After a long dry spell, Microsoft has quite randomly debuted a new “I’m a PC” ad. It’s at least as stupid as it’s predecessors:
MacDailyNews Take: Let’s just try to forget about the ridiculous concept of turning someone’s house into a fsckified PC store without her knowledge and move on some other issues contained within this mess.
“So there is no tower anymore?” Yes, love, since June 5, 1977, with the release of the Apple II. Or, in case you missed that one, since January 24, 1984, with the release of something called “Macintosh.” Or, in case you missed even that, since August 15, 1998, with the release of the iMac.
With these ads, Microsoft seems intent on reinforcing the fact that those who waste their money on Windows PCs are vapid, pissy, ill-informed twits with hideous haircuts destined for severe cases of gorilla arm. That’s some selling point.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
Related articles:
New Microsoft ad ‘Giampaolo’ targets sticker-priced-obsessed PC buyers (with video) – April 4, 2009
Slate: Microsoft tries to peddle Windows as ‘The Poor Man’s Mac’ – April 02, 2009
Microsoft’s anti-Apple ad ‘Lauren’ reeks of fear, nastiness – April 02, 2009
Congrats, Lauren! You’re a ‘PC’ and now you own a $699 Piece o’ Crap – March 29, 2009
FOXNews discusses Microsoft’s ad for cheap, under-powered, ill-equipped PC laptops – March 27, 2009
New Microsoft ad targets inexperienced, sticker-priced-obsessed PC buyers (with video) – March 26, 2009
Microsoft’s Mojave for real: Windows 7 unmasked; it’s just Vista underneath – November 11, 2008
Oh-so-rebellious Microsoft parks ‘I’m a PC’ port-a-potty, er, recording booth outside Apple Stores – October 31, 2008
Microsoft to spend record amounts to market Vista service pack, er, ‘Windows 7’ – October 28, 2008
Microsoft’s $300m ad campaign doomed? ‘I’m a PC, too’ says Apple’s OS-unlimited Mac (with video) – September 23, 2008
Microsoft’s ‘I’m a PC’ ads created on Apple Macs – September 20, 2008
Microsoft airs its ‘I’m a PC’ ads (with video) – September 19, 2008
Microsoft admeisters Crispin Porter+Bogusky love their Apple Macs (UPDATE: Apple pulls profile) – September 18, 2008
Ad exec: Casting Microsoft as Apple’s ‘victim’ doesn’t work – September 18, 2008
Microsoft cans Seinfeld; to attempt to rehab Vista with ‘I’m a PC’ Hodgman lookalike – September 18, 2008
Now if you think about it, this ad makes a lot of sense. It is a $tupid ad target to $tupid people that is used to $tupid products. That makes slot of sense in Microsoft strategy.
This is proof Ballmer does NOT hire good advertising execs, because he believes his vision is “the one”.
Too bad Ballmer only looks in the mirror for confirmation with his one good eye.
I can’t even bear to give it a look. I have a very sensitive stomach.
“… those who waste their money on Windows PCs are vapid, pissy, ill-informed twits with hideous haircuts destined for severe cases of gorilla arm.”
Elitist, perhaps? This is why so many people find Apple fans to be snobby cultists. If you have a legitimate critique, of windows or the advert, focus on content. Otherwise you just come off as a twit.
Might I add that Julie is retarded and wouldn’t be “touch”ed by a barn animal.
“This is why so many people find Apple fans to be snobby cultists”
Because so many people are vapid, pissy, ill-informed twits?
Don’t worry, though. Thanks to Apple’s incredible mainstream success over the last 5 or so years, people have been getting informed and realizing that whole “Apple fans are snobby cultists” thing is a myth. 😀
I’m confused. What was the big thick black plastic thing propped up in the middle of the table? The thing the husband ended up with at the end? Hideous beast that was.
Apple should find Julie and show her an iMac. Then her husband can live in the doghouse where he belongs.
I love the ads they’re running where the people in them keep proclaiming “to the cloud” as if they expect that to catch on in the same way that people say to google something. The service could be the best thing ever and “to the cloud” would be crap.
Ballmer must figure more friends drop by the average home in a month than customers drop by in the Mall PC Stores. This move triples his store traffic.
This ad is so bad. How can such a thing get produced by any advertising professional?
I recall MS once hired Wieden and Kennedy, one of the most creative agencies going. Microsoft wouldn’t approve anything good. I think the only thing they used was the line,”where do you want to go today,” and that is pretty weak.
1st rule of marketing. Sell your own products. Not other people’s products. What, in this ad, does Microsoft make? It only suits to confuse their already confused populous more. Microsoft does not make cool ‘no-tower’ computers. Maybe Monkey Man doesn’t know that…
Just like a PC. Easy to break into people’s privacy, whether it’s a virus or their home.
Is it OK to make an Ads without real world context like that in US? Because the Ads was just a disinformation. Really skewed.
Why does she threaten to kill that handyman at the end of the video?
Also, what’s the appeal of having a room in your house turned inti a PC store? Gross, if you ask me. They probably edited out the part where she threatened to call the cops.
I saw the ad last night on TV and thought WTF? After watching Apple’s iPad and other ads, I could not figure out the purpose of the MS ad. Then it hit me.
MS is promoting home privacy because if you set up a Microsoft Store in your home, no one will ever visit.
Brilliant!
Well said! that gave me a good laugh! 🙂
If your ad agency suggests directly responding to your competitor’s ads, fire them.
Hmmm… no Apple hardware in the mix? Isn’t the best windows machine out there a Mac with the ability to run their microshafts cruddy operating system?
Yes it’s stupid and unrealistic, but I think it’s a good commercial. “PC in the House”, that’s golden. It’s cute and to that end got a snicker out of me. You’d remember this commercial, thus it does its job. Sure she’s clueless, but so are tons of other pc and even mac users. I can understand’s hubby’s joy witnessing his wife see the light, although he’d be jumping up and down for pure joy if she’d gotten an iMac.
Boy that commercial really makes me want to dump my Mac Pro and run out and get one of these PCs.
Coming Soon to Bait Car: Thieves steal and then dump vehicles tricked-out with the latest Microsoft mobility products.
I saw this commercial on TV last night and could not believe it when she said she just didn’t think there was a better computer out there than the one she had. And then, in the end she ends up getting just another PC. Sheesh!
And that sort of bald-faced ignorance is exactly why Bill Gates is such a very rich man. He’s made his fortune off of other people’s stupidity.
No no, I think it was rathe-SQUIRREL…….
Very family oriented: “…and I’m gonna kill him.”
Why is Microsoft trying so hard to sell its partners products?
Isn’t this called subsidising if any another company does it?
OK, I guess I missed the part about “breaking and entering” is now an accepted and ‘cool’ thing to do. Oh, wait, I forgot this is M$, they’ve had no problem ripping off other companies’ copyrights and patents for years. Must be in their corporate DNA.
I’m a PC*:
* (P)urchaser of (C)rap;
There was more people in that Microsoft store (2-3) than there typically is in the Microsoft store by my house.