“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.