Microsoft fights back by embracing the I’m A PC character for new ad campaign
Microsoft has taken a beating in the customer relations department in recent months. Between the botched release of Vista and Apple’s funny and wildly successful ad campaign featuring John Hodges as the inept PC and Justin Long as the hipster Mac, it was time to fight back.
First they tried Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates. Not surprisingly, the Seinfeld / Gates ads were not a success (Did anyone ever really like that show?). They were muddled, and confusing, and well – just not funny. Microsoft cancelled the ads (Seinfeld should be used to that by now) and have gone to Plan B in their multi million dollar ad campaign.
Plan B is a direct attempt to embrace the bumbling PC character played by John Hodges to great success in the Apple ad campaign known as Get A Mac. In true “if you can’t beat them join them” fashion, Microsoft will try to co-opt the character for their own purposes. The concept sounds brilliant at first, then you read a bit further into the plan and realize that once again Microsoft is missing a chance to take a real stab at turning around their image.
Instead of using humor to deflect Apple’s humor in a return parry they have taken the defensive route. The Hodges like character is slated to come out with the line “Hello, I’m a PC, and I’ve been made into a stereotype,” then be followed by supposedly real Microsoft customers enjoying their Microsoft products.
Really? $300 Million ad dollars and crappy Seinfeld non-humor and defensive posturing is the best you can do, Microsoft? I’d say if Apple can keep chugging along with appealing to our sense of humor and also cranking out quality product they should continue to see ever increasing gains in market share in the face of this lackluster Microsoft showing. Maybe apathy from a technology giant will end up being the gateway to real cross platform integration.
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October 14th, 2008
At least microsoft isn’t lieing in their adds like the majority of macintosh commercials. Funny too, since the microsoft adds came out I haven’t seen a single one of those queer mac ads that misleed customers into believing things that aren’t true…
There’s a reason there are at least 20x more PCs out there than there are macs
Without that much advertising as welll 
Mac sucks, just admit it
March 3rd, 2009
Aparently you haven’t seen the two latest commercials. I have seen two commercials for Microsoft that ARE definite winners. One is of the cutest little Asian girl showing how easily she imports a picture, optimizes it, then emails it to her parents. She then says right into the camera, “I’m a PC and I’m 4 and a half!” adorable. The second one shows a slightly older girl taking a series of photos then stitching them together, then printing it.. She says, I’m a PC and I’m seven years old.” These are the two best commercials Microsoft has EVER produced (that smack right back at Apple’s jibes). Right to the point, darling children. Now if they didn’t end on an ugly “green screen” they might be an “A+” instead of an “A-”. But isn’t Apple also a PC? (personal computer?)
March 14th, 2009
Apple is not a PC, Apple does not fit to be a PC, not mainstream, just like gays in this society. Microsoft which has brought human so much advancement should remain the unchallenged hero! In fact, all anti-trust case against it should be dropped as it qualify for a speical waiver. Microsoft is part of human survivial these days, its part of everything, what do you do everyday? Surf the net right? Even if you use mac, doesn’t the server use microsoft platform, asp.net and blah blah blah. Oh come on, apple is like a loser, trying to go into IT when seeing other people succeed. Dun cry over spill milk as the fact is, microsoft, yesterday, today and tmr will still be the market leader and a clear one too!