Friday, September 19, 2008

I'm a PC, and I blog about TV commercials



Click here to watch another

And another

Just when I thought Microsoft was done for good this year advertising-wise, they throw this at me while I'm watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (disgustingly hilarious, by the way). I'd just like to say: that's what I'm TALKING about.

Can we all just decide on one thing first? Even if you enjoyed the Seinfeld spots, there was no way they were turning any kind of profit. They can tickle your nostalgia lobe and make you dust off those Seinfeld DVDs that have been collecting dust ever since you got them for Christmas last year, but if those commercials actually convinced you to buy a PC, then I am truly afraid for your mental well-being. With that said, I really enjoy these new ads from Microsoft.

Everybody knows the infamous PC vs. Mac ads from Apple. Microsoft looked at their options and decided "Hey, ya know what? Life as the PC guy really ain't that bad." After all, PC's are very widespread. All different kinds of people use them to accomplish important tasks and other things in life that are vital to them.

They've even recruited some well respected celebrities including basketball star Tony Parker, his wife Eva Longoria, N*E*R*D front man Pharrell, influencial medical doctor Deepak Chopra, Ultimate Fighting Champion Rashad Evans, and of course your boy Billy G -- but that one's a no brainer. He must have nothing better to do after stepping down from CEO. I heard that sometimes he gets so bored he tries to see which pile of cash will burn faster: fifties or c-notes.

The "Life Without Walls" campaign also features Microsoft employees, random civilians, children from third world counties, environmentalists, an astronaut, a blogger, a fisherman, some dude with a beard, a broadcaster, hot foreign chicks, and the hook: an almost spot-on look-alike of John Hodgman, the "real" PC from the Mac ads.

As I sit here typing away on my Toshiba laptop, running Windows Vista, I must say that I am kind of comforted by all of these other PC users. Damn. That's good advertising. And even better? Great brand reinforcement. When marketing expensive products such as computers, brand reinforcement is a must-have.

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