“Microsoft has directly responded to Apple’s wildly successful ‘Get a Mac’ ads with the $300 million ‘I’m a PC’ campaign (well, after a brief but intriguing attempt to team Microsoft founder Bill Gates with comic legend Jerry Seinfeld),” Matt Cutler reports for Visible measures Corp. ‘The “I’m a PC’ campaign hit in mid-September and it took Apple exactly a month to respond with three pointedly anti-Vista ‘Get a Mac’ ads:
Apple’s “Bean Counter ad:
Apple’s “V Word” ad:
Apple’s “Bake Sale” ad:
Cutler reports, “To see if Apple was able to blunt Microsoft’s attempt to reshape consumer perception of Windows, we tapped our Viral Reach Database to identify and measure the viral video placements from each campaign… These first-week results reveal that Apple’s viral video offensive made significant headway against Microsoft’s message. Apple’s three new spots scored 70% of the viral video views that the much-discussed “I’m a PC” initially generated. And the view count totals are only part of the story, as these new Apple ads have inspired twice as many viral video placements.”
Full article, including graphs, here.
I’ve been waiting for Apple to make abusive scathing commercials against Microsoft.. next they should make a wifi dog zapper collar for Ballmer connected to a lie detector. After using it awhile on him we’d smell ham and it would remind us to eat so that would be good.
I feel sorry for those who said, “I’m a PC”
Perhaps they are “system”-atically challenged.
In fact, I’m taking up a collection to help them.
Send money to minime if you want to help.
Shouldn’t “No Child Left Behind” make sure these people get to use Macs in their childhood so they don’t have to become PC’s?
What makes me laugh the most is microsoft’s stupidity in bombarding UK tv with these adverts. As Apple has, so far, not released the get a mac ads on UK television, hardly anybody has got a clue what they are about!!!
Good point shfle. Having long become so accustomed to- and entertained by- the Mac ads on MDN that I was genuinely surprised to realise that most of our fellow Brits have not yet had that pleasure. But, as you say, they have had ample opportunity to become irritated by endless repetitions of “I’m a bloody PC”…
Come on Apple! Yes, we get all those- you guessed it- iPhone ads on TV but where’s the beef? The quality newspapers are the same- lots of PC advertising but Macs nowhere to be seen.
Who you paying to do your publicity over here? My dog could do a better job.
Actually, Apple has released Get a Mac adverts in the UK.
I haven’t seen them on television thought.
Wha, you made me spit my peanut butter brownie!
@minime
Actually, I think they’re bsod themselves with frustration! (you know, Blue Screen Of Death rather than “beside”)
So funny, I’m sure everyone forgot to laugh…
In the latest version of the “I’m a PC” ads, Microsoft is featuring people who have submitted their own 3-second clip of themselves. Unfortunately, the plethora of bad webcam shots just strengthens the whole notion that the PCs are a sorry bunch…
So basically what this is saying is that hype about Microsoft actually creating an ad campaign about their product was strong in the beginning, then fizzled like the sparks of a Fourth of July grand finale. Therefore, while Apple is currently behind in that there are more PC users than Mac users, the “I’m a PC” ads don’t really have enough of a draw to keep people coming back to watch them over and over again, nor are they entertaining enough that they spawn their own parodies on YouTube. Sorry Microsoft, looks like you just prematurely squirted. I will now have to disinfect my keyboard for even typing this.
The latest Microsoft ads indicate that they are barely even trying. I’m seeing incredibly pixillated video messaging images tossed carelessly into these ads, basically saying that if you use Windows video messaging, It Will Suck. What a great message to share with potential customers. Lazy lazy lazy.
Meanwhile the editing quality is exactly what you would see from some newbie computer user. Sorry, but this doesn’t inspire some warm and cozy down home feeling. It says “This Ad Sucks Bad”.
There was a day I had to hand it to MS’ marketing division for good ads, even if many of them were made on Macs (as apparently they still are today!) But OMG what a terrible string of ads their $300 million has paid for. They’re government quality! Give the contract to either the lowest bidder or to your best pal’s company. Result: Halliburton poisoning our troops with raw sewage pumped directly out of the Euphrates. What a remarkable parallel. Microsoft sewage ads.
Thank you FightingMongoose for the UK ad link.
It really is odd that the Apple UK site has no TV ads. The parallel URL to ads works at the UK site, but it bounces you over to their general ‘Get A Mac’ information page. Can’t get there from here. What’s all this then? Who’s been mucking about? Bloody vikings!
And here is a YouTube poster who has all the UK Get A Mac ads:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Whyyoullloveamac
What?! That lame Microsoft ad where people keep saying “I’m a PC” over and over and over and over and over again is actually considered “viral.” When I think “viral,” I picture something clever and entertaining. I picture Apple’s “Get a Mac” ads.
derekcurrie …
Interesting observation of similarities between Microsoft and Haliburton
Both are Companies which got where they are for various reasons
But effective reasoning would not be one of those reasons
If ya know what I mean ?
You Betcha
BC
You have not seen the UK Mac ads on TV because they have not been on TV.
As far as I am aware they have only been shown in cinemas (I also saw one on a billboard poster in London but have not seen one anywhere up north).
Therefore a large proportion of the general population will not have seen them and are thus clueless as to what message the Microsoft ads are attempting to convey.
I’m a PC.
Macs suck.
If you want a mac get a good PC with Vista and dual boot.
PS
You would think that any other company would do a little research into the market before releasing a multi-million pound advertising campaign. Not those dummies at Redmond though lol.
@ ken1w
Viral campaigns are a success when watchers encourage other watchers to look at them in an exponential fashion, rather than a 1:1 exposure. I have seen lots of people pointed to the latest Get a Mac ads, but never to the I’m a PC ads. The MS ads are like documentaries – nice to watch once. I found the Seinfeld ads got a more repeated attention span.
Adding to the uk comments above my partner who uses a pc though she hates computers (cant imagine why) and has no interest in my pro Mac stance saw the ‘I’m a PC’ advert and exactly as commented upon above had no idea what it was about or the significance of the approach and further, without any prompting from me, came out and said that she had just seen the worst advert she had ever seen. I won’t deny a slightly smug smile when she told me the particular advert she was referring to and thought to myself ‘thank you Microsoft you are doing Apple’s advertising job for them’ and as Apple’s response so aptly points out it is costing them a fortune along the way. They simply clueless.
So what is the point? Apple’s success depends on the quality if APPLE’s products, not Microsoft’s mistakes, real and perceived. Remember the Lisa? Can you say Apple III?
Advertisements that put down Microsoft is a poor way to spend money that could be spent improving Apple products. Gosh! Isn’t that the point of the commercial? Who is drinking the apple Juice now?
I have used XP on my Dell computer for years. I can’t remember the last time I saw the blue screen of death. This is a straw man that has no reality for most PC users.
And, yes, my iMac also runs very well with no spinning beach ball of death.
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Smear campaigns work for computers but not too well for US politics:
McCain couldn’t say “I’m a Mac” and pull it off. He’s the dysfunctional PC guy.
As far as I can recall, I think the Mac ads are not on UK TV because they would violate the UK television advertising codes of practive, which are stricter than their US counterparts.
There again i may have just imagined this.
Micro$ucks ads may not be viral, but their OS’es sure are full of them.
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