Microsoft's new Windows 7 ads try to be cool
There are those who believe Windows 7 doesn't need selling.
As long as reviewers continue to suggest that it is a fine, fine thing, then people will gravitate towards it as they buy their (much cheaper than Mac) PCs.
Microsoft is, however, taking no chances. It has released nine new ads designed for you to not be ashamed of being seen in public using the new operating system.
And what's the best way of encouraging people to not feel ashamed? Why, you try to make your product cool.
It is not cool to ever tell people you are cool. You must be it. You must sound it. And you must look it.
So I have embedded three of the films for you to decide just how far up your frigid cool scale Windows 7 has risen.
You may note the very sparse use of words, the delicate musical choices, even the sly wit.
For myself, I tend to notice the rather excessive scrubbing that seems to have been eked out upon far too many of the actors.
Casting is a very difficult art, and especially in the "Your PC. Your Life" film, I wonder if the man who sings about waiting for his spaceship to fly (and what can that possibly mean?) doesn't look a little too polished to be a truly raw exemplar of cool.
Still, as Mao Tse-Tung was always fond of whispering to those closest to him in intimate situations: "A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery."
No, wait, that wasn't the quote I was searching for. It's this one: "Women hold up half the sky."
No, no, it can't be that one. It's definitely this one: "Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically."
You see, the enemy's tactics are, as Microsoft has learned sometimes to its cost, very cool indeed.
Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He brings an irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes ironic voice to the tech world. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. 
" Those were about the most stupid commercials that I have ever seen."
...... And you went out of your way to click on them and watch them. Now who is more stupid? Here's a hint- it's not the advertiser- they succeeded in getting you to watch the ad- even to go out of your way to watch the ad.
Windows 7 is the NSA's most comprehensive Spyware Platform to date..
Thats why Russia, France, China, Cuba and most other Countries are moving to Open Source for Security!
Thats why Microsoft needs to scare you off of XP
Thats why Outgoing Data is not blocked by default in the firewall
Thats why antiviruses like AVG were rewritten to prevent you from blocking Internet access by programs on your computer like Firefox for example!
(You no longer get popups from your firewall asking if you want firefox and other programs to connect to the Internet - they just connect without your OK)
Thats why encryption programs rewritten for Vista and Windows 7 give you no indication of trouble yet trusted encryption programs give you warning that the contents of RAM are being copied to your hard drive ONLY after you open an encrypted disk and thereby compromising your encryption key which was located in RAM.
Thats why Windows 7 runs to the Internet to find a solution to the problem listed above after rebooting from a bluescreen! To aquire your encryption keys!
Download Drivecrypt 4.0 from 2cows if you doubt me and test it yourself. DC-4.0 Installs correctly without errors, creates an encrypted volume without errors and only Bluescreens AFTER your encryption key is in RAM and can be copied to your hard drive to be transferred accross the Internet the next time you have Net access!
Thats why Windows 7 can send your wireless network encryption key accross the Internet as well as your disk encryption keys stated above.
By transferring your wireless encryption key without your knowledge, local authorities can access your wireless network and access your encrypted data even after you disconnect from the Internet
Thats why wireless networking hardware will soon be built into future netbooks and notebooks to prevent removal
Thats why nobody is even covering these problems in the press but instead are removing my posts from over 50% of other sites on the Internet
If they doubt me, they should at least investigate these problems, don't you think?
And of course, I am an educated consumer and know that Mac has never had more than a 5% market share in the last 25 years, so Apple ads are all hype and no substance. No matter how many Mac/PC Guys ads they run, people don't want Macs. They would buy the overpriced computers if they really wanted them (like they buy the over priced iPhones), but they just don't want Macs.
So, if we are on an honesty scale, the Mac/PC Guys commercials get a Zero (lowest) and these new Windows commercials get a 10 (the best). I like them best because they are not cheap chatter like the Mac/PC Guys commercials, but covey the concept they are trying to sell in a visual way. That makes them pretty cool.
As for the ads, I go to Apple's site every once in awhile just to see if I have missed any. There is nothing in this crop of MS ads that is going to make me want to go look at them again. Remember, in a world without walls you have no need of Windows. Ms still has a long ways to go if their goal is to be "cool"... :-)
I agree with most of what you said except it has changed the mind of a few of my friends to try out Windows 7 instead of Snow Leopard just because of all the hype and like you said " after Vista, anything would rock".
Honestly, I don't care about MS ads or Apple ads because I don't need anything to convince me to buy an Itouch or try out Windows 7 because I know i'm going to get it anyway. I don't need to be "cool", I just want to enjoy what I have.
Yeah, I have Windows 7 RC on a honking big PC, and I'm not going to say it's bad, because it isn't. But dude, as someone with a Mac, it's not going to make me stop using Snow Leopard. I'm in two minds about Windows 7 - if clients start using it, then sure I'll buy a copy. Right at the moment, no clients have expressed any kind of interest and while there isn't anything actually wrong with it - I'll still be doing my "day to day" stuff on the Mac.
And please get over the first thingy Macboys keep referring to. I believe Xerox was first, Jobs ripped them off unethically, then oversight by IBM for Gates to innovate and market, what a frickin genius, then catch Jobs sleeping at the wheel. Just get over it, he messed up. He doesn't mess up often, but the two main times he did almost cost him the company both times. Nice work with the colorful little toys he keeps selling.
No. 1: Huh?
No. 2: Huh?
No. 3: Huh?
Guess I'm just not cool enough to be a PC.
2 is advertising aero shake (says it in the title of video)
3 is showing personalization (says it in the title of video)
its not about being cool, its about showing features in an advert.
2 so does that mean you can shake your finger while holding a Windows 7 PC and things will multiply and divide or were they trying to say something else? Honestly, from the advertisement, I still have no idea what it is.
3 if you can't personalize your OS, you must be using DOS. I've got Ubuntu right now, the wallpaper is what I chose, the toolbar is what I chose, the icons on the toolbar are what I chose, the loading order for applications is what I chose, if I want widgets, I add them, if I want a different browser, I change it. It's been pretty much the exact same since the dawn of the PC (personal computer, includes Apple) era.
Exactly what features were they showing? Not cool to say there might possibly be a feature that could be useful but we're trying so hard to be cool you'll never really know what they are.
:D
No one's saying you can't do this is (or change the wallpaper or use different screenlets/widgets/gadgets) in any other OS, I suppose. Just that Windows has some level of personalization (as did Windows 3.1).
These are cute commercials, but I think the aero shake one is the only one with remote substance, and even then. it's just one feature of the improved window manager (and one I don't even use). I think the ability to put windows side by side, stretch horizontally or vertical by double clicking the window border on one side, maximizing by dragging to the top, and restoring by snapping it off... all great features that could be displayed that aren't.
The ads raise curiosity about Windows features, and once people learn more about Windows 7, the more likely they are to want it. Matyszczyk is supposed to be a "creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing" so he should get that.
"Cool" is not the only criteria for selling stuff, and Microsoft does not need to stoop to that level.
I will not be returning to Windows until MS has the guts to do what Apple did a few years back. Forget about backwards compatibility, except through an emulator, and do the complete rewrite that is needed to bring Windows into the 21st century. Until then I will be using OS X on my Mac and BSD\Linux on my PC. All the slick ads in the world will not solve the real problems in Windows.
You need to do a bit more reading before posting. MS did not drop backwards compatibility. Proof of that is that some XP, if not most, stuff will run just fine in 7 and I suspect some of the old 95/98 stuff may also run. The Virtual PC is so you can run those essential XP programs that are broken in 7. How you infer from this that they have dropped backwards compatibility I have no idea.
"You need to do a bit more reading before posting."
Wise advice- and something you may want to take yourself before you make ignorant comments such as these. Who was it that said that wise advice again?
Oh, it was you. *poke*
get a life man, don't waste your time here.
Perhaps you should follow that advice before replying. MS did not drop backward compatibility and the XP mode is for running those XP programs that for whatever reason are broken in 7. I would suspect that this is due more to bad programming by the software companies than anything else. I might lend credence to your reply if you were to actually point out something you had taken exception with. But then vagueness always has been the fallback for those who really have no argument.
As for the commercials, MS really does need to get a new advertising agency. They are good but not great commercials.
Let's try this again- have you tried Windows 7? Did anyone here in this thread say anything about Windows 7 not being backwards compatible?
Let me just go back and reread the original comment.
"Windows 7 rocks. snow kitty... Ok nothing new just quicktime x."
Hmm, nooooo, I don't see anything about backwards compatibility there. In fact, it's your own comments that bring this up. Odd how that is. When I research your prior comments by cllicking on your name, one quickly learns thsi is not unusual for your comments.
That's fine. But let's get back to the subject.
Win 7 is not like Vista. Snow Loepard is not like Leopard. How about you leave your anti-Microsoft hatred at the door and just deal with the subject instead?
@topgunb2:
I had thought I was trying to state that each OS has its own features and uses. I'm sorry if you tyhink that using OS X or Windows is a waste of time. That is indeed your choice to make.
all flare and little substance besides one or two features.
With regard to the advertisements, Microsoft is showing their features. The mac ads say mac is better...but I've never seen them demonstrate anything.
I have tried it and moved on. And when you are constantly playing catchup you have to try and point out features. When the Apple ads come on I actually watch them. When the MS ads come on I rarely watch them after the first time. People have a tendency to remember funny ads a lot longer than ads like MS has been putting out. As MS say, in "a world without walls", if you have no walls you have no place for Windows.
Judging by the logic that a commercial showing more tech is a better tech commercial, car companies make the best tech commercials ever.
I agree with Gold_Storm_Mac, MS needs to make commercials comparing themselves to other OS's, not just pointing out the downfall of the other guy, not just saying "I'm a PC", not trying to say the whole world is your computer screen as in these (watch them again, that's what the whole ad series is doing). With all the ads MS has released recently, I still have no incentive to purchase anything because I still have no idea what's in the OS that's better than anyone else.
Why do you need to watch an ad for a computer you already own and use? You are already a customer- Apple doesn't need you at that point. You're wasting your time by watching those ads, aren't you?
I know I have better things to do with my time than to waste it watching ads for a product I already own.
Microsoft advertising what people are saying about 7 should make Apple worried. And it is a harm to Apple because Microsoft doesn't need Mac users to switch, they need XP and Vista users to switch. Windows 7 is only a reason why people shouldn't switch to a mac. Apple is trying to win a war they have already lost.
As for losing the war? MS will win battles but eventually they will lose the war. Everyone thought the browser wars were over many years ago. But given MSs propensity for ceasing to innovate when they think they don't have any competition they will eventually succumb.
Also, you seem to be a bit confused about Apple. You are thinking just like a loyal Microsoftian because you don't understand the nature of the enemy. And neither does MS. MS feels it has to dominate every category it competes in. Apple does not. If something doesn't work they move on and try something else. MS keeps sinking money into it in the hopes that more spending, instead of better products, will do the trick.
"As for your XP statement, you might want to rethink that. It is a bit more problematic as, unless they have changed it, you can't upgrade from XP to 7 directly. "
I'm afraid you are badly misinformed. You can do an upgrade from XP to Win7 on *any* of the beta, RC, and final RTM versions. If you thought otherwise, then you got bad information. You might know this however, if you *EVER USED THE PRODUCT*. It might help prevent a lot of misunderstandings if you do a bit of research first and not let others do your thinking for you. Even Apple says to 'think different."
Just sayin'....
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx
"
And while we don't recommend it, should you choose to upgrade your current PC from Windows XP or another operating system to Windows 7, we recommend that you get help with this process from your local computer service provider. You'll need to back up your current files and settings, perform a custom (clean) installation, and then reinstall your files, settings, and programs."
YOU CANT DO AN IN PLACE UPGRADE, YOU MUST DO A CLEAN INSTALL. Is that clear enough for you? That is straight from your mothership.
"YOU CANT DO AN IN PLACE UPGRADE, YOU MUST DO A CLEAN INSTALL. Is that clear enough for you? "
Calm down there, sonny! You'll blow a gasket. It's a computer operating system, not a religion. Now step back, have a cookie with your milk and settle down. I think you may simply have misunderstood the statement from that outdated beta advisor.
"And while we don't recommend it, should you choose to upgrade your current PC from Windows XP or another operating system to Windows 7, we recommend that you get help with this process from your local computer service provider."
That's the same advice you'll get from any OS provider. Clean installs are always preferred to avoid carrying over any problems from a prior installation. Nowhere does it say you canot do an upgrade in palce or that you must do a clean install. That's just a misunderstanding on your part. It's no big deal, really. You *can* do in place upgrades if you want. I've done more than a thousand of these installs to date and it just isn't an issue.
By the way- using all CAPS is usually a quick way to lose any argument online. It makes you come across as a slobbering lunatic and any chance you have of having your comments treated with respect go right out the window as a resul, regardless of their validity.
Marketing is the art of persuasion. I think these ads say exactly what they need to. It's not about the product (which is the traditional MS mindset) and transcend Apple's heavy-handed "PC's suck" approach (which, let's face it, is really old and tired - even popular TV shows eventually go out of production).
If you "get it," the ads make you feel smart and build a bridge to the product, and voila, that connection is the first step in giving the consumer a reason to buy (or create a willingness to buy). I think the problem is that the ads are a little unclear....maybe.
But then, they're bold enough that we're all talking about them and by association the product. That's also a huge (marketing) step forward for MS...so one way or the other, it's mission accomplished.
Trouble is Microsoft are trying to sell the OS. What they should be doing is selling their OS as the way to run particular applications. Games would work well, and probably business applications would also work. But honestly, Aero Shake isn't going to convince anyone (except the M$ fanboys - who don't actually need convincing).
Really, they're awful. Probably the worst out there. Unless their goal is to grate on the nerves of someone who is LOOKING to upgrade... then their awesome.
That's not a good image to portray either, but that's what the Mac vs . PC ads have become over time. I find that as a Mac user at home, to be rather annoying as well.
Me thinks you've drunk too much M$ Kool-aid.
Apple Marketing did a good job in getting people to pay lots of money for a low featured, low sound quality music player. There are lots of MP3 players that cost half or less of what the iPod cost, that have more features and better sound quality.
Mac people say Microsoft is greedy. Yet they pay hundreds more for the SAME hardware a PC has. A $400 PC is a $700 Mac. So you are paying $300 more to say you have a Mac. I guess I am just not that cool.
[CNET editor's note: Offensive content deleted.]
Use what works for you.
A monkey remains a monkey, even if you put a golden ring on his finger. Linux rules, M$ drools.
Linux and Mac users, please don't try to correct me, because you are the wrong one. There are OSX and Linux security patchs all the time, just like in Windows. A security hole, not targeted, does not make it a more secure security hole.
Oooooh, you're gonna get SO pounded at recess! Better hope you don't get caught by Mr. Kotter!
- by Fabo9 September 26, 2009 12:19 PM PDT
- Hey Chris, I enjoy your blog a lot. It is very refreshing.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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Showing 1 of 4 pages (149 Comments)Personally, in these MS ads I see some good ideas, but terribly executed.
Like almost always, Microsoft seems to be trying too hard. And it definitely lacks something only few actually achieve: Grace.
cheers,
Fabian