Microsoft

It should come as no surprise that Apple isn't a big fan of Microsoft's "Laptop Hunters" ads, but some may be surprised to learn the Mac maker's lawyers reportedly called a senior Microsoft executive and demanded the ads be removed.

Kevin Turner, Microsoft chief operating officer

(Credit: Microsoft)

The topic of the TV ads, which feature prospective buyers comparing the prices and features of Apple laptops and Windows-based laptops, came up at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans on Wednesday. Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer, was at the conference to announce that Microsoft was planning to open its first stores this fall, with at least some of the locations likely to be right near an Apple store.

But the most intriguing part of Turner's speech was when he recounted a telephone call he says he got from Apple's legal department demanding that Microsoft remove the ads. Here's Turner's tale, according to Microsoft's official transcript:

And so we've been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? "Oh, I'm looking to spend less than $1,000." Well we'll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials.

And you know why I know they're working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey -- this is a true story -- saying, "Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices." They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business. (Applause.)

I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, "Is this a joke? Who are you?" Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we're just going to keep running them and running them and running them.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but it may have good reason to be upset. Since Microsoft launched the ads, which are a response to Apple's "I'm a Mac" ads, there is evidence that the campaign may be radically altering value perceptions of PCs. According to a report in AdAge, BrandIndex says Microsoft's so-called value perception has risen steadily since the campaign began in March, while Apple's has fallen.

Microsoft on Wednesday opened its PubCenter advertising service up for public beta testing, providing more of an alternative to Google's AdSense and Yahoo Publisher Network technology that places ads on publishers' sites.

All the services scrutinize the content on a Web site and place advertisements the service deems to be relevant to that content. As with ads on search sites, the advertiser pays only when a reader clicks on one of the ads, and revenue is shared with the publisher and the company operating the ad service.

Kevin McCabe, senior product manager of PubCenter, announced the move at the AdSpace conference Wednesday. People can sign up for the beta service at the PubCenter site, though it's only open to people in the United States at present.

Click-through rates on such services typically are far lower than for ads on search engines. But the technology still is significant, particularly during the recession, in part because advertisers can bid for keywords and limit their investments only to areas where they see a return.

Via LiveSide.net

Lauren, you were good, but Giampaolo may be an even better Los Angeles-area aspiring actor.

The confident-looking, curly-haired star of Microsoft's newest ad, which debuted Saturday, says, "I'm technically savvy. I know what I want."

What he wants in a new laptop is portability, power, and good battery life, he tells the camera. And just as with the earlier ad in this campaign, starring redhead Lauren, Microsoft says that if he finds what he's looking for with a price tag of less than $1,500, it'll fork over the cash for it.

Naturally, Giampaolo--who presumably also responded to Microsoft's Craigslist ad for help with market research--ends up finding the PC that fits Microsoft's bill: a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion HDX, but not before spouting out some clever anti-Apple lines. (And no, it's not that he's "not cool enough" to be a Mac person. Quite the contrary: "I'm a PC because I'm really picky," he says.)

As he checks out a MacBook, Giampaolo, in a drooling tone, says it's "sooo sexy," but "Macs to me are about aesthetics more than they are the computing power. I don't want to pay for the brand; I want to pay for the computer." (At first, I thought he was saying "rent," not "brand," but while that may sound snarkier, it wouldn't exactly have made sense.)

Is this one a winner? Perhaps time will tell.

This one flew under my radar, but Microsoft announced earlier this month that it is scrapping an effort to develop a general purpose Web analytics program.

In a blog posting, Microsoft said it is closing the beta of Microsoft AdCenter Analytics.

"The insights you've contributed through your feedback and your use of the tool have served an invaluable purpose in shaping Microsoft's future in this space," Microsoft said in the March 12 blog posting. "You've helped us work towards making an informed decision about building a general Web analytics solution, and despite the end of life plan, the beta was very much a success. It enabled us to confidently determine that we can be of most value to advertisers and publishers by offering a tailored solution that meets more specialized needs."

Those already in the beta will be able to continue using the tool until December 31.

"We recommend that you use the coming months to evaluate your Web analytics needs and leverage that information to conduct a search for an alternative Web analytics solution," Microsoft said. The software maker has posted a list of alternatives that includes Google Analytics, Yahoo Web Analytics, and Omniture.

Although Microsoft announced layoffs and other cost cuts in January, the company has axed relatively few products. Among the products it has scrapped in recent months are Windows Live OneCare and PerformancePoint Server, a business intelligence product.

Are there any other products that have been cut that I should know about? If so, drop me a line.