Windows: Get a New Marketing Team

[Devastate]

I don't see the hub bub.. both commercials are severely dumbed down to appeal to a wider audience.. Not everyone is a tech and if they just sold to techs then they'd be out of business.. They want the wider dollar..

How do you think WOW got 11 million subscribers? They watered down their game to appeal to 11 million people.

[@DCGoldPants]

Meh, I don't mind them. I think when they flashback to their "idea" and its a better looking person...that's kind of funny.

Make things more simple isn't a bad tag-line.

[MattFancy]

I don't see the hub bub.. both commercials are severely dumbed down to appeal to a wider audience.. Not everyone is a tech and if they just sold to techs then they'd be out of business.. They want the wider dollar..

How do you think WOW got 11 million subscribers? They watered down their game to appeal to 11 million people.

I thought it was the Mister T commericals that got everyone hooked

[China]

you know how a company could set themselves apart nowadays? Run a 30 second spot that is informative and tells customers about the features and benefits of their product. No music, no funny camera angles, no jingles, nothing.

That's just crazy talk. :insane:

[Corcaigh]

you know how a company could set themselves apart nowadays? Run a 30 second spot that is informative and tells customers about the features and benefits of their product. No music, no funny camera angles, no jingles, nothing.

:bsflag:

You know you would never buy a car unless there's a guy in a gorilla suit on the lot.

[Devastate]

I thought it was the Mister T commericals that got everyone hooked

I liked William Shattner better

[Mad Mike]

Commercials do some funny things to uninformed people. Sure the microsoft commercials suck and I don't have much love for their company, but the macintosh ones are just as stupid and on top of that they're elitist and pretentious. Basically what I'm getting at here is that if you make your computer brand decision based on a commercial you better go ahead and hop on the nearest short bus because you are a retard.

"the macintosh ones are just as stupid and on top of that they're elitist and pretentious"

Oh please. Why don't you point out a specific example of this. I'll make it easy for you. Here are the commercials....

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

You want to hear something ironic? You got your opinion that they're "elitist and pretentious" from microsoft commercials.

Apples commercials personify inanimate objects by saying "I'm a PC... I'm a Mac". It's a simple concept in which the platforms themselves are talking about which is better. Microsoft's response was to spin this into an insult by acting as if the Apple commercials were talking about the users - which they were not. You think the Apple commercials are "elitist and pretentious" because Microsoft told you they were. Funnier still, parts of the commercials were produced on a mac.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/151315/macs_produced_part_of_microsofts_im_a_pc_ads.html

One of the images is of a real Microsoft engineer, identified only as "Sean," who resembles John Hodgman, the actor who plays the PC character in Apple Inc.'s iconic ads. Reportedly, Microsoft will play off Apple's own campaign -- during which Hodgman introduces himself with the line, "Hello, I'm a PC" -- with its engineer saying "Hello, I'm a PC, and I've been made into a stereotype."

What was that you were saying about people who listen to commercials?

[mjah]

you know how a company could set themselves apart nowadays? Run a 30 second spot that is informative and tells customers about the features and benefits of their product. No music, no funny camera angles, no jingles, nothing.

[Enter Apotheosis]

"the macintosh ones are just as stupid and on top of that they're elitist and pretentious"

Oh please. Why don't you point out a specific example of this. I'll make it easy for you. Here are the commercials....

I'm sorry, Mad Mike... but people who don't understand that both Microsoft and Apple are utterly full of **** when it comes to product marketing are absolutely insufferable. The only difference between the two, really, is that Apple has more polished technique.

[Devastate]

I'm sorry, Mad Mike... but people who don't understand that both Microsoft and Apple are utterly full of **** when it comes to product marketing are absolutely insufferable. The only difference between the two, really, is that Apple has more polished technique.

Agreed.. actually if you look at the last 20 years.. MS used to have a more polished technique and then someone said "Hey lets try to be cool!"

[Enter Apotheosis]

Agreed.. actually if you look at the last 20 years.. MS used to have a more polished technique and then someone said "Hey lets try to be cool!"

Well, that really only happened once Jobs came back and exploited the "cool factor" to his advantage. Microsoft still does a good job of marketing to businesses... but most of us who have worked in IT can see right through the bull****. Doesn't always stop us from buying the products, though.

[mattsb84]

Meh...Windows doesn't really need a marketing team. They have an 80% share of the current market (possibly more). Apple is it's only competitor and being that they don't look to have any plans to really dig into the corporate would in any meaningful way, MS will continue its strangle-hold through out the world. They could probably save money by not having these commercials.

[greenspandan]

apple markets itself like a snobby hipster. microsoft markets itself like a clumsy nerd who wishes he was a snobby hipster.

(and in that regard the apple ads are oddly accurate.)

[Enter Apotheosis]

Meh...Windows doesn't really need a marketing team. They have an 80% share of the current market (possibly more). Apple is it's only competitor and being that they don't look to have any plans to really dig into the corporate would in any meaningful way, MS will continue its strangle-hold through out the world. They could probably save money by not having these commercials.

Google is an awfully big competitor to both Apple and Microsoft these days... and they really don't do much of any traditional advertising. Everything they do is big news in it's own right so I suppose it's largely unnecessary.

[PokerPacker]

Google is an awfully big competitor to both Apple and Microsoft these days... and they really don't do much of any traditional advertising. Everything they do is big news in it's own right so I suppose it's largely unnecessary.

Google is becoming a big competitor now that they're entering the OS business, but they're still in the process of entering the markets owned by them two. Android is a start, we'll see where it goes from there.

[mattsb84]

Google is an awfully big competitor to both Apple and Microsoft these days... and they really don't do much of any traditional advertising. Everything they do is big news in it's own right so I suppose it's largely unnecessary.

I wouldn't really consider them competition for MS or Apple as far as OSs go. They aren't relevant there yet. MS has such a strangle hold it's going to take an awfully long time for them to collapse or be over taken.

[No_Pressure]

"the macintosh ones are just as stupid and on top of that they're elitist and pretentious"

Oh please. Why don't you point out a specific example of this. I'll make it easy for you. Here are the commercials....

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

You want to hear something ironic? You got your opinion that they're "elitist and pretentious" from microsoft commercials.

Apples commercials personify inanimate objects by saying "I'm a PC... I'm a Mac". It's a simple concept in which the platforms themselves are talking about which is better. Microsoft's response was to spin this into an insult by acting as if the Apple commercials were talking about the users - which they were not. You think the Apple commercials are "elitist and pretentious" because Microsoft told you they were. Funnier still, parts of the commercials were produced on a mac.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/151315/macs_produced_part_of_microsofts_im_a_pc_ads.html

What was that you were saying about people who listen to commercials?

I was actually referring to the "mac switch" marketing campaign which was around prior to the "I'm a Mac". You may recall (or you could have read the references in my post) these commercials: they had a bunch of random people talking about how they were too retarded to plug in a camera or they just love having the greatest most awesome non-video game playing computer ever.

Now, since you made the assumption that I was referring to the "I'm a Mac" commercials I'll refrain from the use of a laughing smiley face to somehow lend credence to the clever and hilarious things I'm saying.

Remember this guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqCxOapbBLU&feature=related

Maybe you recall the girl who had a paper magically disappear clearly as the result of the fact that she knew anything at all about computers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2-UuIEOcss&feature=related

Or perhaps the guy who doesn't say anything other than "whoaa I think the new Mac OS is the bomb!" and "JUMP into the futureeeeee"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvbKwpJREMw&feature=related

Now aside from being idiotic I believe these commercials are somewhat pretentious as I stated, and I stand by that claim. You wanted specific examples and here they are.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretentious

1 : characterized by pretension: as a : making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing) b : expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature

Unjustified or excessive claims:

1. Macintosh is superior because while writing a paper for school on a mac, your paper doesn't magically disappear (as papers written on computers are known to do, and ONLY do as the result of magical mischief rather than the actions of people who are too stupid to know how to use and maintain a computer properly).

2. That the Mac OS is superior because some guy is of the vague opinion that it's "the bomb".

3. The Mac OS is superior because some guy bought a camera, lost the cord used to connect through the USB port, and couldn't find another one.

All of which project an exaggerated sense of worth or statue of Macintosh products, and through them the users who were wise enough to "make the switch". I suppose I misspoke in one area, it isn't the commercials themselves which are elitist, it's the people I've met who actually bought into them.

I certainly did NOT get my opinion of Macintosh computers from any marketing campaign and I am NOT a Microsoft loyalist. I got my opinions as someone who believes that computers should suit what the user needs of them. Personally, I played video games competitively (for money) in the past, and therefore the obvious choice was Windows. As a Windows user I have gone over 10 years without using a single anti-virus, I have gone 10 years without using automatic updates (downloading necessary service packs directly) and I've also gone 10 years without getting a virus or having any real problems with my computer. I understand general computer maintenance, I am smart enough to only visit trusted sites and download things if I know exactly what they are and where they came from, and so my computers work efficiently and I'm happy with what I do.

I am capable of using any number of external devices such as video cameras, digital cameras, storage devices, etc. I am capable of using video and picture editing programs such as adobe photoshop, sony vegas, premiere, as well as various web development programs.

I can do everything and anything that a Macintosh computer can do, with just as few problems and perhaps even more ease for my purposes. I don't need to jump through a few hoops in order to play a specific game, I have easy access to my computer case to make upgrades, clean, etc. I can easily use custom devices such as my gaming mouse/keyboard.

The Mac can do all of this as well, I would expect. Gaming isn't it's purpose or a main function which I also understand. They are reaching out for a particular market and people enjoy their products. I know people who buy macs and are very happy with them. Of course I do contest that it's a computer made to appeal to morons who couldn't handle using Windows without ****ing everything up, but thats just a personal thing. I just hate hearing from Mac users how great the mac is and how I don't know what I'm missing when they didn't know the difference between a Mac and Linux until a commercial told them so.

[Skin'Em84]

Yea but..she's hot...

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[Mad Mike]

Of course I do contest that it's a computer made to appeal to morons who couldn't handle using Windows without ****ing everything up, but thats just a personal thing.

Yeah, and Apple is the elitist, pretentious one.

[No_Pressure]

Yeah, and Apple is the elitist, pretentious one.

Yeah thats right. Because unlike every apple user I don't go around telling everybody how great microsoft is like a born again christian that just found jesus.

Maybe I should supplement my argument with some emoticons. It seems to work so well for you.