Microsoft Tries a New Ad Agency 372
Diomidis Spinellis writes "An article in this week's Economist outlines Microsoft's marketing response to Vista's travails and Apple's hip Get a Mac campaign. Describing the recent Mojave Experiment as 'Microsoft at its worst,' the article's writer wonders whether hiring a new hot ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, to put together a $300m campaign can make Microsoft look cool. Can money buy you love?"
Yes (Score:3, Funny)
Bogusky? (Score:3, Funny)
Really? Bogusky? Bogus-ky? Next we'll be told that Microsoft's lawyers are going to be Grabbit and Runne.
They need to hire psyop... (Score:3, Funny)
Anyone who can make this [psyop.tv] look cool should be able to sell Vista.
'Mojave experiment' ads a rip-off of the 70's (Score:5, Funny)
When looking at those interviews, I was waiting for a narrator to say to me "We've secretly replaced this man's blood with Folger's Crystals!" man: "AIIEEAAAAHAHHH!!"
Love (Score:5, Funny)
Can money buy you love?
Probably, but I'm still going to wait for Love SP2.
Love? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Bogusky? (Score:4, Funny)
Nope, they hired Dewey, Cheatam and Howe.
Re:Bogusky? (Score:5, Funny)
Don't be silly. Everyone knows they're busy representing SCO.
Just stop the pretense (Score:5, Funny)
MAC: Hi, I'm a Mac.
BILL: Hi, I'm Bill gates. I'm a billionaire and one of the richest men in the world. I have power beyond anything you can imagine.
MAC: Um...
(Gates pulls out a pistol and shoots Mac in the head. Mac falls to the ground in a vast pool of blood and gore)
BILL: I can do that to your family and never worry about any sort of prosecution ever penetrating my vast army of lawyers. I can topple our government with a set of well placed bribes, or push the global economy into a depression. Buy Vista or I'll make all your lives a fucking nightmare from which you'll never awaken. It's the lesser of two evils, believe me. I wouldn't lie to you because I don't have to.
MAC: *gurgle*
(Bill puts three more rounds into Mac)
BILL: That was your wife and two kids, bitches. capisca?
here's microsofts newest try (Score:5, Funny)
http://www.algorithman.de/storage/new_vista_ad.jpg [algorithman.de]
Re:"Can money buy you love?" (Score:2, Funny)
Can money buy you an Armani suit? Yes.
Can money buy you a Ferrari Testarosa? Yes.
Can money buy you a lot of gold bling? Yes.
Can money buy you a 1000-node grid cluster? Yes.
Can money buy you a date with a supermodel? Most definitely.
Hence, money can definitely buy you cool. Sorry to disappoint you. You must be broke. ;)
Re:$300 Mil to spend polishing... (Score:3, Funny)
Nah. That's where you underestimate the power of a really good agency.
Everyone else deals in plain, possibly even frozen bull turds as you describe. Skip that.
Now we can offer New, Proprietary Mixed-Species Cross Kingdom Blend Biological Debris which includes features such as High-Pigment Proportional Density which comes from a specially grown Archaeopteryx reconstructed from an Intelligently Designed matrix of historical remains.
Microsoft's latest slogan (Score:5, Funny)
I'll reckon they'll go with a dirty-tricks FUD campaign. For example:
These threats will attempt to be carried out by Steve Ballmer disguised in a ski mask and a shirt saying "I AM NOT THAT DANCE MONKEY BOY OFF YOUTUBE."
Truth in advertising (Score:4, Funny)
It could work if this is the company that did commercials for Pontiac, Ford, Chevy, and Schlitz.
"At Ford, quality is job one!" Poor quality, their work is cut our for them
"Pontiac: we build excitement!" Bad brakes, poor handling
"Chevy: Like a rock!" Damned thing won't start.
"When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer." The stuff's so nasty that nobody will drink it if there's any other brand in the fridge.
So following these fine examples of truthful ads, I suggest to Microsoft:
"Vista: Bigger and badder than ever!"
"Linux runs on supercompuers. Vista runs on your computer."
"Macs are for rich little girls"
"In your heart, you know Vista's right" (borrowing from Richard Nixon's sucessful right wing campaign ad
"Vista: Because nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft!"
Re:$300M (Score:3, Funny)
Nor does Apple use the "squirt" in any context...
Re:Just stop the pretense (Score:4, Funny)
The trouble is that this is the wrong way round...
Bill Gates always comes across, to me anyway, as a fairly likeable, if insanely rich, geek. Whereas Steve Jobs comes across as a psychopathic megalomaniac who would sell his children to a Gap sweatshop if he thought it would help sell more iPhones.
I've always imagined Bill's house as a nice secluded ranch somewhere, where he spends most of his time silently sitting with his face bathed only the glow from the 3 monitors in front of him. Steve Jobs on the other hand would have a lair rather than a house. A place where he can constantly rage against the world, formulating ever more devious plans for world domination whilst feeding those employees who disappoint to his pet pirhanas. Think Hank Scorpio, but less polite.
Re:Just between you and me... (Score:2, Funny)
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Re:"Can money buy you love?" (Score:3, Funny)
In My Experience. You can be Fat, You can be Ugly, But you can't be poor.
Most of us have heard/read that women gravitate towards men who are successful naturally. It increases the odds that offspring will be successful as well.
Microsoft "vista" is fat it is ugly.. it's slow and unintelligent. but it's very rich.