Do you "get" the new Microsoft Commercial?

[El Comandante]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM_72QXCtN4&feature=related

The ad barely mentions the word "Microsoft" and never mentions Windows. Microsoft calls it the campaign to brand Windows, "the start of a conversation...easily the largest marketing campaign we've ever had."

[Potato]

It can be the start of a conversation.... one that talks about how it doesn't make any effing sense. I guess it's effective.

Granted the viewer has very little idea of what the hell's being advertised.

[Mels_Smileys45]

Every one has missed the point...or have they?


It seems to me that MS wants Bill Gates, who is every bit the icon to MS that Mickey is to Walt Disney, to be seen as a likable person. What better person to help Billy than Jerry? Bill Gates really is a nice guy even though the interweb geek swears Gates is Satan.

Secondary objective: Get people to talk about MS on youtube. Check. Worked like a charm

[DrewWilson]

Already saw that and, yes, I can confirm that it makes absolutely no sense here.

[tracetheace]

Every one has missed the point...or have they?


It seems to me that MS wants Bill Gates, who is every bit the icon to MS that Mickey is to Walt Disney, to be seen as a likable person. What better person to help Billy than Jerry? Bill Gates really is a nice guy even though the interweb geek swears Gates is Satan.

Secondary objective: Get people to talk about MS on youtube. Check. Worked like a charm

Yes, very good point. Something that did cross my mind is that this isn't an add for Vista. MS knows vista isn't gonna pickup. This is an add for Windows7 and it's VERY cleverly scripted.

Think about it. They don't mention the OS name cause Windows7 doesn't have a retail name. It's just the codename. Also, take into account many of the things that Jerry says. Talks about 'quality, low prices, runs tight(windows7), he's a ten(as in 10/10), "Are they ever gonna come out with..." and adjusting his shorts. The part about the shorts might be wrong, but when I heard that, the first thing that came to mind is... Putting your try pants on. An expression that means, I'm not playing around anymore. Oh and'what do you get with that (^video) card... Big top point. As in perhaps the rating system, compared to vista. That's a little far fetched

So he's definitely hinting to future products.
Not everyone missed the point Mels_Smileys45 :)

#sudo mount /media/cheers

[mountain_rage]

Nice reflection tracetheace but it is a Vista add, it says it at the end, this version was just badly edited and cut it out.

My guess is that its attempting to make Microsoft seem less corporate, business like, etc. They are moving away from that image and more into a works for everyone vibe.

Using Bill Gates in a normal everyday scenario also helps to familiarize your brain with the image of Bill in an everyday scenario. They know its not going to fool someone into believing Bill Gates would be in a mall buying shoes. But it still works your subconscious in seeing it, and more easily believing it in the future.

Best of all, it catches your attention. Everyone who first see's the commercial is going to be attentive to the end. The end is then short enough for you to find out its a Vista commercial. Now you will remember this commercial and Vista. Congratulation's you have been targeted by marketing.

[Mels_Smileys45]

Yes, very good point. Something that did cross my mind is that this isn't an add for Vista. MS knows vista isn't gonna pickup. This is an add for Windows7. Think about it, they don't mention the OS name cause Windows7 doesn't have a retail name. It's just the codename. Also, think about the fact that jerry says something like "Are they ever gonna come out with..."

So he's definitely hinting to future prodructs OR it's just an add for M$ in general and all their products.
Not everyone missed the point Mels_Smileys45 :)

#sudo mount /media/cheers

True that. MS is quick to not say much about Vista anymore. I just wish I could talk a certain person here into getting rid of that turd of an OS from his PC. Vista turns a great computer into a "well its okay" kinda PC. Vista's sole purpose was to sell better hardware to run the OS. Well people were not that stupid. Why buy a bad ass piece of hardware that has to run a clunky OS that makes the Bad Ass PC run like a 2002 model with XP? Its awesome to see someones face when their Vista machine is converted to a screaming fast XP PC. My sisters PC rocks now with a modded version of XP.

Stepping off the soapbox now

I have to wonder if MS will ever fully recover from the Vista blunder.

[mountain_rage]

I've had very few issues with Vista, other than its memory usage that is, but thats cheap now anyway.

The only other issues are annoyances like having to choose between having video thumbnails or no thumbnails at all. Wouldn't be a problem if explorer didn't crash whenever it cant open the video. I've also yet to find out if I can add type as a default in the drop down menu of viewing types.

Basically what Vista needs is a power toys. Its definitely not as bad as its made out to be. My computer is running as fast with Vista as it did with XP.

[tracetheace]

At the end it just shows the latest windows of logo, doesn't say anything about vista under it, ontop or even on the sides. I watched the video off the MS site.

There's a reason why it's not clearly stated which product they're actually advertising.

[Mels_Smileys45]

Thats just bad thinking IMO. Yes it works. It does what it should. But it should do everything so much better. An OS should not demand better hardware. If anything, as technology advances slower machines should be able to perform more extraordinary tasks. The problem is this would cause a PC market crash worse than it already is now.

So MS makes a deal with the PC manufacturers to make an OS that demands people upgrade hardware if they want to upgrade windows. But what did MS forget? Perhaps that big companies are never going to replace every PC in the work place to run a POS OS. I can still here the collective FLOP sound Vista made on release day.


Vista allows a state of the art PC to squeak by with performance that is marginally acceptable while the bells and whistles keep people distracted from the fact that their new PC isn't doing anything better than their 5 years old PC in the kids room.

[mountain_rage]

Apparently I read some misguided comments, it just shows the windows logo. Anyway Microsoft has gone on record to state its a attempt at rebranding Windows. They're also paying to have workers at Bestbuy or something to help with, and, represent windows.

[tracetheace]

Honestly, just look at what linux can do with apps like compiz and wine. Crazy 3d cube effects and games at the same time.

Just proves that amazing things can be done with decent hardware provided.

[shawners]

I think its key feature is to make Bill Gates more human and down to earth and show people hes a nice guy. Its not to feature vista or to gain a big marketing campaign.. People who use other OS simply dont like Bill Gates. Its pretty logical.

[evilmegaman]

hardware plays catch up to software these days. I always thought it was meant to be the other way around.


Idc, I like that it has bill gates mugshot. best commercial ever

[wapazoid]

At the end it just shows the latest windows of logo, doesn't say anything about vista under it, ontop or even on the sides. I watched the video off the MS site.

There's a reason why it's not clearly stated which product they're actually advertising.

It's an entertaining commercial. It humanizes Gates in a friendly way. And I liked your analysis. But I'm thinking it's definitely a Vista add. Windows 7 is too far off to start advertising it now.

Personally, I don't have any issues with Vista. There were some annoyances with a few software and hardware compatibility issues on Ultimate x64, but I'm happy with x86 Home Premium.

[rocket357]

hardware plays catch up to software these days. I always thought it was meant to be the other way around.


Idc, I like that it has bill gates mugshot. best commercial ever

History has shown a tendency to reward software written in such a way to demand hardware that isn't available yet. When Lotus was on top of the spreadsheet market, they wanted to produce the fastest, most reliable spreadsheet on the planet...so they spent months optimizing, rewriting, reoptimizing, etc...

When the hardware caught up, Lotus found itself on the market with a spreadsheet that was only marginally faster (and with far fewer features) than the competition. Moral of the story (that M$ has faithfully adhered to): When it comes to "typical home users", optimization is not a priority...*features* are the priority. The hardware will catch up, and when it does those months of optimization won't matter.

I hate Microsoft and their business practices as much as the next guy, but you have to give them props for analyzing historical trends and avoiding similar downfalls.

[Signa]

Did anyone else catch that DUI photo of Gates when he was a kid thrown in there? It's awesome that he has enough of a sense of humor about that. I would have expected him to try to bury that as much as possible, instead of putting on camera while he's holding it.

Edit: So EMM did see it :P

[Potato]

Ad Age calls it “a classic Crispin Porter oddity”—Crispin Porter + Bogusky is the ad agency that created the commercial, and is known for its creativity and its ability to resurrect brands with such ads as the King character for Burger King, embracing the “tiny” for Mini Cooper, and the “Truth” anti-smoking campaign.

Microsoft had to bring out the big guns, as over the past two years it has been single-handedly rebranded by Apple in their “Mac vs. PC” ads. Says Rob Enderle, an advisory analyst for tech companies, in the profile on Fast Company, “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a major national campaign that disparages a competitor, and the competitor just sits back and takes it.”

Well Microsoft isn’t taking it any longer. But is the Seinfeld campaign working? Well, you may not think so after watching the commercial. But if you didn’t understand, rest assured—nobody did. It’s a “teaser ad,” the first commercial in a larger campaign, “designed mainly to attract attention, and [will be] followed by other ads that explain the true message of the marketing effort.”

Apparently, Microsoft may reinvent cool in the future commercials. Says Andrew Keller, Executive Creative Director at CP+B, about the ads to come, “To try to be cool is to not be cool. To chase cool, you’re chasing something that already exists, which means you’re always going to be on the wrong side of it, you’ll always be following.” Got it?

mental_floss (http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/18257)

[El Comandante]

“To try to be cool is to not be cool. To chase cool, you’re chasing something that already exists, which means you’re always going to be on the wrong side of it, you’ll always be following.”

People actually pay this guy money.