The UK Mac vs PC adverts were unintentionally telling. They recast the actors with two comedians who do a lot of work together. In their most popular programme, one plays a sympathetic square whilst the other plays a guy who thinks he's cool, is unemployed, plays in a rubbish band and is generally a bit of a dick.
You can guess who played what.
what show is that? I think a friend of mine was telling me about it.
Microsoft really does have a reputation worse then they deserve.
Yeah, it's not like they're convicted monopolists or anything.
If it were anyone else, I'd shrug and say its not their best product and move on. But the whole OOXML mess and the consistent smear campaign bullshit they do about their competition (see Linux's "patent infringements") makes them comparable to Republicans in terms of what their reputation ought to be.
Microsoft's customer support is awesome, at least on the hardware end of things. I had a Microsoft bluetooth wireless keyboard/mouse combo, and the bluetooth radio went out. I called up MS support, they asked for a code off the back of the box, and instead of just shipping out a bluetooth radio, they sent me a brand new kb/mouse combo set that was a version newer than the one I had.
And with a few tweaks, Vista realy isn't that bad of an OS. Every time I try to use XP I just feel it's antiquated: The embedded search functions in Vista really are something I've come to use a lot.
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FalloutGIRL'S DAYWAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered Userregular
My opinion is that this could be a fun start to a long journey between Jerry and Bill. Since this is a $300m deal, I am guessing there'll be at least 5+ more commercials with the two? This one didn`t have anything to do with Microsoft or Windows but the line "moist and chewy computers" got my attention. That would totally kick ass.
What do you think?
That was fuckin' hilarious. The card killed me.
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FalloutGIRL'S DAYWAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered Userregular
And with a few tweaks, Vista realy isn't that bad of an OS. Every time I try to use XP I just feel it's antiquated: The embedded search functions in Vista really are something I've come to use a lot.
Man, whats this Vista thing I keep hearing about? The XP ISO I use is a 150MB and boots in 10 seconds. Shit, I'd still use 98 if I could get away with it.
No. No you wouldn't.
Shitty networking, stuck with IE 5.5, USB flaky support, can only address 128MB of RAM, heavy use of unstable Windows95, if one program goes down it takes the entire OS with it..
XP was basically the current height of the Windows based operating system adventure. If I could somehow take Vista's underlying security improvements without Aero and the other bullshit, I might be happier with Vista.
XP was basically the current height of the Windows based operating system adventure. If I could somehow take Vista's underlying security improvements without Aero and the other bullshit, I might be happier with Vista.
2008 'workstation'.
You just have to turn off a few annoying bits, and a lot of software looks at it and says "holy shit son, you are trying to install free software on a server? Fuck no I can't do that. You are totally using it for a business." or "Holy shit, we don't code perfectly, and this shit 'is' going to crash your computer. Hell no, I won't install. You might sue us."
It's a great OS itself, and it is very easy to just not turn on any server roles you don't want to use.
This kinda reminds of the whole Intel Blue Man Group comericals. You know, back when AMD was kicking their asses on prices, speed and features, in pretty much every price range. Those bugged the hell out of me. It's basically the same thing, with no real relation to the product. It's crap. I hope it fails.
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They moistly come out at night, moistly.
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HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
Which serves as a nice contrast to the "pretentious hipster dick" that Apple has.
I'm getting sick of seeing people say this (no I don't use a Mac). I have yet to see or know an Apple user act anything like that. I mean, look, stereotypes exist for a reason, even with user products and brand loyalty. But goddamn this is the one that does not exist. Maybe I'm much more tolerable of this stuff than most are.
And with a few tweaks, Vista realy isn't that bad of an OS. Every time I try to use XP I just feel it's antiquated: The embedded search functions in Vista really are something I've come to use a lot.
oh, does windows have that now
Even if you're trying to be ironic, this is why your typical Mac user is looked at as a douche bag. There's this smug sense that "our OS" (Mac) is better because it had some stuff first.
On topic, the commercial was funny and I hope it leads up to something relevant or else the entire campaign will be rather useless because your average viewer won't get it.
If he's referring to the commercials and not users, my bad on that post. It makes me nearly irate to see this stupid home computer rivalry.
fanboys are stupid. If it bothers you too much, being a geek is probably the wrong lifestyle.
Every single day at work I use OSX, Windows and Linux. They all have good aspects. They all have bad aspects. I like OSX least, but I'm not it's target audience.
I really want to like Linux as a desktop OS, but it seems more suited as something you install on computers you're tasking for a specific purpose - like the laptop I tossed onto my university network to use as an SSH proxy to browse journals.
I really want to like Linux as a desktop OS, but it seems more suited as something you install on computers you're tasking for a specific purpose - like the laptop I tossed onto my university network to use as an SSH proxy to browse journals.
That's where a lot of Linux use is. For network, Linux is a wet dream come true, as long as you can do a proper Gentoo install.
A friend of mine built a Myth TV box using Gentoo as the OS. Thing has never gone down, and he's had it up for about a year now.
It's also really great for small stuff. I love my Nokia Internet Tablet soooo god damned much, and mainly because I can damn near anything I want with it due to running linux. My wireless router runs linux as well.
I think the the ads are pretty funny. I don't really see it selling Windows, but they're enjoyable to watch.
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Element BrianPeanut Butter ShillRegistered Userregular
edited September 2008
So they get Jerry Seinfield, whose comedy is usually about nothing, whose other comercials he has done were essentially about nothing, to do another comercial about, well, nothing.
I liked it, though I didn't hear any advertising for it, it did just kind of cach me out of no where.
Hmm, just noticed there's actually a post on the official Vista blog about the ads. It's pretty enlightening, but also similar to what some people here have figured out.
Some of the bits I found interesting:
You might have seen that in some interviews last week we called these initial TV spots "icebreakers" designed to start a new kind of conversation. That's exactly what they are. Icebreakers. Not the whole campaign. Not even the main part of the campaign. Just the beginning of the campaign.
Will seeing Bill and Jerry enjoy each other's company make people run out and buy a new laptop? Or correct misperceptions some non-users might have about Windows Vista?
Certainly not. We'd be crazy to think they would. That's why we're continuing the Mojave Experiment ads. That's their job.
But this campaign, when fully unveiled, will talk about Windows in all its forms. Not just the OS for PCs we happen to be shipping today. In fact, not just an OS. And not just on PCs. Simply put, this campaign isn't about Windows Vista. It's about Windows.
Emphasis theirs. I interpreted the last bit to mean that they're going to be promoting Windows Live and Windows Mobile in these ads too, which would work better than simply trying to promote Vista, IMO. (Which, of course, they say this isn't meant to be doing.)
There's a comment over on the blog saying that the fact that there needs to be an explanation of the whole thing shows that the ads don't work; in a way, I'd almost agree, but I have to say these are pretty memorable to me, and hence are somewhat effective.
The whole thing is seeming more and more like a pure brand management exercise. I mean, prior to this Microsoft had all but stopped doing primary marketing of Windows toward the consumer, so maybe they feel like they just need to get the Windows name out there in a positive way again. I noticed the other day that I haven't seen this campaign running in many of the same slots as the Mojave campaign, although it might just be because I don't watch that much television.
It's weird when contrasted with the apple ads, because they at least try to work some neat feature in.
That, and Apple has been a lot better about weaving brand development into their ads and product launches for years.
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it was the smallest on the list but
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
In some round about way I think this ad describes the windows experience. You keep bending and trying to break the shoe but it never really will ever fit right unless you get a size bigger. In this case pay Microsoft an extra $50 for more than basic windows.
I think it's moreso that you have to kind of work with it and figure out how to MAKE it fit, which can take work or odd solutions (shoes in the shower), but it's better than being handed a computer and patted on the head.
A very large part of advertising is making the consumer remember your product. In many cases the content of the advertising is hardly important as long as it makes you think of their product.
A very large part of advertising is making the consumer remember your product. In many cases the content of the advertising is hardly important as long as it makes you think of their product.
I only took Marketing 101 class in college, but one of the things that stuck with me was an exercise we did on commercials, specfically humorous ones. Many of us could recite the commercials, but when asked what product it was, most of us couldn't even name the product.
I fucking hate hate hate, when people ask what kind of computer i have, then,before i can even finish saying what it is they give me the, BAW youshouldaboughtaMAC! thing... nine times out of ten i deadpan ask them why and they splutter fo a second and say "it's better."
The whole thing is like this weird non sequiter, and then at the end the windows logo splashes up. It didn't have any focus.
The mac ads work because they reinforce all their branding; yes, they're clever, but they're also clean and sharp, and they portray Macs and PCs the way Apple wants.
This ad was a jumbled mess that was sort of funny, but I didn't take anything from it except that Bill Gates is sort of creepy and seinfeld knows a lot about shoes.
If unfocused ads having nothing to do with the product can sell jeans, beer, and cologne, why not give it a try with Vista? Heck, in most Nike ads you see actual shoes for no more than 3 seconds out of 30 at most. What you do see is random stuff like Tiger bouncing a golf ball or baseball players talking about "chicks dig the long ball" for 30 seconds and then a Nike logo.
If you want to see a product in actual use, watch an infomercial or infomercial-style commercials like Sham-wow or Magic Putty.
It's not like the Mac vs PC ads ever show anyone actually using a computer, either.
Mac seems to control the personal computing message these days. It's image identity and creating a perception, which may or may not be correct, but perception is reality. Apple has created a paradigm where Windows is not 'it, and Mac is 'it'.
I think the whole problem has been that Windows never had an identity to counter with. It's..well...Windows. Really, what can they say in a commercial as a counter punch "Hi...we run on 90% of the worlds computers."? So instead they sat on their hands and took it on the chin. Maybe it's taking the high road, or maybe it's because they just didn't have an answer to Mac's viscous advertising.
Either way, it's working. It will take time I think. MS have dug themselves into a nice hole by taking it in the ass all these years, but these commercials are funny, or at the least, not boring. And frankly, good on them.
I laughed at getting "stuck in my own traffic" and the mention of inheritance/polymorphism, but that's me.
Yeah, this one was much funnier than the first one. I still don't know what they have to do with Microsoft/Vista but I'm anxious for more after part 2.
Mac seems to control the personal computing message these days. It's image identity and creating a perception, which may or may not be correct, but perception is reality. Apple has created a paradigm where Windows is not 'it, and Mac is 'it'.
I think the whole problem has been that Windows never had an identity to counter with. It's..well...Windows. Really, what can they say in a commercial as a counter punch "Hi...we run on 90% of the worlds computers."? So instead they sat on their hands and took it on the chin. Maybe it's taking the high road, or maybe it's because they just didn't have an answer to Mac's viscous advertising.
Either way, it's working. It will take time I think. MS have dug themselves into a nice hole by taking it in the ass all these years, but these commercials are funny, or at the least, not boring. And frankly, good on them.
And Bill Gates doing the robot? Sure, why not.
It's not that MS doesn't have a home computing message, it's that we don't matter. Individual consumers aren't their target, businesses who buy 50 licenses at a time are.
It's not like Apple is a threat to take all those business accounts when they're commercials go "Using a PC to do work is lame, use a Mac to listen to music and watch movies all day." and the closest they come to appealing to businesses is to say "Hey Macs can use Microsoft Office too!"
If Macs had been extolling OpenOffice rather than MSO, Redmond that very day would have been loading all their nickels into a sock to beat Steve Jobs about the head with.
I assume this campaign is mostly about company image, or that's they way it seems right now. There should be more commercials that will add on each other.
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what show is that? I think a friend of mine was telling me about it.
ah! that's why I had that in my notepad on my phone. thanks.
Microsoft's customer support is awesome, at least on the hardware end of things. I had a Microsoft bluetooth wireless keyboard/mouse combo, and the bluetooth radio went out. I called up MS support, they asked for a code off the back of the box, and instead of just shipping out a bluetooth radio, they sent me a brand new kb/mouse combo set that was a version newer than the one I had.
And with a few tweaks, Vista realy isn't that bad of an OS. Every time I try to use XP I just feel it's antiquated: The embedded search functions in Vista really are something I've come to use a lot.
That was fuckin' hilarious. The card killed me.
oh, does windows have that now
No. No you wouldn't.
Shitty networking, stuck with IE 5.5, USB flaky support, can only address 128MB of RAM, heavy use of unstable Windows95, if one program goes down it takes the entire OS with it..
2008 'workstation'.
You just have to turn off a few annoying bits, and a lot of software looks at it and says "holy shit son, you are trying to install free software on a server? Fuck no I can't do that. You are totally using it for a business." or "Holy shit, we don't code perfectly, and this shit 'is' going to crash your computer. Hell no, I won't install. You might sue us."
It's a great OS itself, and it is very easy to just not turn on any server roles you don't want to use.
This kinda reminds of the whole Intel Blue Man Group comericals. You know, back when AMD was kicking their asses on prices, speed and features, in pretty much every price range. Those bugged the hell out of me. It's basically the same thing, with no real relation to the product. It's crap. I hope it fails.
the ones with lots of lies?
and a pretentious twat?
Even if you're trying to be ironic, this is why your typical Mac user is looked at as a douche bag. There's this smug sense that "our OS" (Mac) is better because it had some stuff first.
On topic, the commercial was funny and I hope it leads up to something relevant or else the entire campaign will be rather useless because your average viewer won't get it.
If he's referring to the commercials and not users, my bad on that post. It makes me nearly irate to see this stupid home computer rivalry.
fanboys are stupid. If it bothers you too much, being a geek is probably the wrong lifestyle.
Every single day at work I use OSX, Windows and Linux. They all have good aspects. They all have bad aspects. I like OSX least, but I'm not it's target audience.
I mean for fucks sake, it was like 3 minutes long. The average commercial is 30 seconds to 1 minute.
It seemed more like the ground work for establishing their relationship for the rest of the campaign. Like an prequel or something.
Also, the mugshot on Gates' ID made me laugh.
Steam - Talon Valdez :Blizz - Talonious#1860 : Xbox Live & LoL - Talonious Monk @TaloniousMonk Hail Satan
That's where a lot of Linux use is. For network, Linux is a wet dream come true, as long as you can do a proper Gentoo install.
A friend of mine built a Myth TV box using Gentoo as the OS. Thing has never gone down, and he's had it up for about a year now.
New Family
Even if they don't make any sense, I want to see more of these ads.
Still a bit wacky, but yeah, I'm actually liking it more. They're also up at Microsoft's site, in higher quality.
I liked it, though I didn't hear any advertising for it, it did just kind of cach me out of no where.
Arch,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_goGR39m2k
Some of the bits I found interesting:
Emphasis theirs. I interpreted the last bit to mean that they're going to be promoting Windows Live and Windows Mobile in these ads too, which would work better than simply trying to promote Vista, IMO. (Which, of course, they say this isn't meant to be doing.)
There's a comment over on the blog saying that the fact that there needs to be an explanation of the whole thing shows that the ads don't work; in a way, I'd almost agree, but I have to say these are pretty memorable to me, and hence are somewhat effective.
It's weird when contrasted with the apple ads, because they at least try to work some neat feature in.
That, and Apple has been a lot better about weaving brand development into their ads and product launches for years.
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
I saw the second commercial last night during The First 48 on A&E (weird, I know) and the best part was Bill still working over the shoe.
I do like how the commercials are telling a story of some kind, like a webisode or something. I wanna see where they're going with their stolen item.
This is surprisingly deep. Really.
I only took Marketing 101 class in college, but one of the things that stuck with me was an exercise we did on commercials, specfically humorous ones. Many of us could recite the commercials, but when asked what product it was, most of us couldn't even name the product.
QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
I fucking hate hate hate, when people ask what kind of computer i have, then,before i can even finish saying what it is they give me the, BAW youshouldaboughtaMAC! thing... nine times out of ten i deadpan ask them why and they splutter fo a second and say "it's better."
... Oh? "fuck off"
If unfocused ads having nothing to do with the product can sell jeans, beer, and cologne, why not give it a try with Vista? Heck, in most Nike ads you see actual shoes for no more than 3 seconds out of 30 at most. What you do see is random stuff like Tiger bouncing a golf ball or baseball players talking about "chicks dig the long ball" for 30 seconds and then a Nike logo.
If you want to see a product in actual use, watch an infomercial or infomercial-style commercials like Sham-wow or Magic Putty.
It's not like the Mac vs PC ads ever show anyone actually using a computer, either.
I think the whole problem has been that Windows never had an identity to counter with. It's..well...Windows. Really, what can they say in a commercial as a counter punch "Hi...we run on 90% of the worlds computers."? So instead they sat on their hands and took it on the chin. Maybe it's taking the high road, or maybe it's because they just didn't have an answer to Mac's viscous advertising.
Either way, it's working. It will take time I think. MS have dug themselves into a nice hole by taking it in the ass all these years, but these commercials are funny, or at the least, not boring. And frankly, good on them.
And Bill Gates doing the robot? Sure, why not.
Yeah, this one was much funnier than the first one. I still don't know what they have to do with Microsoft/Vista but I'm anxious for more after part 2.
It's not that MS doesn't have a home computing message, it's that we don't matter. Individual consumers aren't their target, businesses who buy 50 licenses at a time are.
It's not like Apple is a threat to take all those business accounts when they're commercials go "Using a PC to do work is lame, use a Mac to listen to music and watch movies all day." and the closest they come to appealing to businesses is to say "Hey Macs can use Microsoft Office too!"
If Macs had been extolling OpenOffice rather than MSO, Redmond that very day would have been loading all their nickels into a sock to beat Steve Jobs about the head with.
A commercial about nothing?
(sorry if this joke has been made)
And I can only assume I'd be doing the same thing just for shits and giggles were I in the same position as either of them.