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September 4th, 2008

First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?

Posted by Mary Jo Foley @ 5:55 pm

Categories: Advertising, Corporate strategy, Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows client

Tags: Advertisement, Microsoft Corp., Mary Jo Foley

During the NFL season opener on September 4, Microsoft aired the first of the ads that it paid agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky $300 million-plus  to create to help make over the company’s image.

Here it is, courtesy of YouTube:

No mentions or even thinly veiled references to Apple. And there is only an indirect reference to Windows.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not yearning for the “Wow Starts Now.” But I’m not wowed by the first in what is expected to be a series of star-studded ads designed to reshape Microsoft’s consumer image.

Isn’t there a happy medium between a speeds-and-feeds spot and one that doesn’t say anything about Microsoft or its products?

What do you think of Ad #1 in Microsoft’s make-over campaign?

Mary Jo FoleyMary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 20 years. Don't miss a single post. Subscribe via Email or RSS. You can also follow Mary Jo on Twitter.

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  • Talkback
  • Most Recent of 90 Talkback(s)
That's One Place I Don't Want To Dig Deeper
This is a vague and pointless ad that ends with Bill Gates wriggling his derriere. I for one don't want to think any further on the symbology of this ad, much less "deeper."

All these complex ... (Read the rest)
Posted by: Cardhu Posted on: 09/21/08 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Hmmm ....  Adrian Kingsley-HughesZDNet Moderator | 09/04/08
This ad needs some digging into  celeriun@... | 09/04/08
Good explanation!! MS should buy it from you!!  ricso@... | 09/05/08
This ad does not need digging in to  HollywoodDog | 09/05/08
When people have a choice  boomchuck1 | 09/05/08
Message has been deleted.  0ld_phaart | 09/05/08
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain....  DigitalFrog | 09/05/08
This Episode is a very nice pilot  aharef | 09/06/08
That's One Place I Don't Want To Dig Deeper  Cardhu | 09/21/08
Plow King  HollywoodDog | 09/05/08
Maybe...  MGP2 | 09/04/08
Indeed unimpressed  nizuse | 09/04/08
Well...  AndyCee | 09/04/08
And it took MS...  Richard Flude | 09/04/08
But of course if that was  GuidingLight | 09/04/08
Link please  Richard Flude | 09/04/08
Re: Link please  tick tock | 09/04/08
The message is ...  dgerard | 09/05/08
Cretins, all of you  iconoclastic | 09/05/08
Amen Brother!  windozefreak | 09/06/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  garyrusso@... | 09/04/08
I have to agree, but....  professordnm | 09/05/08
A pathetic ad for a pathetic company  Richard Flude | 09/04/08
Priceless?  GuidingLight | 09/04/08
Ah the MS fanboy  Richard Flude | 09/04/08
Ah, the jealous wannabe  Papa_papa | 09/05/08
If MS is pathetic then what do we call your existence?  transposeIT | 09/05/08
Most of us have ethics  MacCanuck | 09/05/08
Mac ads...  dracolich_prgrm | 09/05/08
re: Ethics  Badgered | 09/08/08
Hope it gets better.  TripleII | 09/04/08
Did anyone notice.  kozmcrae | 09/04/08
Yes but it was Albuquerque NM  ZwFlushKey | 09/05/08
And let's not forget  Lizzie_B | 09/06/08
Get a Grip  SuperSean | 09/04/08
Um  frgough | 09/04/08
Is Balcony One of Those Trademarked Terms Like T*umbs?  DannyO_0x98 | 09/04/08
Really?  Richard Flude | 09/04/08
And you being a millionaire from your ad business  Pliny the Elder | 09/04/08
Bar set a little high?  Richard Flude | 09/04/08
Lame ad hominem is lame  bmerc | 09/05/08
Agree  bob_vance_kazaa@... | 09/07/08
Not what I expected...  Alber1690 | 09/04/08
300 Million? I'm available and probably better than Bill...  FMiller5 | 09/04/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  dprozzo | 09/04/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  andysowards | 09/04/08
That will make people buy Vista (NOT!)  Randalllind | 09/04/08
Seems to be a teaser/intro  rjohn05 | 09/04/08
Help me out with the story  Richard Flude | 09/04/08
Don't know about him, but I definitely got the impression  bmerc | 09/05/08
The second ad is obvious  David Spencer-20660146163390554490918120654216 | 09/05/08
Maybe bring in Al Bundy...  Arm A. Geddon | 09/05/08
Like the Tasters Choice series?  IT_User | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  MC1171611 | 09/04/08
My opinion reposted from the Sam Diaz article.  Arm A. Geddon | 09/04/08
Good money after bad  johnfenjackson@... | 09/05/08
The commercial really does reflect Windows  Chad_z | 09/05/08
Sir...  Jim Blaine - Bellingham WA. | 09/05/08
Unintentional consequences  Ole Man | 09/05/08
Well, Ole Man - Once You've CAUGHT Vista  drprod@... | 09/06/08
I'm not chasing Vista.... they/you? are.....  Ole Man | 09/07/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  william.pieros@... | 09/05/08
And yet, everyone is talking about it.  Jandler | 09/05/08
You mistake any talk as good.  scoobyJ | 09/05/08
Talk IS good.  bigsibling | 09/05/08
Not always true...  bmerc | 09/05/08
Only Reason "Everybody" - Meaning a Handful of Partisan Tech Geeks Like Us  drprod@... | 09/06/08
"If it weren't M$, do you think anybody would even care?"  Ole Man | 09/07/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  lawryll@... | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  JimmyChoo | 09/05/08
Was humorous but pointless....  dunn@... | 09/05/08
Absolutely awful. MS needs to get a reund.  scoobyJ | 09/05/08
man Microsoft needs to fire the whole pr department that sucked  SO.CAL Guy | 09/05/08
Their other client  viztor | 09/05/08
Hmm, I really LIKED this commercial. I think it's clever and amusing.  bmerc | 09/05/08
So Clever, Too Clever?  myother | 09/07/08
A great ad for normal people  shm135 | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  dgerard | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  pikeman666 | 09/05/08
Mission MS:WTF successful, but boring  wheatberry | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  rmacleod@... | 09/05/08
How about just going with the truth?  DigitalFrog | 09/05/08
Hey, if it's Seinfeld involved ...  zoroaster | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  author20@... | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  author20@... | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  RoyWagner | 09/06/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  El Condor | 09/06/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?  BigE123 | 09/07/08
????  beta3 | 09/07/08
WOW!! What genius!  RS9 | 09/08/08

What do you think?

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