“Even though Windows XP has been on the market for more than three years, Microsoft is hoping a new advertising campaign will ‘start something’ when it comes to enthusiasm for the operating system,” Ina Fried reports for CNET News. “The campaign, which will last for 15 months, is designed to showcase all the things Windows can do.”
MacDailyNews Take: No, the campaign will not feature getting infected with a virus that wipes your hard drive clean nor will it showcase downloading critical patches to patch OS patches that you thought were patched until yesterday’s patch broke last month’s patch, you patcher.
Fried continues, “The campaign which will launch in 11 countries with online, print and television ads, will try to play up Windows as the start to many things. The ads will have messages like “Start something curious,” “Start discovering lost cities” and “Start feeding your brain.” In all, Microsoft said there are 51 TV spots, 39 print ads and 250 online advertisements.”
MacDailyNews Take: Unfortunately, “Start waking up,” “Start thinking for yourselves,” and “Start looking beyond the initial sticker price” will not be used. “Start is for shutting down,” “Start reformatting your hard drive for your biannual fresh Windows install,” and “Start getting owned” most definitely will not be mentioned within the confines of Microsoft’s campaign.
Fried continues, “the ‘Start Something’ campaign will serve as a run up to the debut of Longhorn, the next version of Windows, which is set to go on sale by next year’s holiday shopping season. Jim Allchin, the head of the Windows unit, said in an interview last week to expect a massive ad push for Longhorn as well.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Let the attention diversion from Tiger begin! Advertising an operating system on a massive scale? Now, that’s actually innovative — at least it is in Cupertino. Wonder what would happen if Apple would try something like that with Mac OS X Tiger?
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Mossberg: ‘consider dumping Windows altogether and switching to Apple’s Macintosh’ – April 18, 2005
Why doesn’t Apple advertise Mac OS X on TV? – April 12, 2005
M$ tries to play Os X down by advertising Os XP as X Professional…
Apple needs to be TIGERly AGRrressive with this!
At least they’re advertising it. What the hell is wrong with Apple?
I don’t remember Microsoft ever making this much noise about an old operating system before. Could it be that they are definitely scared about Tiger?
M$ Windows, innovative OS between crap and mediocre.
Tyk, I totally agree.. Apple has really dropped the ball on this for some time. I am hoping that the release of Tiger will prompt a change in marketing strategy.
Nothing is wrong with Apple… they get far more free advertising than anyone else. MS will pay for all this but will be furuious when it just spawns more comparisons with Tiger.
You can just see the claw marks all over MS and more coming too!
I’d rather Apple spent the money on R&D – as they do now and come up with the products that matter to me.
This could be good if the consumer ended up seeing all the hoopla about Tiger, then switched.
Of course M$ is on to something. Now that tiger is out, they’ll start photocoping…
It seems the writing is on the wall. The only reason they are doing this is to stop Apple’s syphoning.
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king_alvarez: “Could it be that they are definitely scared about Tiger?”: YES (and little bit about Linux)
Let me guess, they want to use the Black-Eyed Peas, right? Instead of pianos crashing to the ground they can have PCs crashing.
Oh my… that is an ugly smilie.
Anyway to continue what I may not have thoroughly conveyed…
I don’t think Apple NEEDS to advertise like M$.
So when will we be seeing apples “Actually finish something (without having to restart)” campaign?
http://movies.differentdistrict.com/play.php?id=1638_0_28_0_M49
“No, the campaign will not feature getting infected with a virus that wipes your hard drive clean nor will it showcase downloading critical patches to patch OS patches that you thought were patched until yesterday’s patch broke last month’s patch, you patcher.”
MDN, this is brilliant! You’ve just identified a key descriptor of Windows users: patchers.
So, our Windows-using friends, are you a switcher or a patcher? Would you rather patch than switch?
My god, if the Mac community starts using the “patcher” phrase to refer to Windows users and it goes mainstream, it could undercut Microsoft’s entire planned 15-month campaign!
Black Eyed Peas! Hahaha!
M$ is ALREADY using them to steal Apple’s image by association in places like this:
http://music.msn.com/artist/default.aspx?artist=16343199&stab=2
They don’t detect an iPod halo effect…er, ah, but JUST in case, we’re going to blow millions on advertising a product that we used to only advertise at a new OS release.
They can’t even tout any new features because it’s been out for 3 years!! Anything you can display in a commercial can be done on both platforms to some degree anyway so really, what’s the deal with advertising about an OS? I know understand even MORE why Apple doesn’t advertise about Tiger… what are you going to do, bounce a silhouetted X all over the screen dancing madly? Show someone pressing a key to activate the Exposé effect?
Hmm. It seems to me that this is the perfect opportunity for Apple. I think that most (all) Mac fans out here believe that Apple has to do more to blow its own horn about OS X.
The more realistic among us ask nagging questions like “How do you advertise an operating system?”
Well, the obvious answer is that you respond to Microsoft ads for operating systems.
Microsoft ads have been just as useless as Apple’s ads recently, mostly causing me to scream at the TV that “I have been doing that on my Mac for years!” The difference is that at least Microsoft is telling folks that they can do things. Apple doesn’t admit to any such capability.
However, by cleverly aping Microsoft commercials — injecting a good dose of humour — Apple can make Microsoft ads advertise Macs as well. And the 18 month long end tag says “Available now … on the Mac!” Fade to white Apple logo.
Please don’t phone me. I’m expecting a call from Chiat Day any second now.
OK, say after me” PATCHERS-PATCHERS-PATCHERS. Add the word after all your comments from now on.
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Oh yeah. PATCHERS
This site is many times worse than any Apple bashing that I’ve ever seen. This site is suppose to be about Mac news but it’s more about slamming anyone that has a different opinion than it is about relaying news about Apple.
I dislike microsoft, that’s one of the reasons that I now have a Mac to go along with my PC’s, but what’s with all of the slamming? XP is a good OS. It does some things better than OSx and OSx does some things better than XP.
Believe it or not, OSx is not perfect either. XP is just a bigger and easier target for the scum that write viruses.
Why don’t you try acting like an adult and praise Apple’s products instead of attacking?
Sorry to bring the bad news, but Tyk is right on the money. We mac users can sit back and laugh at MS ad attempts all we want, but what gets me so mad is that Apple never seizes the timed opportunity it can to really advertise the MAC features, OS, SW or HW to make a significant impact on MAC sales. For cryin’ out loud look how successful the iPod ads are!!!!!!!
I see Dell and Gateway ads all the time on tv (Dell ads are pretty funny) and I seen zip, zero, nada of Mac.
And these computers are very well known. Some people only have ‘heard’ about the mac and say “Mac are good for graphics”, “I heard they are easier to use”, “I heard that there is not much SW for the Mac”.
NO, THERE IS NOT MUCH ADVERTISING FOR THE MAC FROM APPLE. FOR GOD’S SAKE APPLE, WOULD YOU FINALLY PLEASE GRAB THE BULL BY THE BALLS AND “START SOMETHING” AND FINALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO FINALLY MEGA-ADVERTISE THE MAC OS, FEATURES, HW AND SW. IF THEY WOULD ADVERTISE THE MAC WITH AS MUCH ENTHUSIASM AS STEVE JOBS DOES DURING HIS KEYNOTES THEN FOLKS WOULD REALLY REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE MAC.
Whew…that felt good. Maybe We should petition apple to finally do the Mac ads!
Advertising campain for an old product. I don’t see how there going to drum up anymore business like that. Check out XP our outdated, virus infected, trojan riddled, spyware massive OLD operating system. See what it starts for you. Headache’s, nausia, vomiting, high levels of stress, and you actually get no work done!
Truely an amazing system, buy it today?
Dumb!
Start something…
hmmm…
Remember the Tiger banner last year that read, “Redmond, start your photocopiers.”
Anyone think this is a direct reply?
Patches? Apple patches also.
I’d love to make a complete switch to Mac but I can’t. I have switched most of my activity to the Mac but I still have to use a PC.
Steve Jobs is an IDIOT. If you recall, he has NEVER advertised the operating system. In fact, there was BARELY any advertising coming out of Apple before the iPod. STEVE JOBS IS A FOOL FOR NOT ADVERTISING TIGER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Steve…
Start using some of that iPod Shuffle ad time for an OSX + iLife ad.
Plays for sure…
Profesor:’king_alvarez: “Could it be that they are definitely scared about Tiger?”: YES (and little bit about Linux)’
Absolutely! There is a big Linux conference happening in Toronto starting today. Directly below the half page article (not an ad) about the Linux system being a threat to Windows,M$ has taken out an half page ad titled: “Weighing the Real Costs of Linux and Windows”. It about exposure to suits about intellectual property rights. they offer a website with details: http://www.microsoft.ca/getthefacts
They are definitely getting worried about the competition!
Well, Jobs is certainly not a fool by anyone’s definition. But, the lack of advertising OSX is odd. What could possibly be the reason???
Yesterday I finally cleared the last hurdle to rid myself of my old PC. I bought a new USB capable printer. An Epson R200. My old printer was a Parallel HP printer that had to be hooked up directly to my old PC for network printing (I tried the USB to Centronics adaptors, the would not work hooked up directly to my Dual-G5.). Now that I have the new Printer, my PC and all it’s parts/software/peripherals can be sold off. I no longer need the headache of dealing with it.
As for “Patches” for the Mac OS? I’ve seen some Security updates, and the occasional OS updates, but I’ve never heard of a Patch for Mac OS to plug an exploited vulnerability. There have been many potential vulnerabilities but they have all be dealt with BEFORE they became a problem. That is a track record against Microsoft that I have no problem touting. Microsoft’s patching is reactionary, whereas Apple’s updates are PROACTIVE. Plus, I believe the ratio of Microsoft patches to Apple’s updates is something in the area of 10 to 1, and that’s being generous. Plus, I haven’t experienced a single problem updating any of my Macs since I switched, with one small exception. The grey Apple startup screen resized itself after the 10.3.7 update to something like 800×600, so it looks a little goofy on startup. But then, that’s not technically a problem, eh?
>Well, Jobs is certainly not a fool by anyone’s definition. But, the lack of advertising OSX is odd. What could possibly be the reason???>
Is it possible that Steve J. is a silent partner in MS?
Patches.
Microsoft should have called it:
‘Lets start programming longhorn’
or
“Lets start brainwashing our customers to buy a bug ridden, unfinshed OS that they wll necer need’
Or
“Lets start bleeding our fatted calf”
Or
“Lets start doing something – anything – just to keep Apple off our backs!”
LOL!!!
R.I.P. Microsoft…
SJ – FSCKING ADVERTISE THE OS!!!!
i do not think that M$ is scared of Apple per se. that might be the case on a small scale, but the overall problem they face is to explain their base of third party developers why longhorn takes so long to come out.
like a magician, microsoft tries to distract everyone from what is really going on… essentially nada. that will bite them. there has never been anything essentially new with windows since win95, other than cosmetic updates — it is still dos-based (not in your face, but it’s there), no patch can fix the gaping security holes, the list of flaws is long. longhorn, as it was advertised, is nothing but vapor-ware. their new technologies are scraped one by one, leaving nothing but a name-driven servicepack.
third party developers are driven by tight schedules. imagine you are at least a middle-sized software developer, you code for the longhorn-concept, but all that investment (time and precious money) is for not, because you built on vapor. that is not a good situation for microsoft, to piss off a lot of developers at this point in the game.
so far, microsoft has extended longhorn’s release, and over time, reduced the promised innovations.
so M$ is doing what it can do best, a combination of bling-bling advertising (and FUD on the side.) this is desperation, ladies and gentlemen… but at least, it should get entertaining.
This should sound familiar: a)sell as much of a soon to be passe product as possible; b)introduce the new version and make consumers feel left out if they don’t upgrade.
No one has ever done that as well as Apple, but Gates will give it a try.
“M$ tries to play Os X down by advertising Os XP as X Professional”
And we thought it was Xtreme Patching…
Very long-pregancy for Longhorn..ha ha
I hope they demo the absolute best thing on XP.
iTunes & iTMS.
That’s another $200 million in innovation, R&D, researching how to sell more.
Advertising Mac OS X, if you had to pay for the exposure Steve Jobs brings to Apple the bill would be tens of millions per year. Advertising is very, very expensive, don’t switch the funds from genuine research to bullshit marketing. Just keep on making better products and be happy with a potential market share of 15%, want more than that, you have to sell your soul.
But they already advertise a sh*t load (and therefore spend a ton of money) for the iPod which has a 70+% marketshare, so why not for OS X which has about a 4% marketshare? There is more money to be made by selling more Macs than iPods. That’s why I’ve never understood the lack of OS X/Mac advertising, particularly over the past two years.
Do they have anything better to do? So lets start spending some money on an OS that more than two years old! Pathetic! 😀
patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers REDMOND! REDMOND!
patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers
REDMOND! REDMOND!
patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers patchers
WORM! IT’S A WORM! OOOOOH, IT’S A WORM!
(hoping somebody gets this joke)
I can see it now.
“WINDOWS XP!!”
“Let’s get Retarded! Let’s get retaaarrdeeed!!”
Awww come on I just DARE them to use Get it Started. 😀
Something’s not right here. Microsoft is launching a massive, 15-month long international media campaign, at enormous expense no doubt, to promote a product that will be replaced at the end of the advertising campaign? Maybe my tinfoil hat is a bit tight, but this could a not-so-subtle indication that Longhorn’s problems might be more serious than Microsoft lets on, and they’re cultivating a fallback position in case Longhorn fails due to technical or other reasons:
“Yeah, Longhorn didn’t live up to expectations, but you didn’t need it anyway! See how perfectly good WindowsXP is!”
The next year or so will be very interesting for Linux, OS X and Windows. And somewhat off-topic, the Microsoft bashing around here is getting really stale. They’ve got their own problems; let Windows users deal with them, and let’s worry about our own platform. I believe that if the Mac community is interested in getting PC users to switch, we have to be more diplomatic about the contrast between OS X and Windows when talking to Windows users. You won’t win people’s hearts and minds by telling them that they’re stupid and that their choices suck.
I see this as an attempt to get people to buy a new PC more than it is an effort to get them to upgrade the OS.
The reason? Longhorn’s predicted hardware requirements (too lazy to post the link). You are going to need a machine made in the last year to run it credibly (if at all). So the more people move now, the more people will be able to buy Longhorn.
The difference here, Joe, is that Apple loads in tons of new features which can be had for a reasonable price (see the transition from Jag to Panther). So the incentive to upgrade is substantial, especially when you consider the cost. It is hardly an insult to Apple to say that they make products people want to buy.
Joe, I will be loading Tiger on my father’s 5 year old imac in a couple of weeks. What OS is your PC running?
LordRobin: Obviously from the Badger song? Now, to see if I can redo the Llama song and call it the Patcher song?
The Patcher Song
_________________
Here’s a patcher, there’s a patcher,
and another little patcher,
fuzzy patcher, funny patcher,
patcher, patcher, duck.
Patcher, patcher, cheesecake, patcher,
tablet, brick, potato, patcher,
patcher, patcher, mushroom, patcher,
patcher, patcher, duck.
I was once treehouse,
I lived in a cake,
But I never saw the way,
The orange slayed the rake.
I was only three years dead,
but it told a tale,
and now listen little child,
to the patcher wail.
Did you ever see a patcher,
kiss a patcher on THE patcher?
Patcher’s patcher tastes of patcher,
patcher, patcher, duck.
Half a patcher, twice a patcher,
not a patcher farmer patcher,
patcher in a car alarm,
a patcher, patcher, duck.
Is that how it’s told now?
Is it all so old?
Is it made of lemon juice,
doorknob, ankle cold.
Now my song is getting thin,
I’ve run out of luck!
Time for me to buy a mac,
and become a Duck.
Maybe I shouldn’t have…heh
I was just thinking that last line in the first chorus should go..
But I never saw the way,
that Apple slayed Bill Gates.
Hmm…still needs more work.
Apple MacOS X campaign:
Why wait? Start now with Mac OS X Tiger.
Magic word “voice,” as in the voice of reason
Once again, MacDailyNews acts like a bunch of little children in reporting this story. Honest to God, can’t you people report the news without resorting to silly little childish playground taunts?
Sheesh. Have some class, will ya?
I think Apple definitely should throw some advertising funds behind Tiger. Sure “we” don’t need it because we already know throughout our entire being that any and all mac os’ were (and actually still are) better than ANY Windoze crap ever released. BUT the problem is the other 90% of pc users aren’t as smart (??) as we are and they’ll basically do whatever the they’re told.
Everyone, especially M$, tells them to avoid Apple like the plague. I once tried to download and install Quicktime on a friend’s pc running Windoze 2000. The moment I tried to go to Apple’s site and initiate the download, a ton of warnings popped up saying how unsafe it was to download software from this vendor and how it could have virusus as M$ hasn’t approved the site/software so ONLY download it if you fully trust this manufacturer… I’m paraphrasing here, but this was the jist of it. FUD at it’s finest.
Anyway, I think Apple is brilliant in a lot of ways, even with advertising and marketing… just look at the iPod, but why they’d do sooooooo much to get people to switch to macs and then NOT show or tell them why by using a solid osX ad campaign is beyond me.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
1. Those who wanted/needed XP would already have it by now.
2. Windows users usually by a new system to get a new OS.
3. Longhorn is close enough to piss people off if they waste their $ on XP.
Does anyone actually have anything intelligent to say as to why MicroSoft would do this? I’m baffled.
Bill
This’ll be interesting … I can’t wait … a cure for constipation.
you can’t really advertise the OS (Tiger, I mean), because it only runs on the Mac platform. If you don’t own a Mac already, what the hell are you going to do with the new MacOS? What Apple really should do is start pushing the Mac Mini and the iMac. The new OS comes bundled with the new machines…two birds, one stone.
My favorite MDN take: “Start is for shutting down,”
Laugh laugh, I thought I’d die…
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[Tell people why to own a mac, not why they shouldn´t own a pc.]
Maybe MDN can enact this progressive policy by following the lead by ‘journalists’ that remind their readers to buy only WinPCs because:
– Macs have no software.
– Macs are too expensive.
– Macs have NO games like the ‘real business computers’ do.
– Macs suck.
– Macs can’t run MS-Office.
– Macs are ONLY good for graphics. (But, not games) !?
– Macs aren’t available everywhere, like at WalMart and 7-11.
– Macs can only use one-button mice.
– Macs can’t DO the internet.
– Macs don’t use Windows.
– Macs aren’t free.
Any other reasons are welcome.
–
Is it possible that the Mac ‘zealots’ are equally tired of ‘silly little childish playground taunts’ and reminders ‘that they’re stupid, and that their choices suck’.
Contrary to POPULAR belief, Mac users are humans. They too grow weiry from name-callers. They too ‘stoop’ to a lower level. They too allow their humanness to let provocations promote assinine behavior.
Maybe the 5% folks are just following the lead of the 89% folks – in only ONE criteria
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I’m pretty sure that the iPod is keeping XP sales unintentionally propped up for longer than it should. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve personally talked to that have expressed interest in purchasing an iPod, but they’re either running WinME(!!) or Win98(!!!), and will have to upgrade to use an iPod. Fortunately, I know nobody suffering through Win95, although I’m sure they’re still out there…
If they seem reasonably open to change, I’ll gently inform them about OSX and the Mac platform. But if they’re particularly unwilling to listen to reason (perhaps due to Stockholm Syndrome), there’s not much I can do other than recommend upgrading — and then change the subject, as I don’t wish to enable their poor choices any more than necessary.
Does any one out there remember Oldsmobile and their last ill-fated motto; “Start Something”. A short time later GM discontinued the Oldsmobile line. Maybe MS is copying GM as well…
Something tells me MS is going to have a hard time selling Longhorn.
Starting something is easy, when is M$ going to finish it?
15 month promotion to sell XP, Then what? Like other posters have pointed out, people who buy XP during the ‘promotion’ will be pissed if longwait suddenly comes out. So what does that mean? 15 month XP promotion + lead time for longwait = late 2007-mid 2008 release for longwait final beta?
“Something tells me MS is going to have a hard time selling Longhorn.”
Exactly.
With WinFS and the graphics system pulled from the first release in late 2006, and the hardware requirements, the rate of adoption by IT will be very slow untill the “real” Longhorn ships in late 2007. Security will be the driving motor for Longhorn sales. If security threats continue or increase, IT may be faced with two more years without a safe OS, a dangerous position to be in with hackers becomming more sophisticated.
To keep it’s customers from switching during this two year period, MS will, attack the competition, and advertise it’s “advantages” relentlesly.
Thurrotts “review” of Tiger is just a trial balloon. You can bet much worse is comming.
A campaign for Longhorn? “Start Praying…”.
Apple could do a really nasty and subtle ad-campaign pitting the very real Mac OS X 10.3/10.4 against MS’s Longhorn vaporware. Steve, give ’em hell!
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Haha! Paul just the other day was saying MS doesn’t advertise for Windows because they’re not as desperate for software sales as Apple is, in terms of user base size..
“never been anything essentially new with windows since win95, other than cosmetic updates — it is still dos-based (not in your face, but it’s there)”
“and FUD on the side”
Pot meet kettle
When you’re a Mac user you probably dont feel Apple need to advertise.
When your’e a potential switcher or new computer user, any informative advertising could push the decision making buttons.
Opinions of Microsoft aside, at least they’re doing something. It wouldnt hurt Apple to step it up.
One other likley reason why we don’t see OS X advertising is that the majority of windows pc users are accustomed to being able to buy a box OS and install it on their exisiting PC hardware.
Since it wouldn’t be possible to install OS X on their windows pcs, how does Apple get around that buying mentality in a short commercial without freaking them out about having to buy a mac in order to get it?
You advertise the things that will hopefully have them looking to buy the hardware, which Apple has done successfully with the pod family. It addresses the money conscious consumers with products like the mac mini.
It isn’t necessarily the traditional way to win new consumers, but it sidesteps their inability to install OS X on wintel hardware.
Microsoft ? Start Something ? Did he say Start Something ?