Microsoft's People Ready Campaign

With the tagline "Because it's everybody's business," Microsoft aims to share their business solutions and insights with the world. The video above appears to be a phone interview with Quiksilver's President and CEO Bob McKnight. He's a slang-talkin' surfer dude who benefits from Microsoft's business options. I like the style of these ads because they're very random and stylish. The paper cutout appearance is a fresh vision from Microsoft, whose less-than-spectacular ads from last year failed to impress.



This one features Katie Bayne, Chief Marketing Officer of Coca-Cola (North America.) Another commercial has surfaced, documenting a phone call between the unknown speaker and Bayne, watch it here.



Here we have the co-founder and chief brand architect of Method, Eric Ryan.

The people responsible for the ads are a graphics company called Imaginary Forces. They have offices in Hollywood and New York, and they also had a hand in the 2009 Pepsi Wordplay commercial. Click here to see some of their featured work.

For more information you might want to check out microsoft.com/peopleready

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Microsoft Gives Power to the PC People

The "I'm a PC" commercials were such a success that Microsoft decided to let you show your PC-ness:

This is your 5 seconds. Make it count. Raise your mouse hand high and show us what kind of PC you are. Be honest, but be original. Be uniquely You. And feel free to think outside the webcam. Use a video camera. Go on location. The better the piece, the better chance you’ll have of making it to TV.

So I figured the TV ad guru should take a crack at getting in one of the commercials. Heck, I'm just as quirky as any of those people. Here's what I came up with:



Unfortunately, they already have another commercial out that's all about food, so my chances have severely declined already. But bacon is the greatest victual of all time, so maybe they'll throw it in there.

Click here to watch

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.

Microsoft and Seinfeld: A Comic of Truthiness

click to enlarge

'Nuff said.

It's a Commercial About Nothing!

More disappointment. Back later with more criticism. In the mean time, feel free to comment.

UPDATE: Okay, I'm somewhat torn on how to feel about this one. On one hand, it's a decent spectacle with some laughable moments and situations. I love ping pong. On the other hand, it's a long and pointless episode that has nothing to do with Microsoft other than one of the characters is Bill Gates.

It seems as though Microsoft is going for the "cool" factor. They want that sexy appeal that other certain computer giants emanate, but it seems that no matter how hard they try, failure to gain access to the popular table at the global corporations lunchroom will follow.

The reason why Mac commercials are so successful is because they had a great creative idea (personifying the machines) AND they pointed out certain features that make Macs "better".

With this new set of ads from Microsoft, they avoid all of the issues with Vista and Microsoft as a whole. They have not stood up for themselves and said "Hey, this is our product and this is why you should buy it." Instead they take Apple's criticism and choose to turn the other cheek by making commercials that avoid all of the issues.

I'd really like to see how these ads pay off in the end.

Microsoft and Seinfeld: Shoe Shopping

Well, that was disappointing. I felt like there was a laugh track missing... oh and funniness. Churros and showering with clothes on? Not doing it for me.

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry... Don't sell yourself to these numskulls. Yes, for a moment I thought these ads could be the revitalizing boost that Microsoft needed to get on the same cool level as Macs, but clearly that's not the case. How does this even relate to Microsoft!? Bah.

Maybe I'm just bitter because they never made a Seinfeld movie.

Where are the Seinfeld Microsoft Commercials?

Click here to ...read :(

The news a couple of weeks ago was that Jerry Seinfeld was being paid $10 million dollars to do a series of ads for Microsoft. The new campaign was supposed to pull Microsoft out of the gutters and back onto the street alongside those Apple folks. The first ad was supposed to air September 4, (today) but there's no sign of it so far. Perhaps they'll debut it around McCain's speech this evening? Or maybe Microsoft is caught in a tizzy over Google's new browser, Chrome, which is inevitably superior to IE8?

I'll be back when it surfaces...