Comments on: Microsoft ads leverage flaws in Apple’s strategy

By: Samuli Perttula

Samuli Perttula — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:54:32 +0000

One rather funny parody on these Mac/PC ads are the Novell's Mac PC Linux ads. I really don't want to ruin the surprise of the ads so I'll let you see them first:
http://www.novell.com/video/
or use this tinyurl to see all of them in a single video http://tinyurl.com/2h3jum

PS. I've never truly understood why Microsoft takes these Mac vs. PC so personally, after all they've made lots of stuff that runs on Apple's (personal) computers and even their dear operating systems can be run on Macs.
(btw I've heard that there are also some software by Apple that works on Windows like iTunes ;)

By: Talent Pun

Talent Pun — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:55:36 +0000

I think the fatal flaw in Apple's advertising is the inference that the 98% of entirely normal and decent people that use PC's are losers and dorks. People's reluctance in endorsing Apple products have more to do with their pocketbooks than their lack of taste. While Apple believes they are marketing a lifestyle change, what they're really creating is a kind of class war due to the cost, short lifespan and 'insularity' of their products.

Microsoft should be marketing their products as the blue-collar solution; a PC-for-the-people solution. Microsoft and the Gates Foundation does enough work in second world countries for that argument to have legs.

PS. I just read ikiu's post, looks like he beat me too it. Dang.

By: PC versus Mac advertising strategy « Ideas make the world go round

PC versus Mac advertising strategy « Ideas make the world go round — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:46:24 +0000

[...] article by prominent blogger, Eric Karjaluoto, discusses the flaw in Apple’s latest advertising [...]

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:02:28 +0000

Egads. As much as I appreciate the campaign, someone has to hide this guy away:

http://gizmodo.com/5052680/steve-ballmer-goes-nuts-again-to-sell-windows?autoplay=true

What a mess.

By: Linkit 20.10. - 27.10. | Valontuoja

Linkit 20.10. - 27.10. | Valontuoja — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:03:15 +0000

[...] Microsoft ads leverage flaws in Apple’s strategy [...]

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:49:25 +0000

Wow ikiu! Good one!

Instead of wasting time thinking like the rest of us, you just nailed it!

Of course! That's it: poor people have to buy PCs and rich ones like you buy Macs. Well folks, this topic seems to be pretty much wrapped-up as a result of Ikiu's observations.

Thanks buddy! Keep on, keeping on, and feel free to drop by again and share some of your keen insights!

Stay in school. (No, really... stay in school.)

Eric

By: ikiu

ikiu — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:40:00 +0000

mac luver = hate pc's pc user = dreams an imac this had nothing to do with who's the geek n who's coolest, it's simply "i bought a PC because i couldn't afford a Mac" yes, millions of people use PC's because they couldn't afford an iMac. Apples to Oranges.

By: Still alive. (ramblings) | MelonFresh.tv // FEED

Still alive. (ramblings) | MelonFresh.tv // FEED — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:14:10 +0000

[...] than me and hit all of the points (and much more) that I have been thinking in one of his recent posts. So ditto to what he said. I really like that it capitalizes on the fact that even though the Mac [...]

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:19:06 +0000

Hi Ian,

I think that's a pretty reasonable argument; in fact, I thought the same. One of the people at CP+B had an interesting thought on this note.

Their comment (and I'm paraphrasing liberally here) was that the Mac ads were so culturally important that not adressing them really wasn't an option. As such, they reasoned that it was a spot where they would "hug the stereotype to death."

Again, I'm not sure if this entirely works, but I was pretty impressed by the move they managed to pull-off. :-)

Cheers!

Eric

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:52:26 +0000

My only small criticism: Any time a company lifts another company's ad campaign and tries to make it their own, I wonder if they're hurting themselves.

Here, Microsoft is only strengthening the story around the Mac ads. I know that's not their intent, and it's also only a side effect. But it seems to me they're turning a one-company ad campaign into a mythology...