What the Hell Were They Thinking?

If you're not a tech news junkie, you may not know that Microsoft has embarked on a 300 million dollar ad campaign to counter the perception that Windows Vista is a terrible operating system and simply not worth your time. This is the first broadcast commercial in that effort.

What the hell were they thinking? This isn't selling Vista, this is wasting our time.

I usually DVR stuff and skip through the commercials, but I wanted to see what MS and their advertising partners would do to counter Apple's highly effective and very popular Mac vs PCs ads. They haven't done anything. Vista is like a delicious cake? Is that what we're supposed to take away from this? That statement is supposed to make us think that we can do more with less frustration with their flagship OS?

I think the ad is actually very typical of what Microsoft produces for the consumer: react to current trends, make a pale copy of the current leader, and blanket consumers with the product promotion so they think that maybe they should go out and buy it. Except they aren't buying it. There's no compelling reason to buy.

Apple's ads are exceptional in how they humanize not only the simplicity and goal focus of the Mac, but how they humanize the very common frustrations of the Windows user. Having Bill Gates shop at a discount shoe shop doesn't make him like you and me. It makes him look silly and makes the ad waste our time.

Apple's ads are focused on one point in each ad. What was the focus of this?

Apple's ads are visually striking. What made this ad stand out? What made it memorable? Is Microsoft throwing $300 million down the drain? Not like they don't have the money, but c'mon!