Microsoft on Monday kicked off a $1 billion advertising campaign for Windows 8/RT featuring its Surface tablet on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
“With the first Surface spot, Microsoft focused on the “clicking” noise made when a user attaches the tablet’s magnetic keyboard-cum-cover, as well as the soft snapping sound heard when the unit’s kickstand is opened and closed,” Mikey Campbell reports for AppleInsider. “Taking more than a little inspiration from successful iPod commercials, the ad features a troupe of dancers who manipulate the device to create a drum break-like beat that slowly builds to a crescendo of feverish clicking and snapping.”
Campbell reports, “Not much is shown off in the way of device specs, or even the ARM-based Windows RT version of Microsoft’s new operating system powering the Surface.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Zunetastic!
90% of iPad user we talk to use their iPads most while reclined in a chair or on a sofa. Microsoft should have asked iPad users where they use their iPads most and they wouldn’t have wasted time on that kickstand. Microsoft named the thing “Surface,” because you need a large flat surface upon which to set up your superfluous keyboard and use your dumbass kickstand.
The whole thing — the dorks-trying-way-too-hard TV spot, the kickstand and its click, the unnecessary rubber keyboard, the “VaporMg” paint job, Windows 8/RT, Microsoft and, of course, their CEO — are all just woefully off target and painfully stupid.
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Typical MS ad… all flash and no substance.
highschool musical 4?
Actually, the elementary school girls doing the hip-hop bump and grind will lock in the pedophile segment of the market.
wow. what insight. u r right ; )
must be perve Ballmer’s fetish.
after all, he’s the most uncivilized ceo loudmouth monster on stage worldwide – 1 ugly mf! or is it pf?
Very good ad! I will use my iPad at home, but when I want to dance, I will use my Surface. Expect Microsoft to score big with Dancers. I just bought tickets to the new Broadway show called “The Surface”!
Sure, a good ad if you like catchy jingles and dancing. It reminds of me of this Dr. Pepper commercial.
Typical MS ad… all flash and no substance.
And at 60 seconds long, twice as long as an Apple ad.
oh, so true, so empty “inside”
all ms does is shallow-hal-like
not 1 feature of the new product is mentioned.
the biggest innovation: clicks!
flabbergasting how ms, despite failing every project in a decade, is still taking users for granted, mocking them, disrespecting their intelligence, spitting on their hard-earned money to buy ms crapware.
the click feature is insulting – F’ MS!
I had a kickstand when I was 8.
That cheap plastic will be the first thing to break.
Holy crap, a billion freakin’ dollars for ads. That is shameful.
I was thinking the same, we have families in need, people who cannot afford a doctor, kids going to bed hungry, and those jokers blow away $1B for this?
And if I hear one more time that Gates is a philanthropist, I am going to puke, the real philanthropist does not talk about his deeds.
I hate MS as much as anyone, but sheesh! Let them spend the money!! That is money being put back into the economy in advertising jobs and revenue for ad agencies, newspapers and magazines, websites, and other media. I would much rather see MS spend money this way than in buying good companies and ruining them.
I’d rather buy microsoft surface than android tablet.
This comment is a crap. I belive MS product is crap but money is theirs and its none of f…n your business to comment. Apple also got lots of money. So this comment is silly.
I think they are wating their money but if you look at then they have to do something so its fair that they try to atleast compete not copied like some thief’s do
I don’t care what anyone says, a billion dollars is too much money to introduce a gadget.
The Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative budget is 947,000 dollars. That is what they will spend to administer the entire 140-billion dollars VA program in 2013.
The VA will process 1.2 million claims in 2013, adding to the existing million claims in the hopper for 2012. The administrative budget represents .67% of the total 140-billion for 2013.
The IT budget is 2.47% of 140-billion!
I actually like these ads, and the ones they did for W8 . The product may be crappy but the ads are cool.
No, this ad is not cool.
far from cool.
this ad is shit.
not at all cool. I actually recoiled.
NOT cool.
Wow. We tech people know what they are selling, but what does Average Joe Consumer think? They’re selling a clicker? This is going right over the head of most folks. It’s nutso insane and meaningless jibber-jabber. I’m continually amazed at how clueless a big corp like Microsoft can be.
To me it looks like they are selling keyboard attachments for an iPad. And that clicky thing on the back. I think the biggest failure of the ad was in not telling exactly what they’re selling.
I for one welcome another American company with some stones to the marketplace. Pays to keep Apple on its feet. MS is famous for grinding it out with successive iterations to any project it sets its mind to. I would love to shut out Southeast Asia from the tech high ground. By that I mean innovation, concept, design, implementation. Leave assembling to them and that is all. So what if their drones can do it cheaper. They can only copy, and shoddily at that.
Remind me again please, which American company is making these things? Oh yeah, its that Korean company who is making them in China right?
Yes, now that’s a good comment.
I agree with the sentiment for those of us who live in the US. Though I’m not sure MS is famous for “grinding” their way to hardware success. Xbox and 360 have been good from the beginning because they let that team do their own thing. Zune and Kin, neither of which were the usual MS clusterturds, died because of Microsoft’s horrendous, though pricey, marketing ability and internal infighting.
Will Surface follow Xbox or Zune/Kin? I do think they will stick to this much longer, as you suggest. However, based on their lackadaisical announcement (price?!?!) and Balmer’s bizarre follow up (design point?!?!), they seem to want to fuck this up, as well.
This ad was not as awful as The Social or the skeevy adverts for Kin. However, a song and dance routine with bad, popped up dub step? Amazing production values, but that’s about it. Which doesn’t mean the product will be bad, but they certainly haven’t shown they have a clue how to market it. That probably won’t kill the Surface, for which many MS fans have been dying. They need to get people to buy this instead of and iPad or Kindle, though. Between their horrific taste in marketing and their decision to make Surface a tweener, I don’t think they are going to hurt either of those products much.
You are Dreaming. American companies are run by greedy assholes who would let psychotic grannies from Mongolia manufacture their crap if it made them some more MONEY.
This ad is DUMB. All the Surface can do, apparently, is click some piece of redundant keyboard thingy.
Big Ass Table anyone?
“MS is famous for grinding it out with successive iterations to any project it sets its mind to.”
Yep. They’ve been “grinding it out” with successive tablet computer failures since 2001. Why stop now?
Yes, surprisingly my office “desk” is now my IKEA Pöang lounge chair. Most of the typing is done by SIRI.
I don’t even get to use ‘my’ iPad. My three year old daughter uses it to watch kiddie tv, movies and play games.
There is no desk, just the pillow, her lap or the gizmo hanging off the back of the headrest in the car. It’s been like that for nearly 2 years and three iPad generations. No clicks required.
*sigh* more of Microsoft trying too hard to be Apple in everything. You have a somewhat good thing going for you here with WP7 getting bigger in consumers eyes, what with android on its way out, and Xbox not sucking so much – don’t ruin it and push your luck with your new Zune tablet and windows weight/wait.
Actually the advertising is dead on accurate for the product imho. A detachable keyboard and kickstand just drive the point home that this thing is neither at home with just touch or a keyboard.
Like the product itself you’ll be stitching together your keyboard to your surface in order to actually use the device. Some aspects will be touch based and hey for the times when its glaringly obvious that the old mouse driven windows interface is showing you’ll be able to use your keyboard lol
I have to grant it to Microsoft:
At least it’s not a blatant copy of the iPad, as the Android tablets are.
I’m not saying it’s better. But at least you can say they did things in a different way. At least it makes me curious about how would it work. I like it better than Android so far.
That magnetic snap on cover seems awfully familiar…
++
Granted. Now, they announced pricing today.
For what they charge, I’m sticking with Apple.
… not that I ever thought witching, though 😛
Watch the ad with the audio off and you’ll realize how Glee-tastic it looks and over-the-top annoying like their obnoxious IE9 commercials.
I’m one of the 90% who uses my iPad while lying in bed or sitting on the sofa – I find my snap on leather cover a total waste of money, but I do think an attached “kickstand” concept could be cool/useful…
It’s just there so the customers kid can break it off.
They will be pissed.
LOL – touché
wow, the last shot of that thing, what is it? 1/2″ thick?
Ya 0.55 wow.
Does it use a mouse?
It does use a fan.
I’m surprise the Ballmer did’nt get his cameo roll in that. It would have really done some good for his over inflated ego.
It’s been years since we’ve seen him dance.
oops. oh no, not him in that video, it’s bad enough to see underaged girls in there, but if PedoPerve Ballmer was in there, i’m open-minded but that’s too much bad taste in one go…
That Ad gave me a seizure
Those cash cows approve by the gov to continue generating billions for MS are put to good use. Spend it all MS. Triple no quadruple that ad budget. You can afford it, you know you can!
My question is………and this ad didn’t answer for me. What does the Surface do better then the iPad? How is this product better then iPad? Other then a keyboard that clicks on to the device which is supposed to be a touch interface….oh and a stand! This is by far one of the worst commercial I had seen for a Tec
product. Hey, some of dancers where hot!!!!!
Exactly. As Horace would say, “What’s the job to be done?”
Oh, hell yeah! People of every demographic dancing with some pad-like thing and it makes that clicking noise when you attach the Fisher-Price looking keyboard. It doesn’t get any better than that! Where do I buy one so I can make that clicking noise!
Seriously, is Microsoft on freaking crack. Their craven squandering of billions in search of the ever-elusive (for them) “cool” label is beyond tedious; it’s actually become an insult to consumers, many of whom are far more tech-savvy than Microsoft is giving them credit for being.
Finally!!! something productive for real working, productive people. dont be so lame 8ta’s iphone get more crappier every new relase.
Didn’t Ballmer say tablets were only for consuming content?
Another troll rears its ugly head, or does it show its ass!
“Finally!!! something productive for real working, productive people. ”
Apparently, something you know nothing about.
You mean like the thousands of businesses and millions of people who use it for engineering, law, teaching, hospitality services, learning, homework, flight plans, dentistry, patient records, menus, taking orders, point of sales, storyboarding, writing, playing, video games, music, videos, taking pictures, editing videos, email, calendars, contacts, travel planning, navigation and video calls?
Oh, wait, that’s the iPad and iPhone. Never mind.
If this commercial says “productive” to you, then you must be the lead in an off Broadway musical. Otherwise, NOTHING about this ad says “productivity”.
Are those “real” people going to be doing their “productive work” during or after they are dancing and “clicking”?
A MINI iPad, will kick this things’ butt.
And also suck all the extra press attention out of the air that week. I bet Ballmer is not a happy camper.
I like the ad. It is happy, colorful and lively. But I don’t think that the message comes through why one would need a Surface tablet. So far I have not seen people dancing in the street with their notebooks or tablets but maybe this is a new way of using them. The biggest problem is that Microsoft cannot decide whether the Surface is a notebook or a tablet.
Surface’s killer app? It makes a click sound when you attach the requisite keyboard cover. Oh, and a kickstand, because its actually only meant to be used as a top-heavy laptop, so we needed a way to prop it up. Sweet!
Looks like a giant Windows phone…..
Wow. They are selling castanets.
How many billions in sales do you have to make to recoup a billion dollars in advertising?