I was with Microsoft up until this one, who on earth wants to sit in a booth and go "Im a PC"
If they wanted to get back at Apple they could have just reversed the Apple ads back on them with all the problems Apple are having, by that I mean they could do the following ads:
- Macs now have viruses (Even Apple admit this as they've taken the virus free stat off their switch to mac part of the site)
- Macs now crash
- Official Vista now more secure and Mac
- Mobile me not working. Could do a great comparison of the free hotmail working and Apple handing out free trial extensions for there paid for service not
- iPhone signal problems vs Windows based phone without signal probs
As Apple keeps screwing up on things it seems stupid of Microsoft not to take advantage rather than this current lame attempt.
Everyone will assume it's a Mac promo with Apple's support: it's a promo reminding everyone that Macs ARE PCs and run Windows just great Thanks for driving that message home, Microsoft
The thing that seems awkward about the I'm A PC campaign in comparison to the Mac ads is that the Mac ads are aimed at getting people to switch from Windows to Mac. However with Microsoft the same concept is being used to try to keep Windows users from switching to Mac. Of course we know there aren't many Mac users likely to switch to Windows.
Microsoft can't simply say 'we aren't all that bad, please don't go'. Even if they are only trying to keep their user base from eroding they should make it look like they are recruiting Mac users to the Windows side as unlikely as that sounds.
Up here, the reason most Mall store entry ways are as wide as they are, is the fire regulations which are based on how many people are likely to be in a store and thus likely to need to leave all at once in the event of a fire. Leaving what looks to be about 5.5 feet of space in front of the main entrance, would be a definite no-no for a store that holds as many people as the average Apple store does.
The other comment about WTF the Mall manager was thinking is also right on the mark.
I wonder how the Gap would respond to an "anti-fashion" marketing stall parked a few feet outside their front door, and I wonder if any Mall manager would think *that* was a good idea.
Apple's Get a Mac Ads in the UK flopped and Apple UK hasn't run one in months.
Apple barely advertises Macintosh in the UK bar the odd print ad. They advertise iPhone and iPod, but not Macintosh.
Most ordinary people in the UK won't have seen “I'm a Mac, I'm a PC”. Microsoft have nothing to counter.
Speaking of brand, this is what shoppers to the Bullring Centre will see and associate with Apple and Microsoft's brands respectively:
Apple = Stylish, boutique retail store with stunning products and welcoming staff.
Microsoft = A PR team standing round a booth with a camcorder begging for attention.
EPIC FAIL doesn't do it justice.
And they're doing this in Birmingham in the winter!
Talk about sad, cold and wet people on the outside in the dark looking in at all the happy people having fun in the bright sunny Apple world. What a Christmas story that is.
I bet the Apple staff invite them in for a cup of tea. Then it's all over - 25 new switchers.
The thing that seems awkward about the I'm A PC campaign in comparison to the Mac ads is that the Mac ads are aimed at getting people to switch from Windows to Mac. However with Microsoft the same concept is being used to try to keep Windows users from switching to Mac. Of course we know there aren't many Mac users likely to switch to Windows.
Microsoft can't simply say 'we aren't all that bad, please don't go'. Even if they are only trying to keep their user base from eroding they should make it look like they are recruiting Mac users to the Windows side as unlikely as that sounds.
I'd argue that "I'm a PC" isn't just a practical effort to prevent switching. It's an emotional effort to change how Windows users perceive themselves and the whole platform.
In that sense I think the commercials are very good, or as good as they can be.
Btw the post (and the one from a couple days ago) notes how the current campaign has "ironically" gotten so many fewer "viral views" than the Seinfeld spots. Guess what - viral views are not some be-all end-all measure of campaign success. These are normal commercials. I don't see why anyone would even think they're aiming for viral passalong.
Full disclosure: Love Macs - I own three - but don't always care for Apple on a corporate level.
"It's a friggin booth where you can record your own I'm a PC video," he said. "This is outside the Apple Store, Bullring, Birmingham, England." He added that a trio of Microsoft staffers will be on hand to turn patrons off from the Mac for the next three days.
This is like a sailor who's been on a long mission at sea who finally decides to seek some Las Vegas-like companion only to find a representative from the Church of Abstinence camping out on the front steps. The sailor has already developed long overdue anticipation of said companionship for so long now, that the representative from the CoA will not be taken seriously. What are the CoA representatives (Microsoft staffers) going to say "Please reconsider"? To which the sailor will reply, "Reconsider this (sailor pointing to his long overdeveloped anticipation)".
For crying out loud, doesn't this smack of a last ditch desperate effort? I mean seriously, once the customer is at the Apple store, it's too late.
I cant believe someone was actually paid to put up the booth.
so they are trying to get people to walk into this dark enclosed kiosk so they can record them on video? Yeah thats way better than going into that nice shinny Apple store and playing with a MacBook Air and iPods.
This is sort of like the equivalent of a creepy dude in a white panel van pulling up and asking you if you want some candy.
I was with Microsoft up until this one, who on earth wants to sit in a booth and go "Im a PC"
If they wanted to get back at Apple they could have just reversed the Apple ads back on them with all the problems Apple are having, by that I mean they could do the following ads:
- Macs now have viruses (Even Apple admit this as they've taken the virus free stat off their switch to mac part of the site)
- Macs now crash
- Official Vista now more secure and Mac
- Mobile me not working. Could do a great comparison of the free hotmail working and Apple handing out free trial extensions for there paid for service not
- iPhone signal problems vs Windows based phone without signal probs
As Apple keeps screwing up on things it seems stupid of Microsoft not to take advantage rather than this current lame attempt.
Macs always had viruses, macs always crashed, in what way is vista offically more secure than Mac, it it according to you?
- Please I use hotmail and it's just as useless as mobileme
- Right Windows mobile phones don't have signal problems, what a joke.
If they wanted to get back at Apple they could have just reversed the Apple ads back on them with all the problems Apple are having, by that I mean they could do the following ads:
- Macs now have viruses (Even Apple admit this as they've taken the virus free stat off their switch to mac part of the site)
- Macs now crash
- Official Vista now more secure and Mac
- Mobile me not working. Could do a great comparison of the free hotmail working and Apple handing out free trial extensions for there paid for service not
- iPhone signal problems vs Windows based phone without signal probs
reasonable points, though i'm more inclined to agree with the last item than the preceding ones. what about inferior displays, missing ports, that sort of thing? (i use macs exclusively and like them very much)
Comments
"IM A PC" = IMAP + iMac
Apparently they forgot that when they came up with that slogan.
I was with Microsoft up until this one, who on earth wants to sit in a booth and go "Im a PC"
If they wanted to get back at Apple they could have just reversed the Apple ads back on them with all the problems Apple are having, by that I mean they could do the following ads:
- Macs now have viruses (Even Apple admit this as they've taken the virus free stat off their switch to mac part of the site)
- Macs now crash
- Official Vista now more secure and Mac
- Mobile me not working. Could do a great comparison of the free hotmail working and Apple handing out free trial extensions for there paid for service not
- iPhone signal problems vs Windows based phone without signal probs
As Apple keeps screwing up on things it seems stupid of Microsoft not to take advantage rather than this current lame attempt.
Troll much lately?
Microsoft can't simply say 'we aren't all that bad, please don't go'. Even if they are only trying to keep their user base from eroding they should make it look like they are recruiting Mac users to the Windows side as unlikely as that sounds.
Apple's Get a Mac Ads in the UK flopped and Apple UK hasn't run one in months.
Apple barely advertises Macintosh in the UK bar the odd print ad. They advertise iPhone and iPod, but not Macintosh.
Most ordinary people in the UK won't have seen ?I'm a Mac, I'm a PC?. Microsoft have nothing to counter.
Speaking of brand, this is what shoppers to the Bullring Centre will see and associate with Apple and Microsoft's brands respectively:
Apple = Stylish, boutique retail store with stunning products and welcoming staff.
Microsoft = A PR team standing round a booth with a camcorder begging for attention.
EPIC FAIL doesn't do it justice.
"I'm a PC. And I think we are better connected than when we're apart."
Now if only I could understand what this wifi diagnostic window is doing...
Up here, the reason most Mall store entry ways are as wide as they are, is the fire regulations which are based on how many people are likely to be in a store and thus likely to need to leave all at once in the event of a fire. Leaving what looks to be about 5.5 feet of space in front of the main entrance, would be a definite no-no for a store that holds as many people as the average Apple store does.
The other comment about WTF the Mall manager was thinking is also right on the mark.
I wonder how the Gap would respond to an "anti-fashion" marketing stall parked a few feet outside their front door, and I wonder if any Mall manager would think *that* was a good idea.
There's one problem with this great plan…
Apple's Get a Mac Ads in the UK flopped and Apple UK hasn't run one in months.
Apple barely advertises Macintosh in the UK bar the odd print ad. They advertise iPhone and iPod, but not Macintosh.
Most ordinary people in the UK won't have seen “I'm a Mac, I'm a PC”. Microsoft have nothing to counter.
Speaking of brand, this is what shoppers to the Bullring Centre will see and associate with Apple and Microsoft's brands respectively:
Apple = Stylish, boutique retail store with stunning products and welcoming staff.
Microsoft = A PR team standing round a booth with a camcorder begging for attention.
EPIC FAIL doesn't do it justice.
And they're doing this in Birmingham in the winter!
Talk about sad, cold and wet people on the outside in the dark looking in at all the happy people having fun in the bright sunny Apple world. What a Christmas story that is.
I bet the Apple staff invite them in for a cup of tea. Then it's all over - 25 new switchers.
hidden escape code...
"IM A PC" = IMAP + iMac
I like it!
Apple could hit back by putting in a lower case P:
i'M A p C
"I'm a Mac and a I'm a PC"
Just that on a white background, maybe the Apple logo smaller at the bottom?
Obviously alluding to the fact that Macs can run OS X and Windows.
Anyone wanna mock that up into a poster?
The thing that seems awkward about the I'm A PC campaign in comparison to the Mac ads is that the Mac ads are aimed at getting people to switch from Windows to Mac. However with Microsoft the same concept is being used to try to keep Windows users from switching to Mac. Of course we know there aren't many Mac users likely to switch to Windows.
Microsoft can't simply say 'we aren't all that bad, please don't go'. Even if they are only trying to keep their user base from eroding they should make it look like they are recruiting Mac users to the Windows side as unlikely as that sounds.
I'd argue that "I'm a PC" isn't just a practical effort to prevent switching. It's an emotional effort to change how Windows users perceive themselves and the whole platform.
In that sense I think the commercials are very good, or as good as they can be.
Btw the post (and the one from a couple days ago) notes how the current campaign has "ironically" gotten so many fewer "viral views" than the Seinfeld spots. Guess what - viral views are not some be-all end-all measure of campaign success. These are normal commercials. I don't see why anyone would even think they're aiming for viral passalong.
Full disclosure: Love Macs - I own three - but don't always care for Apple on a corporate level.
"It's a friggin booth where you can record your own I'm a PC video," he said. "This is outside the Apple Store, Bullring, Birmingham, England." He added that a trio of Microsoft staffers will be on hand to turn patrons off from the Mac for the next three days.
This is like a sailor who's been on a long mission at sea who finally decides to seek some Las Vegas-like companion only to find a representative from the Church of Abstinence camping out on the front steps. The sailor has already developed long overdue anticipation of said companionship for so long now, that the representative from the CoA will not be taken seriously. What are the CoA representatives (Microsoft staffers) going to say "Please reconsider"? To which the sailor will reply, "Reconsider this (sailor pointing to his long overdeveloped anticipation)".
For crying out loud, doesn't this smack of a last ditch desperate effort? I mean seriously, once the customer is at the Apple store, it's too late.
I cant believe someone was actually paid to put up the booth.
so they are trying to get people to walk into this dark enclosed kiosk so they can record them on video? Yeah thats way better than going into that nice shinny Apple store and playing with a MacBook Air and iPods.
This is sort of like the equivalent of a creepy dude in a white panel van pulling up and asking you if you want some candy.
So good I had to share!
Trojan virus steals bank info
I was with Microsoft up until this one, who on earth wants to sit in a booth and go "Im a PC"
If they wanted to get back at Apple they could have just reversed the Apple ads back on them with all the problems Apple are having, by that I mean they could do the following ads:
- Macs now have viruses (Even Apple admit this as they've taken the virus free stat off their switch to mac part of the site)
- Macs now crash
- Official Vista now more secure and Mac
- Mobile me not working. Could do a great comparison of the free hotmail working and Apple handing out free trial extensions for there paid for service not
- iPhone signal problems vs Windows based phone without signal probs
As Apple keeps screwing up on things it seems stupid of Microsoft not to take advantage rather than this current lame attempt.
Macs always had viruses, macs always crashed, in what way is vista offically more secure than Mac, it it according to you?
- Please I use hotmail and it's just as useless as mobileme
- Right Windows mobile phones don't have signal problems, what a joke.
spokesperson for Windows Vista.
If they wanted to get back at Apple they could have just reversed the Apple ads back on them with all the problems Apple are having, by that I mean they could do the following ads:
- Macs now have viruses (Even Apple admit this as they've taken the virus free stat off their switch to mac part of the site)
- Macs now crash
- Official Vista now more secure and Mac
- Mobile me not working. Could do a great comparison of the free hotmail working and Apple handing out free trial extensions for there paid for service not
- iPhone signal problems vs Windows based phone without signal probs
reasonable points, though i'm more inclined to agree with the last item than the preceding ones. what about inferior displays, missing ports, that sort of thing? (i use macs exclusively and like them very much)