Redmond (WA) - Microsoft announced the next leg of its advertising campaign to make people like Microsoft and Windows more today than they did yesterday. Previously we have seen somewhat confusing and unexplained teaser ads appearing on TV over the last two weeks featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld in various suburbial settings, out with the "real people".  The last commercial in the series had Gates angrily saying to a little girl who had framed him and Seinfeld for theft, "You're not real!"  And now we embark on the journey of discovering exactly what Gates meant when he got in that little girl's face and chastised a delicate flower.

The new campaign is called "Life Without Walls", which, according to Microsoft, follows a significant amount of market research data gathered prior to the campaign. Apparently, the data revealed that Microsoft needed something up-front to shatter the existing image held by the public, which was one of being relatively cold and disconnected with "real people."

This may be the primary reason Seinfeld was hired as his history and image is well known as being notably different than anything Microsoft brings to the table.

Bill Veghte, Microsoft's senior VP of online services, said, "We did a lot of testing, and we knew whatever ads we ran first were going to be highly controversial.  We needed to run an ice breaker, an ice breaker that humanizes Microsoft. Sort of a little bit zaney and a little bit different than what the marketplace expects from us."  And now, he says, Microsoft is moving on to the next phase where the real thrust of the campaign can begin, giving us the meat of what's been teased so far.

He says, "Now we can ask:  What is Windows?"  And Veghte's answer is: "Windows enables people to live a life without walls ... Windows offers choice."  The executive is referring to the many hundreds of thousands of applications that have been written to work with different versions of Windows over the years.  Microsoft has maintained significant backward compatibility so that most software written to run on Windows 95, the firm’s first modern-style OS, still runs today in Vista.

Microsoft has capitalized greatly on that reality over the years by migrating to Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP and now Vista.  Still, these ads have teased us to date indicating that there is something more coming. The second series of ads actually showed Gates, Seinfeld and the little boy in the family hovering around a flashing screen.  The boy in an excited tone asks out loud, "Woah!  When is this going to be available?"  To which Gates replies, "Never.  And if anyone ever asks you don't remember where you got it."


I am a PC

Microsoft's new campaign will also integrate directly with real users by allowing people to upload videos explaining "why they're a PC."  The videos will be viewable by everyone from the Microsoft.com website, but Microsoft also plans to air many of those uploads in public places like the giant screens in airports and around Time Square.  Just imagine sitting down at a Starbuck's for coffee and seeing your sister explaining to the world why she's a PC.


Phase II:  The passion of real people

This next phase of advertising will begin with a series of full-paged newspaper ads and TV commercials which "celebrate the diversity and passion of consumers around the world who use Windows to stay in touch with people, information and ideas that they care about."  Microsoft's teaser ads indicated that Gates has connected a billion people together, or about 1/6th of the entire planet's population.  And now Microsoft intends to capitalize on that “reality”.

Microsoft's ads will focus on "buying a PC, using a Windows Mobile device and living life on the web."  Veghte says, "Windows is truly the shared language of creativity and connection for more than one billion people. It's a vibrant community of individuals who are passionate about how Windows helps them express their ideas and live life on their own terms.  Starting today, we want to reflect the passion and excitement of this community in how we tell the story of the Windows brand."


Many fronts

It appears the focus of Microsoft's campaign is to getting the message out to everyone in a demonstrable way that it is the community of Windows users that makes Windows what it is.  Microsoft will use billboards, digital walkway ads, outdoor print ads and multiple device ads.  Desktop PC, laptops, phones and TVs will all be targeted.  Microsoft is looking to saturate all of their markets with the new campaign.


Our opinion:  A successful campaign to date

We estimate that by every possible measure Microsoft's latest advertising campaign has been a success.  We now have a brief explanation as to why the first two commercials were so whacky and seemingly without purpose.  Now we begin to see what will ultimately be revealed as the multi-year advertising campaign completes, namely that Microsoft wants us to believe us they're all about the people.  And it's the people that make Microsoft what it is.

All in all, Microsoft's advertising this time around has been far better received than their previous efforts to reach out.  We haven't seen very personal campaigns for a few years now.  "Where do you want to go today?" just doesn't connect the way that "Hi, I'm a Mac and I'm a PC" does to the regular, average Joe and Jane User people. And the image of Gates and Ballmer riding around in a Volkswagen with the heads bobbing picking up used PCs from the side of the road just doesn't cut it anymore.

Bottom line is. . .

Sep 18, 2008 11:44     

...nobody I've talked to likes Vista. Thus the reason for this marketing campaign. I don't recall Microsoft advertising for any other version of Windows. I don't think people even relate the commercials to the operating system in their computer. They just talk about how Bill Gates is one of the the wealthiest guys in the world. Make a great product and it will sell itself via word of mouth.
J. Doe report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -9

Life with out "Windows" and "Gates"!

Sep 18, 2008 12:48     

In a world with out walls, who needs "Windows" and "Gates"???
trooper report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

out of touch with the consumer

Sep 18, 2008 12:59     

Microsoft gives the customer what they want to give and not what the customer wants. The first two commercials show they are out of touch with them. Vista shows they are out of touch with them. I have Vista on an Acer Aspire. It is okay in some ways but I like WinXP better. One thing that I dislike with the pc vs apple commercial is that pc's are not limited to using just Windows. One can install whatever operating system one wants and it does not violate any agreements. I installed eComStation over Windows on my Thinkpad. http://www.ecomstation.com The commercial should be WinPC vs ApplePC. This would - in my opinion - make more sense.

TomLeeM/BigWarpGuy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -9

They planned this all along . . . suuuure

Sep 18, 2008 13:42     

First, to J. Doe, you must have been pre-embryo when the "Start Me Up" campaign was running. MS always advertises their new OS versions (The did a lot of Vista ads right around launch, too). Usually pretty well. This time they got one-upped by Apple. Apple's campaign is sheer genius (BS, but genius). MS missed the mark with Seinfeld and Gates. The ads created some talk but not positive at all. I said on these boards earlier that announcement of a change in plans was forthcoming and here it is. Controversial? The ads weren't controversial at all. Most people just said. "WTF, has MS gone nuts?" No controversy. It's not like they embraced a presidential candidate or divisive ideology, they just made a few really stupid commercials. So NOW the REAL ad campaign starts. . . Huh? So you spent millions on something you knew would fail? Oh wait, this is MS, they just might have. ;) Looks like the ad agency gets one more chance, since they cooked up a way to save MS face. I hope they get it right this time. Maybe they should have PC users in their focus groups. Just a thought guys.

paul123 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

Re: Bottom line is...

Sep 18, 2008 13:55     

Is this guy serious? If nobody you have talked to likes Vista, you obvously have not talked to many people who actually use it. Like it or not, since SP1, it has become an acceptable (Relative term) OS for Joe Computer user. Second, why don't you do some research before you make stupid statements? This is definatly NOT the first time Microsoft has advertised the Windows platform. You dont remember that dumb commercial not too long ago with people flying because of XP? Serously, there are plenty of reasons to not like Microsoft, but when you start rambeling off stupid stuff off the top of your head that makes no sense, you just sound like an idiot.

Jorge report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +11

but what about

Sep 18, 2008 14:01     

I always want a guy to walk out in a james bond tuxedo and say "I'm linux. PC, you fear me. Mac, you wanna be me."
guise report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +7

Not these days

Sep 18, 2008 14:19     

In response to J.Doe... just making a great product doesn't mean it's going to sell itself. I can tell you (even though I'm not a Vista fan) that I already thought about what I'm going to say if I were to post a video about why I'm a PC. (again, not a Vista PC but a PC) Fact being, I don't like paying a premium for something I can build myself with 100x more customizations than what Mac offers me, that in itself is more than enough for me to help the marketing of the PC.

JackCrackerMan report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +9

RE: Bottom line is...

Sep 18, 2008 14:41     

"...nobody I've talked to likes Vista." They haven't used it. Everybody that I have talked to says they hate it, then they use and love it. Talk to more people. "Thus the reason for this marketing campaign. I don't recall Microsoft advertising for any other version of Windows." Yeah you're wrong again. Below is some commercials, but marketing is also print, internet, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZvhPGXrg0g Win 95 Start me up - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM0DL5giOBU "Make a great product and it will sell itself via word of mouth. " Not true, Apple makes 'OK' products but they market very well.

Headward report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +4

@ bottom line

Sep 18, 2008 15:27     

I think you are talking to the wrong people. Everyone that I have asked (that actually has used Vista) say they love it. "Make a great product and it will sell itself via word of mouth. "
09 F9 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

@ TomLee

Sep 18, 2008 15:30     

"I have Vista on an Acer Aspire. It is okay in some ways but I like WinXP better." Funny, I thought you only had ecomstation; cus every time you get a chance you spew out ecomstation propaganda like if you had money invested in it.
09 F9 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +2

How is it a successful campaign?

Sep 18, 2008 15:57     

I don't understand how it's a successful campaign, I have yet to see a single one of these ads (and my wife is a committed television addict) - where and when are they advertising? CSPAN at 2 am? The whole "Why I'm a PC" tact seems like a disaster in the making. The frequent marketing comparison I've seen is that Mac's are marketed as BMW's and PC's are marketed as Toyota's. Lots of people own, drive and are happy with their Camry's - but do they inspire the pride/passion that a more "luxury" model does? I just can't see a big groundswell of support coming out of this.

GentlemanJim report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

"Life Without Walls" - Except when Typing "Democracy" Evidently

Sep 18, 2008 18:22     

"Life Without Walls" - Except when Typing "Democracy" Evidently No amount of advertising hype, that is "pushing" Vista is going to change the facts how Vista hasn't delivered as promised. Just were are them Vista Ultimate extras as promised? Can the public really expect coming from Microsoft, that by using paid Microsoft employees, there would be an impartial unobtrusive unbiased testimony when financial generating income is at stake? What Microsoft paid employee is going to be able to speak their own free thoughts without being censored by Microsoft?

Gigi report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -2

"Life Without Walls" - Except when Typing "Democracy" Evidently

Sep 18, 2008 18:23     

"Life Without Walls" - Except when Typing "Democracy" Evidently No amount of advertising hype, that is "pushing" Vista is going to change the facts how Vista hasn't delivered as promised. Just were are them Vista Ultimate extras as promised? Can the public really expect coming from Microsoft, that by using paid Microsoft employees, there would be an impartial unobtrusive unbiased testimony when financial generating income is at stake? What Microsoft paid employee is going to be able to speak their own free thoughts without being censored by Microsoft?

Gigi report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -3

The major problem these ads is...

Sep 18, 2008 19:47     

that Microsoft ends up looking petty when attacking Apple - it's a direct shot at what many people perceive as the "little guy" and the only alternative to their Windows/PC. Unfortunately Apple can get away with it because their ads generally target the *PC*, which in not just Microsoft, but also IBM, Dell, and a host of other big name competitors. But when Microsoft targets Apple or Mac, they're just targeting Apple, which looks bad.

hank report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Skipping this author's future postings

Sep 19, 2008 10:19     

I mean COME ON
Hax Or report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -3

The Bottom Line is...Right!

Sep 19, 2008 11:27     

Same here, everyone we talk to hates Vista. We sell hundreds of new PCs every year, we give them a choice, XP or Vista. 100% go for XP, even though they have to pay more for it now. If Vista doesn't suck, why is Microsoft spending hundreds of millions trying to turn opinion around? Too bad they can't spend that money on product development, or some of the 20 billion in cash they have saved up. Here's an idea: Get rid of the bugs in your current product before trying to force us to buy your latest product with more 'features' we don't need. Why should we pay to beta test your products for you? Why is it that when they finally get an OS right (XP), they stop selling it. : The bottom line: I'd take Windows XP over OSX any day. Apple's ads are superb, and these new Microsoft ads are as bad as the product they're trying to force people to buy.

Dozer42 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -2

@Dozer42

Sep 19, 2008 13:08     

"We sell hundreds of new PCs every year, we give them a choice, XP or Vista. 100% go for XP, even though they have to pay more for it now. If Vista doesn't suck, why is Microsoft spending hundreds of millions trying to turn opinion around? " You just answered your own statement. Home users are sheep. That has been proven with the Mojave Experiment. Furthermore, have you personally used Vista? You say you'd take XP over Vista any day but you don't have any data. You just look like an uneducated sheep. "Here's an idea: Get rid of the bugs in your current product before trying to force us to buy your latest product with more 'features' we don't need. Why should we pay to beta test your products for you? " What bugs are you currently upset about? Can you tell me three issues that stop you from using Vista vs. XP? Can you list some features that you'd never use and honestly say nobody else uses them either? I'll wait for your answers when you get back to your herd of sheep and ask them.

Headward report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

I'm a PC, but...

Sep 19, 2008 13:45     

... it doesn't mean I run windoze. Nope, I've been running linux and free software exclusively for almost 2 years now, and I couldn't be happier! Windoze is not too bad, but it has all these activation/validation issues, security and stability problems, driver problems, and is generally very limited regarding how you can use it and what you can do with it (unless you enjoy paying an arm and a leg). I've never used vista so I can't really comment, but I only heard bad things about it. On the other hand, I hate macs more than anything! Especially Mac OS, but their hardware design too. I really can't understand why people are willing to pay 2 or 3 times the price of a good pc, to get a piece of garbage. Steve Jobs must be doing something to their brains.

adi report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

Re: The Bottom Line is...Right!

Sep 21, 2008 18:17     

Why do people think that the ad campaign is targeted to just at Vista? They obviously don't know what the campaign is even about. It targeting the Windows Brand which covers XP, Vista, Windows Mobile, Live, etc.. I would like to know what bugs you are talking about. I have been using vista for about a year and have no problems what so ever with vista at work or at home.
afstech report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

Many good operating systems on the market.

Sep 22, 2008 07:49     

Linux is by far the best operating system for servers. It is lean fast and secure (Every process running is a potential exploit. If you want a secure system, kill all the junk). With Linux, you don't need to worry about CAL garbage. You also don't need to count the number of times you install. If you want to write 0's to your hard drive and re-install your OS 12 times a day, you don't need to call Red Hat and reauthorize your serial number. Mac OS is great. Mac OS is a Unix derived OS. Think of it as Free BSD with a cool graphic shell. It comes with one of the best development toolkits free. You don't have to worry about all the CAL garbage. You don't need to type in serial numbers each time you install, and you don't need to reauthorize if you install too many times. The graphic shell of OS X makes it a little less lean, a little less fast, and a little less secure. In exchange you get the best desktop, the best multi monitor support, and you get everything rapped up in a neat package. Windows 2000 is a good Operating system. It is the fastest and leanest of the MS Operating systems. It has a good graphic shell, It does not call home each time you install. It does require you to type in a stupid serial number if you are not a corporate user. The biggest flaw with 2000 is that it does not address as much memory or as large of a hard drive as a modern OS. I don't think it supports more than one core (I could be wrong). XP is slower, and uses more memory and hard drive space than XP. You are stuck with the CAL garbage, you have a limited number of installs before you need to call Microsoft and reauthorize. The only real advantages XP has over 2000 is support for more memory, larger hard drives, and 64 bit support. It also has good support for many cores. Vista uses more memory than XP. it uses more hard drive space than Vista. it eats more clock cycles than vista. It has more DRM restrictions than Vista. It has more background processes (Each on could be an exploit) than Vista. It does not address more memory. It does not address bigger hard drives. Vista is XP with more garbage added on.

Ralf The Dog report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

XP vs. Vista

Sep 22, 2008 08:31     

Headward, 1) XP plays games at higher frame rates and I need every frame I can get. 2) I hate the annoying popup that Vista gives you all the time. 3) Vista costs way to much to justify an upgrade for the other features (which I don't need, but might use a little if I had them). In addition, I know XP. It's now an old friend. I know it's menus and quirks. Vista is the new dopey guy that wants very badly to be your friend, but is just a bit too weird to qualify. Maybe after another year or so it won't seem so dopey. But my Wife uses Vista and I help here with her issues. Vista is (with SP1 at at least, didn't use it before then) a stable and user friendly operating system. I am sticking with XP Pro because the features in Vista and the need to learn all the new ins and outs do not justify the cost of acquisition. Simple economics. However, the disadvantages of Vista didn't justify buying an XP machine for my wife. Mojave shows that perception is just a damning as reality. MS SHOULD focus on changing the perception, because, although not necessarily wrong, it is severely overblown.

Paul123 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

RE My last comment.

Sep 22, 2008 08:39     

Correction, I was comparing Vista to XP, Not Vista to Vista. Posting pre caffeine is not smart.
Ralf The Dog report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

I'm a PC because......

Sep 22, 2008 21:05     

I'm a PC because I build my own computers. I use the latest Windows versions because they are better than Linux. I have used many many Linux distro's and openSUSE is the best I have come across (sorry Ubuntu). I think the ad campaign is on the right track. Microsoft has made an effort to advertise in Sports and that is a very good place to do it. Sports has an extermely big market share and does not isolate to a certain person demographic. Sports is something all people can have in common, no matter what their status is. Quasar

Quasar report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1