Part 3: Syntax Error
Long recognized as an industry innovator, Apple Computers placed their unique corporate identity front and center as the star spokesperson of their highly acclaimed “Get a Mac” campaign. The move paid off for Apple and was so successful that in 2010 Adweek declared the series the best advertising campaign of the first decade of the new century.
Featuring then unknown Justin Long as a Mac personified, the advertisements pitted his unflappable wit against the schlubby, corporate, has-been PC played by John Hodgman. The duo entertained viewers for years with their playful exchanges and left Microsoft in desperate need of rebooting their brand.
Who did Microsoft use to champion this ambitious undertaking? A celebrity that’s synonymous with software of course, comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Designed to reintroduce Windows to disenchanted consumers, the ensuing ads got laughs, but for all the wrong reasons.
The first commercial, entitled “Shoe Circus”, showed Seinfeld helping Bill Gates buy shoes at a discount retailer. The second installment of Bill and Jerry’s excellent adventures chronicled the odd couple connecting with “normal people” as unwelcome house guests.
Microsoft tried to play to its strengths, namely the universality of its software, by unveiling a clever new slogan: PC—Perpetually Connected. However, the campaign failed to focus on its biggest selling point: the billions of PC users Gates boasts about bringing together. Shockingly, even with Microsoft’s CEO as Seinfeld’s sidekick, audiences couldn’t connect the comic with computers.
The titans of tech finally got it right with their “I am a PC” campaign—a counterattack and homage to the “Get a Mac” commercials. Microsoft embraced the stigma Apple placed on the PC, repositioning it as a badge of honor. The renovated advertisements showcased diverse members of the global Microsoft community proudly proclaiming “I am a PC.” By using less celebrity and more reality, Microsoft positioned themselves as boundary breakers and a beloved fixture in billions of lives.
Although the folks at Apple and Microsoft fiercely differentiate themselves on and off the screen, they are both still techies at heart. Staying true to their corporate identity, they sent a clear message to appreciative audiences: we get it. With consumers growing increasingly savvy, credibility will always trump celebrity.
wow, I forgot about these ads. Further proof of why they flopped!
Posted by: Dawn | January 26, 2012 at 04:10 PM