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Microsoft says ‘I am PC’ and it is brilliant
The new Microsoft “Hi, I am PC” ads are supercool. Apple has been making fun of PC (and PC users) for while with the “I am PC, I am Mac” ads and the response from MS advertising team is nothing short of brilliant. With these simple & funny ads, they have changed the focus from software to users and boy they have done it well. See the ad below:
(see it on youtube)
It is not about slides, it is about your story
It is not about charts, it is about your insights
It is not about canvas, it is about your drawing
It is not about software, it is about YOU
And Microsoft has been successful to establish that message with the ads, now the next step is making the world realize what remarkable things individuals around the world are able to pull off using MS software. That, my friend is marketing.
2 more ads in the “I am a PC” series:
[via techcrunch]
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At Chandoo.org, I have one goal, "to make you awesome in Excel & Power BI". I started this website in 2007 and today it has 1,000+ articles and tutorials on data analysis, visualization, reporting and automation using Excel and Power BI. 
17 Responses to “Microsoft says ‘I am PC’ and it is brilliant”
[...] Chandoo wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptApple has been making fun of PC (and PC users) for while with the “I am PC, I am Mac” bads/b and the response from MS badvertising/b team is nothing short of brilliant. With these simple bfunny ads/b, they have changed the focus from software b…/b [...]
These are not as hilarious as the "PC Vs Mac" ad from apple. But, these ads are very good and they've turned the "I am a PC" line from apple ad to their advantage very well. Well done by MS.
I have always hated the Mac vs PC ads from Apple, because I felt them to be condescending, misleading, and actually false. (And that smug wiseass who represents Mac is a liberal arts college dropout. Get a degree in accounting or engineering and tell me your Mac's any good.)
Contrary to my expectations, these ads by Microsoft are very good. Thanks for posting them.
Jon's comments made me laugh out loud. That's LOL for MAC users. 😉
I agree, these ads are pretty genius. Thanks!
The ad like Vista, is just another representation of how unoriginal Microsoft can be. I would point out that none of the people in the advert are web designers or graphic illustrators.... I wonder how down time these PC people have to put up with?
Good stuff about the ads: it fights the idea of stereotyping users, thought that is not the intent of the Mac ads. Good strategy - take the strength of the competitor's communication and turn it around as their weakness. Celebrates diversity - the hardware I use does not define me. And ofcourse PC (the x86 PC architecture to be precise), being the open systems format, is the perfect "mascot" for that diversity. And that's where it does not fit in with M$.
It does not work. Why? Mac-vs-PC works because Apple OWNS Mac - the software as well as the hardware. PC is not OWNED by anyone. IBM invented it, and it's been since taken over by the open market. Even Intel can't claim to own the PC market. There are many more players who define PC - there's HP, Dell, AMD.
And Microsoft does not run on just PCs anymore. After Intel entering Macs, Windows also is aiming for people owning Macs.
So why is Microsoft spending so much money on promoting a franchise which it does not own nor which comprises its entire target market?
Note that none of the people say "I'm Windows" or "I'm a Windows user", nor would it fit if they did.
I guess if they are serious, specialized PC users, they'd NOT be using Windows, let alone Vista 🙂 How many of these "PeeCees" were Linux users, how many were BSD users? How many use XP (remember the ad ends with a Vista graphic)?
Next, since the ad celebrates diversity so much, does Microsoft support the idea? Is its software or UI that customizable? The idea that the computer you use should not define who you are or what you look like - shouldn't it be carried forward in the goods delivered? Why does M$ software (Vista) hog so much of resources that it does not let the real software which DOES define what us PC users are work properly?
Just making smart ads isn't going to get M$ back in the good books of computer users. Making software that works properly would.
In the end, if you'd remove the last screen mentioning Microsoft, the ads make a stronger case for the x86+OSS systems rather than Windows/Vista.
In the last advert is sounds like they are saying pissy, pissy, pissy. Is that a good idea?
[...] Brilliant and Fun to Watch - Microsoft I am a PC ads 7 Comments [September 19] [...]
Seriously, who has been waiting around for Microsoft to release an ad campaign to defend their identity? Are you also waiting for a campaign to let people know you're a JIF and not a Skippy?
"I'm a pc an I've copied apple ads and like so many years later i'd copied gui" Please microsoft BE MORE ORIGINAL BE CREATIVE STOP COPYING APPLE IN EVERYTHING APPLE DOES!!!!!!
Uh, Hypnos...you do realize these are all actors, right?
@Gourd
You do realise that I can know they are all actors and still not refer to them as such, since I am talking about the characters in the script rather than the physical entities playing those characters, right? 🙂
Oh, and I'm the same guy... Hypnos, that is, so sorry for any confusion that might have caused 🙂
“I’m a pc an I’ve copied apple ads and like so many years later i’d copied gui” Please microsoft BE MORE ORIGINAL BE CREATIVE STOP COPYING APPLE IN EVERYTHING APPLE DOES!!!!!!
That's what Steve Jobs wants to believe, but the reality is that MS has done more money than Apple... luck?, poor jobs.
[...] „Microsoft Says I am a PC and is Brilliant“, „Contraversial Microsoft Ad ‘I am a PC“, ?? ??????? ?? ?????-????????? ?? ???? ???????? ? ??? ????? ??? ?? ???????????? ?????????? ?? ??????????. ???????: [...]
[...] has posted the new Microsoft Ads in Microsoft says ‘I am PC’ and it is brilliant. Contrary to my expectations, especially after the abortive Bill and Jerry spots, I enjoyed these [...]
how original from MS......can they actually create anything without a nod to apple??