Microsoft Brand Campaign Misses the Mark

In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, “What’s up with Microsoft’s corporate brand identity?” The new ad campaign with Misters Seinfeld and Gates is remarkably unfunny, unconvincing, and just boring. And I’m a great Seinfeld fan. But who wants to see Bill Gates nerdily shake his suburban rear end? I don’t mind the absurdity of future PCs being made out of chocolate, but how does that help Microsoft position themselves against Apple? Answer: it doesn’t.
A worse problem is in the ads where a John Hodgman look-alike pathetically whines that he is a PC and he has been mocked. Alas! Oh, shame! Then the ad cuts to real world/global PC users who work outdoors, as artists, etc, all to show us that there are “cool” people who use PCs powered by Microsoft. The effect is to reinforce in the viewer’s mind just how un-cool the PC is, compared to the MAC. The old adage of not wanting your customers to think about the competition applies here.

Microsoft doe shave the ability to differentiate their brand. The idea around working without walls is intriguing. it would help if we actually saw these people with a PC doing something creatively or making a breakthrough discovery. Microsoft should have started and stayed with the “working without walls” theme, and drop the pathetic attempt at responding to the popular Apple ads. 

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