microsoft's new ad campaign doesn't mention microsoft: brilliant.

Recently, Microsoft launched a new ad campaign aimed at promoting the value of a PC versus an Apple. Surprisingly, the ads actually make sense. In case you haven't noticed, Microsoft as of late has been steadily turning out one advertising fop-ah faux-pas after another.

Whether its the Mojave Experiment, a girl singing about Microsoft Songsmith (while on a thinly veiled Macbook) or the utterly bizarre Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld ad series, Microsoft's ads have been missing their target and only provided Apple enthusiasts with a good laugh.

Microsoft's latest ads represent a radical departure and an entire shift in focus for the company. The latest ads are not emphasising the "superiority" of Vista (or trying to convince consumers that "really--Vista isn't that bad!"), or even advertising Microsoft products. What customers are being sold instead is the value of the PC platform.

In the advertisement below, Lauren, a college student on a budget of $1,000 is sent into an Apple store to pick out a laptop. She wants a 17" screen, and finds that the only Apple that meets her requirements is the Macbook Pro, to the tune of $2,499. She leaves.





Frustrated, she observes that she is "not cool enough to be a Mac person", which is a jab Apple's elitist image. Lauren then shops a consumer electronics store, and of course falls in love with a 17" Hewlett Packard which she purchases and accessorizes for well under $1,000, leaving the store content and happy.

Windows, Microsoft or Vista is never mentioned through the course of the advertisement, which may seem a bit odd considering the the advertisement is in fact a Microsoft advertisement. I would wager it a brilliant move on Microsoft's part.The reality is that after series of questionable OS's plagued with security flaws and lampooned by critics, Windows is no longer a selling point.

After a resounding failure with Windows ME, a rough start with Windows XP (which I would argue only came into favor AFTER the release of Vista), and a total misfire with Windows Vista, Microsoft has come to the realization that they can no longer sell the operating system. Instead, Microsoft is selling the value of the machines that come preloaded with their software. Microsoft couldn't care less if you purchase a Dell, a Lenovo or an HP.

What it boils down to is Microsoft selling strengths instead of trying to patch up weaknesses. They are doing exactly what McDonald's did for Starbucks, and attacking a perceived image. In this case, instead of the elitist image of Starbucks, they are attacking the elitist image associated with Apple computers.


Will this campaign save Microsoft and Windows? Its hard to say. Honestly, with a 90% market share, they don't really need saving. What they do need is a shift in consumer perception of their product.

What the campaign will do, if nothing else, is cement the image of Apples as overpriced into consumer minds, which honestly may be more valuable to Microsoft at this point than actually selling copies of Vista. Perception is powerful, and leveraged properly can completely shift consumer thinking.

I've always been told its better to play to your strengths rather than trying to fix your weaknesses. I guess someone must have mentioned that to Microsoft too.