Microsoft Might be Growing Up

In the past I have been less than impressed with Microsoft's advertisements and marketing strategies. In fact I was so disgusted with one video they put out that I wrote a post about it. While at the same time Apple has been putting out awesome and hilarious ads. I guess I am biased because I am a Machead, but nonetheless it is difficult for anyone to deny that Microsoft's marketing has sucked in the past.

Well tonight I saw an ad that might indicate a change in Microsoft's strategies. No longer are they trying to counterattack Apple with their I'm a PC ads, but now with the release of Windows 7 they have started these 7 second demo ads. Each ad takes 7 seconds to demo a feature in Windows 7. But it is not this concept that is revolutionary for Microsoft, but the features that they demo are actually somewhat cool. Instead of trying to again counterattack Apple by trying to demo how easy it is to create a picture slideshow, they are now demoing features like "one-click side-by-side snap windows," "one window shake function," and "one-click universal search." Some of these may sound confusing, so I'll just let you watch one of their ads to better understand the features.

More after the jump...



So all in all, what I am saying is that I think Microsoft is finally making some headway with Windows 7. I actually didn't know why it was better than Vista until I saw those 7 second demo ads. And I think Microsoft is finally figuring out that all they need to do to make a good ad is showcase some practical features within Windows 7 instead of always trying to compete with and counterattack Apple.

OS X is still the superior operating system and...
If you ask me though, I'll still tell you to buy a Mac.
:)

Microsoft's Marketing Still Sucks

Well Microsoft still sucks at marketing. In fact, they suck more than ever.

Some of you might know that Microsoft is launching their new operating system, Windows 7, in the next couple weeks, so to try to get people to buy it they have hired a company that markets "house parties." So their marketing strategy for Windows 7 is to try to get people to have "house parties" for Windows 7. I'm not exactly clear on what a house party is, but it sounds like a less geeky LAN Party (Local Area Network Party). Basically where everyone brings their computers to someone's house and plays with them.

I'm not bashing the idea of a house party as a marketing strategy, but the actual video they made to promote this is absolutely horrible. The acting is horrendous and makes me laugh every time I watch it.

So without further ado, here is Microsoft's Windows 7 house party video, Enjoy!