You have to give credit to Microsoft. After years of standing idly by as Apple thrashed all things PC in entertaining fashion, Microsoft is finally returning the favor in its latest series of “Laptop Hunter” commercials. In the most recent ad, Microsoft says that it will give up to $1500 to a young man if he finds a computer that meets his pre-determined set of specifications. In an ensuing scene, the “Laptop Hunter” takes a look at a Macbook that he describes as being “Sooo sexy.” But ‘sexyness’ is apparently the only thing he feels the Mac has going for it. He goes on to state:
But Macs to me are about aesthetics more than they are about the computing power. I don’t want to pay for the brand, I want to pay for the computer.
Ouch! That’s zinger #2 from Redmond in just 2 weeks. If you recall, Microsoft released a commercial last week in which a young female computer purchaser lamented the fact that Apple didn’t have a 17 inch laptop for under $1000. While leaving the store she remarks, “I guess I’m not cool enough to be a Mac user”.
Interestingly, Microsoft’s latest series of commercials haven’t yet addressed some of the specific points raised in Apple’s “I’m a Mac” ads. Instead, it’s chosen to set its sights on Mac users themselves, painting them as consumers driven primarily by aesthetics, and a desire to fit in and be “cool”. Are these commercials effective? Chime in below.
