It Appears People Liked The Seinfeld Ads A Lot More Than The 'I'm A PC' Ads
from the great-moments-in-advertising dept
We were among those who were quite surprised that Microsoft gave into the online criticism of its "buddy" ads starring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates. As we noted, the ads were getting a ton of people talking, and set up plenty of opportunities to later plug Microsoft products. But, initially, they were just entertaining (if slightly awkward) content that did a good job bringing in viewers. Instead, Microsoft replaced it with the somewhat boring "I'm A PC" spots, that directly respond to Apple's "PC vs. Mac" ads. While the original critics claimed that these new ads were a lot more effective, I'd disagree. They're somewhat boring and what you'd expect. They're easy to tune out. And it appears that lots of people agree. A quick analysis has shown that the Gates-Seinfeld ads received many, many, many more online views than the new campaign. Obviously, that's not the only metric to use in measuring success, but it certainly suggests that Microsoft may have overreacted in pulling the plug so quickly.
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Filed Under: advertisements, bill gates, jerry seinfeld
Companies: microsoft
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Seinfeld and Gates ads?
I must have skipped by them because they didn't seem impressive enough to stop during my fast forwarding technique when watching television.
I would venture to say the online viewing was more out of curiosity than was to actually look into buying Microsoft products. But hey, if it works...
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Re: Seinfeld and Gates ads?
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I dont believe it
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Re: I dont believe it
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Re: Re: I dont believe it
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Re: Re: Re: I dont believe it
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Re: I dont believe it
I got 2 impressions out of it..,
1) "I'm cool because I use a PC."
2) "I'm using a PC because my job requires me to use proprietary software that only works on a PC."
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Re: Re: I dont believe it
Yeah your missing it as I suspect Mike is as well. These ads are about NOT being defined by your tools, but your accomplishments. They are making fun of the Apple ads, and slyly saying, PC users are defined by thier accomplishments, not thier posessions. Again, if you just want to be part of the cool, fashoin crowd, then get a Mac and you can sit around the cofee shop and talk about how great it is with everyone else. If you want to actually accomplish something however, then get a PC and get on with whatever it is you need a computer for . . . thats what these ads are saying
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Re: Re: I dont believe it
The fact that Apple discourages developers from writing code for their products seems to elude you.
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Re: Re: Re: I dont believe it
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Re: I dont believe it
I HATE the "I'm a PC" ads. To me they come across as "I'm a monopoly" ads.
I actually LIKED the Gates-Seinfeld ads and watched them. They were cute and quirky in a strange sort of way. Of course, people should have expected that of Seinfeld. They actually made Gates seem more human (even when doing the robot, heh). That was the kind of PR Microsoft needed. An ad reminding them about how many people just use whatever is on their "PC" because Microsoft is a monopoly, isn't the kind of ad they needed....
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Re: Re: I dont believe it
I by far liked the Seinfeld commercials better but I don't get a "I'm a monopoly" from the new ads. I do like the perspective that it's about the person, not what they use.
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Re: Re: I dont believe it
I hate the 'I'm a PC' ads... Because using a PC does not make me any less of a person or any more likely to identify myself with a piece of technology.
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And what critics of the ads forget, is that the show Seinfeld was not an immediate hit. Seinfeld's brand of comedy took time to gain an audience. The exact same thing would have happened to these ads, if they were given the chance.
It's nice to know that if Microsoft had run NBC back in 1989, they would have pulled the plug on one of the most successful sitcoms in history. Maybe that's why Microsoft is in the shitter now. It lacks the balls to take any chances.
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Both sets of ads fail
Altho "many people are talking" about the microsoft ads, what most people are saying is "apples ads are way better". This makes microsoft look even more out of touch with its userbase than it really is, which is already pretty out of touch. This makes apple look like it has a clue, while doing the opposite for microsoft.
Which is kinda ironic really, since the whole ad campaign was specifically tageted at making apple look foolish.
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The new ads, however, take the funny and spin it into "Yea, but I can do stuff that helps all kinds of businesses and people".
I think those ads are a decent answer to the Mac ads. Sure, they are not funny, but these ads acknowledge the Mac ads, and spin their own take on it. To me, that is more entertaining, because it's like watching 2 giants go head to head, where the Seinfeld ads fed more into the "we wanna be like Mac sooooooooo bad, that we will try to copy them by finding a funny guy to say funny things".
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seinfeld - gates
2 hall of fame guys
1 in comedy
1 in technology
kiss their plaques and put them back on the air
entertaining the masses
jerry and bill
seinfeld and gates
microsoft heard and knows now what we want
microsoft heard and knows what we want
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The buddy ads were stupid, an inept way of striking back at a successful campaign by Apple. The "I'm a PC" ads go a long way to showing that you don't have to be cool to own a pc. Being cool is overrated anyway.
Plus I can't afford the "Mac Tax" so there's no way I would be cool anyway.
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Which Mac ads are
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Re: Which Mac ads are
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I Am Emmitt Smith
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Re: I Am Emmitt Smith
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Seinfield & Gates-Boring & Bizarre!
You know what they say? Imitation is the highest form of compliment!
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Mac - PC Ads
The I'm a Mac/I'm a PC ads (IMHO) are funny (for the most part). When a new one comes one, I like to stop fast forwarding and watch it. They make me laugh.
These I'm a PC commercials, I tune out when they start. It's like PC is the nerd saying "Nu uh... I'm really cool honest".
It seems like PC took offense to the Mac ads and is on the verge of crying to it's mom.
"Mom, mom, tell Mac to quit picking on me and my flaws... wahh wahh". That's the way I see it.
It reminds me of a tech I used to work with (at an ISP Tech Dept), that kept denying he was a geek. He thought he was a "badass vato". I had to break it down and let him know that he is indeed a geek.
Instead of trying to say "I'm not a geek, I'm really cool", PC should work on fixing it's problems (which is what a lot of the Mac commercials are making fun of).
And for the record, I like Unix/Linux, but I prefer PCs over the Mac.
Having said that, on the flip side, my wife likes the new PC ads. Go figure. She did marry me. 8)
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@12: Aerosmith?
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M$ Ads
"They are making fun of the Apple ads, and slyly saying, PC users are defined by thier accomplishments, not thier posessions. Again, if you just want to be part of the cool, fashoin crowd, then get a Mac and you can sit around the cofee shop and talk about how great it is with everyone else. If you want to actually accomplish something however, then get a PC and get on with whatever it is you need a computer for . . ."
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shoes
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Gates/Seinfeld NOT over!
I for one am excited to see more. Also I liked the I'm a PC ads. They are positive ads rather than the negative MAC ads (although they are funny). Ironically, it's the PC guy that makes the Mac ads funny.
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I'm a PC
I'm surprised, that MS hasn't played the "gamer" card yet on any of the new commercials. If it weren't for the gaming scene on a PC platform I'd probably not own one (apart from my job requiring a PC).
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Re: I'm a PC
If it wasn't for the gaming scene on the PC, I would have been a Linux convert years ago.
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Liked Um
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Re:
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They were ok!
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Re: They were ok!
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Re: Re: They were ok!
And the PC guy represents the rest of the world.
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Re: Re: Re: They were ok!
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Re: Re: They were ok!
support apple, long live the monolithic operating system model.
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I'm a PC Ads
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Whoopee, OS wars!
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It would be halerious to see the "I'm Linux" guy. Anyone else picture Castro? hehe
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Re:
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if you fix it, they will come
Even though I despise Vista from the depths of my soul, I still prefer Windows over Mac.
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Duh
I hate mac users because they think they are cool because they are MAC users. Guess what, I'm actually a Marine Biologist, and I am cool, not because I'm a geek and use Windows/Linux.
=)
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Re: Duh
This is exactly who these ads are speaking too and I think he has it exactly right. If your the kind of person who is defined by posessions, buy a Mac and join the "cool crowd". If your the kind of person who is defined by accomplishment, then by a PC and get on with being yourself.
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Funny too
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the point of advertising is to get people to talk about YOUR product
sure, justin long is freakishly annoying as Mac -- but when people talk about the Apple ads, they're not talking about Mac vs Windows/Linux/Unix/etc -- they're just talking about Macs.
MS missed the point on these new, "I'm a PC" ads. There's no Windows branding whatsoever. None. No one is talking about Windows -- and the last time I checked, a PC is fully capable of running an OS other than Windows, so how is this ad beneficial for them? At least the Mojave project ads spoke about their product.
Point is, when you see a commercial for, say, Nissan, you don't start talking about Ford. When you saw the Gates/Seinfeld ads, you didn't start talking about Apple. Those ads, while odd, were effective in branding their product -- which is the entire point of advertising. Make people talk about and BUY your product. The current "I'm a PC" ad only helps to give more advertising to Apple -- and none to Windows.
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Re: the point of advertising is to get people to talk about YOUR product
And my old PowerMac is currently running Linux (and has been since Apple effectively axed the PowerPC). What's your point?
The "I'm a PC" campaign doesn't really need to specifically advertise Windows. If you watch TV enough to see those types of ads you know exactly what the ad is referring to. It's a response to a condescending, defamatory ad, nothing more. Just like how Mohave is a response to people who "hate" Vista without even knowing what the bloody thing looks like.
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Re: Re: the point of advertising is to get people to talk about YOUR product
Microsoft is both making fun of the apple ads and "apple culture" (tech as fashion), while simultaneously pointing out that there are millions of people who ACTUALLY USE COMPUTERS to accomplish interesting things, not just to make statements about themselves. These ads are more a defense of the PC being a tool (instead of a fashion statement), then they are a defense of Microsoft specifically. This in the long run makes Microsoft look even better.
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RE:Seinfield & Gates-Boring & Bizarre!
Mr. KFadams allow me to indulge you in a little history lesson.
Microsoft started in 1975 as a software company that released the basic programing language.
Apple started in in 1976 with the apple 1 motherboard assembly that included no keyboard or monitor.
I'll grant you that Mac did release the first GUI on the market, albeit far inferior to windows it was 2 years ahead of its time.
in 1994 Mac realized that it was way behind the power curve due to it dependence on hardware. It could not adapt easily to newer faster machines. Windows was rocketing ahead with every release of newer, faster hardware.
In 1997 Mac signs a deal with Microsoft that will allow them to incorporate elements of the Microsoft office suite into their new OS. Microsoft is still the industry leader at this point.
in 2001 apple switched it OS over to be based on a unix kernel and in 2005 they handed over their processors in favor of intel's.
So you see Mac has come out of the dark ages and barely clawed out a market share against microsoft and the other PC makers by simply becoming another PC. Which was a good choice because Mac has almost always been a decaying bloated giant still trying to ride the wave of its initial sucess by constantly introducing inferior computer's to microsoft and PC hardware.
Mac just can't innovate fast enough. The iPod was great, till the Zune, The iPhone is cool, unless you have a blackberry. There actually is a reason microsoft has the computing world by the balls, because it is better. So drop out of art history, trash the iBook, pick up a good laptop and take an econ class. Then maybe you'll nderstand.
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THIS IS SIMPLE
Since they can't get their own identity they respond to the Apple ads in a typical limp dick format that doesn't really inspire shit but changing the channel.
At least the Seinfeld/Gates ads had a whisper of a soul like a silent fart on an elevator.
Even though I use both PC's and Macs, in the past 15 years its been clear to me where the true ideas and innovations originate.
Wake me up when someone actually does something worth talking about.
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Re:
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Re:
>
> I'm Stupid so I bought the Apple to feel like I
> belong to a special crowd.
My name is Dana King and I am superior to everyone else so I bought a PC. I just love bashing users of other operating systems because I feel so superior to those idiots. But I also love making Mr. Gates even more wealthy because I have an illogical hatred of Steve Jobs. I can't help it, I'm a PC. I own 95% of the market and you plebes irritate me.
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I do like the I'm a PC ad for the fact that there is finally an ad from microsoft that specifically addresses, in my opinion, the fact that the world runs on PC's and not on the beautiful, overpriced Mac.
However in the end, I think the Gates/Seinfeld ads will have a better impact because they are more personable. People already know that Macs and linux and all the other competitors to Windows and PC's can't hold a candle to MS. Even the folks who bitch and moan about their products know this although they would never admit it publicly. So an ad that is lighthearted and funny will win the day in the end. I mean look at the Mac vs PC ads, at the end of the day they don't show how much better a mac is than a pc, they are just funny and so they resonate. Microsoft should run both ads. They should go on the attack. They should definitely do a better job of marketing since it appears that the next version of Windows (Windows 7) is going to be awesome.
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I like the new ads better
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MSN adds
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Bill Gates = Guru Mediation
Unfortunately, few sales guys or even those on Madison Ave understood the message because they support the tools that help move the product. Madison Ave misses out on a key learning effort and the experience of "subverting the vista kernel for fun and profit" and thusly never get an opportunity to truly appreciate the work of others.
Guru Mediation could be required, especially if the latest Mac rumors are true and they are are made with lasers and CNC process from a block of aluminum. A manufacturing facility Henry Ford would be proud of? If true, on many levels, that is absolutely fascinating and freaking innovative!
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People thinking that Macs are simply "fashion" don't get it. mac and PC BOTH empower marine biologists to get stuff done, its just more elegant and intuitive on a mac for most tasks. The argument mac is just for either fashion or people that don't know how to tweak things is simply incorrect. Most people don't know better anyway and want the computer to just get out of their way of doing work. The mac has a slick way of making you not think of files and computer things and just think in tasks and content, which is SOOOO not how managing apps and content on a PC is... PCs ads may be trying to hit this type of "doing" user, but trying to say a PC is better than a mac at that is...insane?
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Microsoft needs more than ads
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The younger generation has moved on to embrace MySpace and FaceBook and whatever comes next. Microsoft is so 1990's and is no different than IBM: big, bloated, and boring.
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The Seinfeld ads were not pulled
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To be honest, they piss me off for one simple reason; "PC" stands for "Personal Computer". Nowhere in any accepted definition of the term "PC" does it state that it means an Intel/AMD computer running Windows. A Mac is a PC. My old C64 is a PC. PC does not equal "Windows"! No matter how common the usage is, it's as wrong as saying that "cheese" automatically means Kraft brand cheese.
I do like the blond in the white dress, but the rest of the commercial sucks.
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Re:
I believe "PC" is used in the same way as "PC compatible" was used way back when. Considering most of the systems that boot from a BIOS are IBM PC compatible, even today, it's fair to consider them to be compatible with the IBM PC. Intel Macs, on the other hand, are not IBM PC compatible due to their lack of a BIOS. The term doesn't automatically equal Windows at any point, but it does indicate a particular architecture. It's sort of like how an A1200 and a A4000 are miles apart in performance and expandability but they're both still termed Amigas. PC, as a branding, just happens to be based on an acronym that is meant to be a very general term.
And besides, "PC" sounds better than "Wintel," right?
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I don't have any problem with the term "IBM PC" or "IBM PC compatible", since it identifies the brand and/or type.
I have a problem when "PC" is used by itself. It's like saying "car" versus "Ford car". I've always used "IBM clone" myself. Technically it would be correct to call a Mac a "PC" also, since it is a "personal computer". Of course, in today's world, that would just confuse people.
Amigas were PCs too. :)
Maybe I'm putting too much thought into it, but I see it as being a little more sinister than that. The way I see it, they want people to equate "PC" with Intel/Windows, so that when people think of a "personal computer" they automatically think of Windows.
Maybe, but it's still not as accurate.
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I think the Microsoft campaign is empowering to people who use the pc because it proves that PC's not Apples are changing the world.
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