Microsoft has recently cranked up its marketing machine and taken aim at Apple. After several months of observing the various “I’m a Mac” commercials Microsoft has gone on the offensive with a series of Microsoft “Laptop Hunter” commercials. In the Laptop Hunters ads Microsoft focuses on “real world” shoppers looking for computing value or “bang for the buck” in purchasing a new laptop.
The ads definitely take the current state of the economy into account. While they focus is on each “laptop hunter” fitting the computer into an approximate budget range, they also look at specific features (size, portability, processing power, memory, flexibility, graphics capabilities, battery life) that each laptop hunter finds most appealing.
Laptop Hunters Under $1000 – Lauren, “Not cool enough to be a Mac”
The first Laptop Hunter is Lauren and her ad is entitled “Not Cool Enough to Be a Mac.” Lauren is looking for a laptop under $1,000 and the stops during her shopping trip include the Mac Store.
According to Microsoft, “The Laptop Hunters are not told they are taking part in an ad campaign by Microsoft. Instead, they think they are participating in market research. Each participant sets their own budget for a laptop to meet their own unique needs. We then provide the participant with cash and sent them out to find and purchase a laptop – all in a single day. Everything is completely unscripted.”
“Once the participant finds and purchases their perfect laptop – we inform them out in the parking lot that it’s actually Microsoft and this was part of our Windows brand campaign. The participant can of course decline to be part of the ad series if they so wish.”
Laptop Hunters Under $1,500 – Giampolo, “I’m really picky”
The second “Laptop Hunter” is Giampolo who is technically knowledgeable and is looking for a laptop in the $1,500 range He states, “I’m a PC because I’m really picky.” His shopping also includes a stop at the Apple Store.
Laptop Hunters Under $1,500 — Jackson and Lisa
Lisa and Jackson are the laptop Hunters in the third commercial of the series. Jackson is eleven years old but has some ideas on what type of system he wants (“a gaming system”). Together with his mother they explore their options with a target budget of $1,500 to spend. They find their perfect laptop system, a Sony VAIO FW with Blu-ray and a big screen.
These ads have stirred up some debate in the computing world. Have a thought or an opinion? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
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As a business user of both Windows PCs and Apple Macintoshes for the past two decades, and as a former editor at MacUser Magazine, maybe I can add some clarity to this discussion.
If the low-cost Windows laptops pushed in the Microsoft TV ads work reliably, save their users some cash (great idea in the post-Bush economy!), and suit their owners’ requirements, then snooty Mac aficionados should zip their lips and let the new Windows-laptop users enjoy their machines. Time will tell if those machines cost less after the owners pay for future Operating-System upgrades, security software, pricey tech support (sorry), and so on.
The reason Microsoft has started attacking (instead of merely tolerating) the Mac is not mere phobia. Microsoft has for years regularly announced that, sadly, Windows would soon crush Apple, as suggested by the Mac’s small market share compared to Windows. Didn’t happen. The average individual doesn’t realize that much of Windows’ market share comes from airport ticketing computers, bank terminals, all those PCs at your friendly local DMV, and so on. These corporate systems are not really “personal computers” — e.g., selected and paid for by their future users.
Gaming! Anyone seeking action-packed, shoot-everybody, multi-level, multi-user 3-D games with babes should get the fastest Windows PC their budget allows. Learning these games might one day get your kid a freelance gig at a movie-studio! There are comparatively few such games for the Mac, which instead has an abundance of educational, reference, graphic-design, film/video-production, workflow-management, and “creative” programs — perfect for the kid who will someday run the movie-studio.
Here’s a good recent article about Apple’s increasing “Mac market share.” Even better reasons for Microsoft to be nervous would be: iPhone, iPod, iTunes, Google, Android — but I digress.
Microsoft should choose its words more carefully. They claim “Each [Laptop Hunter ad] participant sets their own budget for a laptop to meet their own unique needs. We then provide the participant with cash and sent them out to find and purchase a laptop -– all in a single day. Everything is completely unscripted.” Unscripted? Any time allowed to ask friends or Internet forums which laptop they bought, and why? Any time to actually test-drive Apples versus possible lemons?
A closing thought…. Considering their tight schedule, did the laptop-hunters when visiting the Apple Store see any of the MacBooks with Windows included and pre-loaded? With those dual-OS machines, a family pays for only one laptop — a real Mac which can also run Windows (probably for Dad) when absolutely necessary.
Heh. “Pick me, Pick me!”.
“No, that has Vista on it….”, “This runs XP? Naaaah.”, “Oh, this is for Microsoft? Good, keep the cameras recording… hey guys, I run Linux. Can you tell me how to remove Windows for a refund?”.