We’re seeing more and more of what $300 million buys you—“you” being Microsoft and $300 million being its recently beefed up ad budget.
So, to the point: what does it buy you? In addition to the unfairly panned—though we like them, for the record—Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld commercials, it also buys you a small kiosk outside English Apple retail stores. The kiosk, emblazoned with Microsoft logos and, strangely, Deepak Chopra (is Mr. Chopra hip?), sits outside the store, waiting for passersby to say, what, exactly? Yeah, down with Apple!
Apparently Microsoft staffers are on hand to promote the company’s message. (Hopefully it’s not the same message as “Wait for Widows 7.”) You’re invited to upload photos and videos showing how you, too, are a PC. Spreadsheets and pie charts a-plenty, I suspect.
Pretty bold of them to post right outside of apple stores. This thing seems to be turning into an ad war. Guess it really is time to choose sides.
Idiocy. This campaign is horrible.
What’s with this “I am a PC stuff” … it’s not really THAT funny.
They can come up with something better.
I like the “I’m a Marvel and I’m a DC” spoofs on YouTube better than this. And that has a $5 budget.
I don’t think this achieved what microsoft hoped!
I’m sure they thought they got one-up-man-ship putting an ad outside an Apple store, but because microsofts marketing is so bad these days with dated looking graphics & corny messages (a bit like the o/s actually), it has the opposite effect. You’ve got that huge iconic Apple logo in the background with a really naff poorly designed ms advert stuck on some hording in the center of a shopping precinct!?!?!?!
Where next for ms, those advertising boards you see whilst urinating in some horrible public toilets??