Alright, since I fancy myself a guru of television commercials, it feels appropriate to comment about this.
The new "I'm a PC" commercials put out by Microsoft are an interesting step. They're well-made and intriguing, and the people that appear in the commercial appeal to many walks of life. Additionally, they highlight all of the biggest and best reason to buy a PC: the network.
Networks get their value by the number of users of the network. This is like the cell phone plan that gives you free calling to everyone else who is with the same cell phone company. If you're whole family is with Jerkizon, you save on minutes, which means you may be able to get a cheaper plan and still talk to the people that are most important to you. But if not many people you know use Jerkizon, the ability to call anyone on their network is far less appealing.
It's no surprise that Windows and Microsoft have the largest network (by far) when it comes to computers. While it's not quite the same as the cell phone situation, it's similar: more users on one network mean more software companies willing to make software for that operating system, meaning more software to draw in users, etc.
So showing the quantity and diversity of the PC network is useful and arguably effective. However, it's not a new argument from Microsoft--actually, it's pretty much the same thing we've seen from them: we're big, we're established, and that means we're awesome. Buy our stuff. That's fine; it's old but it works.
So what is my problem with these ads?
...How long has Apple been playing the Mac vs. PC ads? And Microsoft just NOW responds? And their response, while somewhat clever, is just a rehashing of what we've heard before?
Perhaps it's a little unfair to assume that, if you wait a long time to respond, you're going to unveil the big stick that blows your competition away. Even so, I'm making that assumption anyway. Microsoft's new ad is too late and it's delivery doesn't make up for that lateness. In light of this, Mac is still ahead in the television ad debate.
Note: this has no bearing on which is the superior product (if any) or which I prefer. I own a PC but that decision was made five years ago and largely for gaming reasons. My "drug of choice" when it comes to gaming is World of Warcraft, which works on both Mac and PC, so when the time to upgrade comes around, who knows which way I'll buy? In any event, this is just about who is winning the ad war, and right now, it has to be Mac.
The new "I'm a PC" commercials put out by Microsoft are an interesting step. They're well-made and intriguing, and the people that appear in the commercial appeal to many walks of life. Additionally, they highlight all of the biggest and best reason to buy a PC: the network.
Networks get their value by the number of users of the network. This is like the cell phone plan that gives you free calling to everyone else who is with the same cell phone company. If you're whole family is with Jerkizon, you save on minutes, which means you may be able to get a cheaper plan and still talk to the people that are most important to you. But if not many people you know use Jerkizon, the ability to call anyone on their network is far less appealing.
It's no surprise that Windows and Microsoft have the largest network (by far) when it comes to computers. While it's not quite the same as the cell phone situation, it's similar: more users on one network mean more software companies willing to make software for that operating system, meaning more software to draw in users, etc.
So showing the quantity and diversity of the PC network is useful and arguably effective. However, it's not a new argument from Microsoft--actually, it's pretty much the same thing we've seen from them: we're big, we're established, and that means we're awesome. Buy our stuff. That's fine; it's old but it works.
So what is my problem with these ads?
...How long has Apple been playing the Mac vs. PC ads? And Microsoft just NOW responds? And their response, while somewhat clever, is just a rehashing of what we've heard before?
Perhaps it's a little unfair to assume that, if you wait a long time to respond, you're going to unveil the big stick that blows your competition away. Even so, I'm making that assumption anyway. Microsoft's new ad is too late and it's delivery doesn't make up for that lateness. In light of this, Mac is still ahead in the television ad debate.
Note: this has no bearing on which is the superior product (if any) or which I prefer. I own a PC but that decision was made five years ago and largely for gaming reasons. My "drug of choice" when it comes to gaming is World of Warcraft, which works on both Mac and PC, so when the time to upgrade comes around, who knows which way I'll buy? In any event, this is just about who is winning the ad war, and right now, it has to be Mac.
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