
Microsoft's Anti-Mac Ads Are Starting To Work - ciscoriordan
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsofts-anti-mac-ads-are-starting-to-work-2009-5
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bonaldi
Where by "working" they mean "are making Microsoft look like a value
proposition and Apple less so". In other words, they make Microsoft look cheap
and Apple look premium ... this is not a message Apple is going to be upset
by.

The entire campaign has struck me as strange. "Hey, we know you want a cool,
desirable Mac, but you can't afford one -- so settle for us, we're cheap!"

Microsoft: Which second-best do you want to settle for today?

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kierank
_In other words, they make Microsoft look cheap and Apple look premium_

I think the ads go further than that. They make Macs look _elitist_ \- in
every ad the person representing someone real that the viewer could relate to
to says something like "I'm not cool enough to have a Mac". Once they manage
to get that message across to the majority of people that these Macs are
elitist and PCs are more down-to-earth it might well become a self-fulfilling
prophecy.

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GavinB
It’s actually in Microsoft’s favor to cast the choice as “Mac vs. PC.” There’s
plenty of room in the market for a premium brand and a value brand. The
endless Mac vs. PC flame war has been tremendously profitable for both
companies, and it keeps other competitors from gaining a foothold.

If Microsoft looks like a good value, the idea of a free OS or a browser-based
OS can’t penetrate the consciousness of the mass market.

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silentbicycle
> Research firm NPD Group says Apple's April Mac shipments were down 1.8%
> year-over-year.

Isn't that well within the bound of random chance? 1.8% is not a tremendous
difference, particularly considering the general economic slowdown.

I see other numbers are about some polling/brand perception thing, but sales
are probably a more concrete measurement.

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mmc
This AP article [1] (tech.yahoo.com seems to be having problems just now) says
that the overall market fell by either 7.1% or 6.5% worldwide, depending on if
you ask IDC or Gartner. US shipments were either down 3.1% (IDC) or <1%
(Gartner). Also, the article mentions that Apple's market share increased, but
doesn't have an estimate of its shipments.

So without knowing how NPD Group is counting, this 1.8% number is not very
useful. If it's global, it makes Apple look pretty good. If it's US shipments,
it's harder to say.

[1]:
[http://74.125.45.132/search?q=cache:tw4QpCy8JFoJ:tech.yahoo....](http://74.125.45.132/search?q=cache:tw4QpCy8JFoJ:tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090415/ap_on_hi_te/tec_pc_shipments+npd+group+pc+shipments&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari)

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callahad
I don't see anything supporting the assertion that the shifts were due to
Microsoft's advertising. Given the recession (and the media's mood regarding
it), I'm not at all surprised that consumers are acting a bit more frugal.

~~~
GrandMasterBirt
The article did show a massive downfall of consumers thinking Macs are
awesome, and a rise of consumers thinking PCs are.

~~~
callahad
Not exactly. The measurement was of "value-perception" -- Yes, consumers are
starting to view Macs as luxuries, but there's no evidence of a causal
relationship between that shift an Microsoft's advertising. For instance, a
similar trend was seen when asking individuals whether or not household goods
(microwaves, dishwashers, air conditioning, etc.) were luxuries or
necessities. What would Occam say?

Link to the Luxury / Necessity study:
[http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/733/luxury-necessity-
recessi...](http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/733/luxury-necessity-recession-
era-reevaluations)

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old-gregg
I just find it sad that a stupid software monopoly positions itself to speak
on behalf of _all the PCs_.

In my world Microsoft has nothing to do with computers: I don't use their
stuff. And my Thinkpads+Linux don't present "value proposition" - they're far
superior to Macs in every way that matters to me: build quality, their
military styling, Linux superiority over OSX, their full size "spill-through"
keyboards, 5-button _precise_ touchpads with pointing sticks, huge batteries,
etc.

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bcl
I question their methods. First off, the Microsoft Ads suck. They aren't funny
or interesting. I don't say 'ooh! A new batch of Microsoft ads' and run off to
their website to check them out like I do with Apple's ads.

Second, their index says the index for Apple has fallen from 70 to 12.4?
That's way too big of a shift for such a poorly executed ad campaign. As far
as sales goes, haven't they noticed we're in the middle of a recession? Apple
has been doing pretty darned well considering the skyrocketing unemployment
rate and lack of consumer spending.

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boblol123
The fact that people do say 'ooh! new apple ads' is pathetic.Why would anyone
care? it's an ad, if you have the product you don't need to see the ad, it
only serves to stroke your ego and confirm your choice (which is an insecure
thing to do). If you don't have the product why would you search for the ad
rather than any actual information?

~~~
KirinDave
People have a long history of watching and enjoying advertisements, and they
have become increasingly elaborate over the years. A lot of people watch the
Super Bowl as much for the ads as the sporting event. Given the high budget
for ads and the current trend of "funny" or "ironic" ads, it's neither
surprising nor shameful that people like them.

The "ooh new Apple ads" could be in part because the ads have two excellent
comedian/actors who help do the writing, and because most people find the
current stance that Microsoft takes against Apple to be somewhat comical.
Personally, I enjoy seeing John Hodgeman every chance I get, even if it is in
an ad. He's a funny guy.

~~~
boblol123
I wouldn't call it a long history, and as much as an ad is ironic or funny, it
is there to sell you something, it's just pretending not to be to get your
attention and making you want to watch it. I find it worrying that people
would spend $1000s on the basis of watching a funny anecdotal ad.

~~~
KirinDave
All ads do, for most people, is focus attention and create a "brand sense."
IBM used to meticulously cultivate a very "professional" sense of their brand,
for example.

As a basis for product awareness, there is nothing wrong with this. For
example, I was drawn to Nikon DSLRs over their competition when I learned saw
the Danny Choo Nikon ad (I read a lot of what Danny Choo produces and I like
his writing). Once I started researching on my own I found the camera I wanted
and bought it (D90, btw). All the ad did was provide a signpost, should I feel
ashamed or manipulated? I definitely did research and agonized over the exact
camera and model to get, so I don't feel like I was tricked into a bad,
shameful purchase. Nor do I feel particularly manipulated by choosing this
brand over any other, there were specific features (mentioned in the ads) that
I decided I wanted to prioritize.

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KirinDave
So Apple's perceived value dropped and "Microsoft's" perceived value rose?

There are two variables that need to be controlled for here:

1\. Apple hasn't made any major product announcements this year. Apple is a
company that lives and dies by its carefully controlled press releases and a
sense of "newness" and "cutting edgeness".

2\. There's no indication that the MS ads in question actually caused this
shift. If they're talking to canny consumers, this switch could be around the
perception of netbook sales alone. Those are skyrocketing, and a perfectly
usable and incredibly portable machine for under $400 (after tax) _is_ a great
value.

Still, take this with a grain of salt. People love to provide reports that
Apple is suddenly failing or did not deliver on sales promises, with all kinds
of conjured "data" to back it up. In the end, Apple has consistently delivered
or exceeded on their projections and they've held up their sales significantly
better than everyone else in the market during the economic downturn.

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dhughes
So Windows is better, Apple computers are 'pretty but dumb' but you can put
Windows on Apple hardware so...? - brain explodes - very Star Trek of you MS.

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jemmons
When it says "anecdotal" right in the article... There are no facts here. It's
all just link bait and trolling.

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weegee
frankly, I don't think the demographic that is buying Macs (mostly college-
aged kids) hasn't changed and won't simply stop buying Macs because of some ad
campaign by Microsoft. Windows Vista sucked before it was released, it sucked
when it was released, and it still sucks at the point when Microsoft is trying
to bury it. Macs offer a very different user experience from Windows, and it's
like saying a Chevy is better than a BMW because it's cheaper. They are two
entirely different products that both happen to have a screen and a keyboard.

