When Apple first came out with its '
I'm a PC/I'm a Mac ads, I felt that it was not effective for the following reasons:
- It was trying to target only a select few: the casual, cool jeans wearing types.
- Bringing attention to the crashes and other well known PC problems did not seem to matter. Most users have lived with these for decades now. A clearer message that they did not have to put up with them would have delivered impact.
- Just mentioning that more people were converting to the Mac simply did not cut it for me. Even the naivest among us would demand facts and figures from the ads.
- What could Mac applications give the PC user, that she did not have already? I never got it from these ads. One just 'claimed' that home movies were better without any 'real' proof. The fact that you you bring down PCs by tripping on a cord is not that big a reason to switch to Mac.
- All these ads focused more on the 'entertainment' and 'attention grabbing' factors than on the 'value' factor.
The only reasons, I believe, that Microsoft had to respond to these ads, was that there were too many of them and that they were aired too often. Microsoft's first response using those lame
Seinfeld-Gates ads turned out to be a terrible gamble gone bad.
Microsoft has, several times in the past, brought out a winning product right on the heals of a disastrous one. This time it did the same with its marketing campaign. The "I'm a PC" ad is a big win for Microsoft for the following reasons.
- The first person we see is in the ad is the lookalike of the Apple's personification of the PC. This was a brilliant step to show that they were playing back Apple with the same coin. It also showed that Microsoft has a sense of humor and could take a joke.
- The use of the individuals from diverse ethnic and geographical backgrounds shows that people all over the world still use the PC and that it is a global brand.
- The use of celebrities like Deepak Chopra, Gates, Eva Longoria and to promote PCs. (Maybe, they could still have used Seinfeld in this one.)
- The direct references to glasses to show that PCs are not just for the stereotypical nerds(like Gates) who wear glasses. This was followed by a message that said that anyone can use a PC including those who wear jeans, suits, shorts or anything else. The message here was that using a PC does not change your individuality.
As I wait on the sidelines, watching the two firms battle it out, I would like to see Apple's repartee to this one.
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