your consideration...

Posted: Fri 05 Sep, 2008 17.33
by Sput
Yeah, I saw this. It's not totally awful in itself BUT doesn't actually advertise anything. Watching again, I think Bill does deadpan pretty well.

Re: For your consideration...

Posted: Fri 05 Sep, 2008 17.38
by Nini
Sput wrote:It's not totally awful in itself BUT doesn't actually advertise anything.
Latter part of the sentence cancels out the first part. It's an ad, it has to push something but this... this pushes a subtle message of "Microsoft doesn't know where it's going" to me.

Re: For your consideration...

Posted: Fri 05 Sep, 2008 18.29
by Sput
Alright, so what I mean is that as a piece of television it's not awful but as an advert it does fail in its purpose as we've got no idea what they're trying to tell us.

Re: For your consideration...

Posted: Fri 05 Sep, 2008 18.35
by Nini
But is it epic fail?

Re: For your consideration...

Posted: Fri 05 Sep, 2008 19.45
by Pete
I suppose its trying to plant MS in the head a tad more, Apple are omnipresent on TV with their snazzy ads but you never really see ads for Windows or Office. I suppose its kinda like Gorrilla for Dairy Milk.

Re: For your consideration...

Posted: Fri 05 Sep, 2008 21.35
by Jake
I get the impression that this ad just acts as an introduction for the series. Easing the viewer in rather than blatently try and push Vista at them.

Re: For your consideration...

Posted: Fri 05 Sep, 2008 23.12
by Mr Q
I wasn't convinced that Microsoft could pull off a campaign that would successfully rival Apple's, and I really wasn't sure when they picked Jerry Seinfeld to appear in the ads. However this seems pretty good to me.

The point of this campaign is to reintroduce the Microsoft brand to people. There are a lot of negative perceptions that surround the company and its offerings (which isn't unusual for a market dominating firm - especially of Microsoft's global reach). Yet fundamentally people know what Microsoft offers - they use their products every day. The point of this particular ad (and I agree with Jake - this seems like the first of a series) is not to sell Vista or any one product - it is to make people think of Microsoft in a different light. On that level, I think it could actually work. It's clever, it's a bit of fun, but importantly it definitely doesn't feel like a copy of Apple's campaign.

Re: For your consideration...

Posted: Fri 05 Sep, 2008 23.18
by Sput
One thing I do like about it is the little self-reference of the photo in his shoe club ID card. It's his mugshot from when he was arrested.