Sunday 14 September 2008

Boguskysoft

 Lots of people that I have a healthy respect for in the advertising world have criticized the new work by Crispin Porter for Microsoft and I can't agree with them. I'm with Grant and Adrian on this one because from what I've seen so far the work achieves two important goals.

 Firstly I like it. Not in a rapturous Gorilla or Monkey kind of way but it's likable and that's not an easy thing to achieve. I've rarely watched Seinfeld even though it's likable and funny content, I'm not a cheerleader for Bill Gates (I think luck was an important factor in his success) and generally I don't find using stars to be a credible route for marketing communications. BBDO starfuckers I think George calls this genre.

 However it's not important what I feel. It's amusing and that is a matter of subjectivity. I'm sure you can make you're own mind up on that.

 More importantly there are a lot of strategic communication problems that are in my eyes being solved by the work I've seen so far. I also think it's kind of interesting that it's quintessentially American advertising and yet there's a Windows Video Channel on Youtube it is universally distributed. A potent communications model for some American centric global brands if you stop to think about it (McDonalds? Nike?). Something along the lines of act local, think global (A word play on an oxymoron I've long disliked). But anyway, Microsoft using a Google owned distribution channel and not their own? Even Soapbox points towards the Youtube content. That says a lot to me after a chat with Geert in LA a couple of months ago where it was pointed out to me that use of non MS software is/was often frowned upon.

 I think it's only the commercially naive who could believe that communications can solve the Microsoft problem. The job of advertising here is to ameliorate the rising dissatisfaction with the brand and possibly communicate that Microsoft is determined to get closer to its customers through more down to earth and likable dialogue; for surely even monologue commercials such as this provoke a discourse that was seldom seen in the fifities when advertising took hold. Look, even I'm doing it. It's the internet you see!

 Back to the problem. What is Microsofts problem? Why is one of the most succesful companies on the planet in trouble. Simply put the operating system is unwieldy. If you pay a army of coders to improve stuff, they will invariably make additional stuff that isn't needed. It's called feature creep and is a recurring problem with technology associated designers. Reliability is also an issue when it comes to discussions of unwieldiness. The bigger the system the more opportunities there are for the system to break down and that is often the case with Microsoft. That's their core problem but the immediate emotional problem is they are increasingly unliked.

 I've recently made the transition from Microsoft to Apple and I couldn't be more delighted with the results but it doesn't mean that I'm blind to the advantages of the de facto operating system of the world. Without Microsoft I'm not even sure Apple would be as good as they are. Who knows? Nobody can prove stuff like that anyway. It's all theoretical. But in any case maybe you can take a look at the first piece of content I saw, liked and decided to write about. It's not revolutionary, but then neither is Microsoft anymore.


 Just off the top of my head I think shopping in the budget shoe store is strategically right for Microsoft. The future for the brand is one of lower entry and upgrade cost for the average user. Apple is still one of the most profitable brands on the planet because it charges a lot more. A sitcom genre is just right for mainstream America as primary customer segment (with Mexican family making a first sensible guest appearance - California is majority Latino in 10 or so years) but also for the wider world. A sitcom is quintessentially American. It's likeable, funny, comforting and about as far removed from excessive oil, corporate greed, dirty politics and war as one could wish to hope for. In short it's the best of America, and I don't even watch them so this is not a fanboy's perspective.
Seinfeld is an excellent pick.


 Microsoft is simply never ever going to be hip and so this is a mainstream ad - Any hint of hipness and the same critics calling for Crispin's blood would be accusing the brand of unreal aspirations or tonality fumbles . Think General Motors over Toyota Prius and a profile of the customer is conjured up pretty quickly. This is a comfortable way to get to know Bill Gates, a man rarely associated with humour and love him or loathe him, he comes across as likeable, keen to be liked and not without a sense of humour. I'll leave you with the lastest segment that I've only seen while writing this article and frankly I think it's close to brilliant in that way that American sitcom writers are the best in the world at. I've laughed out loud while eating in an upscale restaurant in Beijing with my fellow late afternoon diners enjoying my mirth and while I'm not prepared to go back to Windows (Indeed my next move is likely to be Linux) I'm more inclined to cut Bill Gates some slack the next time I'm sat in front of a Microsoft product running on a computer (highly likely). And maybe that's the point, maybe it's about stopping the hate and giving one of the most remarkable people (faults and all) in the history of commerce and technology some room to manouevre. I know I will. What do you think? Do you really still hate Microsoft more after watching this?

13 comments:

  1. You're right mate, Microsoft will NEVER be hip but if you think this work acknowledges that issue, I guess we'll be talking about it long and hard on 11/10 :)

    I explain more of my issues over at Dodds site, but I don't think you'll agree with that either :)

    PS: It's great to have you back!

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  2. You're right mate, Microsoft will NEVER be hip but if you think this work acknowledges that issue, I guess we'll be talking about it long and hard on 11/10 :)

    I explain more of my issues over at Dodds site, but I don't think you'll agree with that either :)

    PS: It's great to have you back!

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  3. I loved it. Of course, I have an entire blog dedicated to shoe-related humor and trivia.

    http://www.SatisfiedSole.com

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  4. Well of course dave!

    I will be cornering you on this for sure Rob. I'm predicting its going to get better and better. I also think there's some news in it that MS are waiting to realease.

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  5. I make you spot on.

    The double act of Seinfeld and Gates is pretty funny, quite clever but not too intimidating - and therefore accessible to all. It's also, as you point out, about US consumers.

    If I think of their major competitors for the consumer market then Google is becoming a (slightly Russian?) supersmart monolith and Apple is ubercool and pricey - where Microsoft need to position themselves is smart enough, accessible, designed for you, familiar, not too expensive, not threatening and well, homespun. I think the ads start to achieve that.

    Gotta say that Bill Gates is the last real brand asset that Microsoft has (geeks might hate him but the man in the street thinks he's clever and generous), so whenever he gets pulled out you know they're feeling the pinch.

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  6. Now I enjoyed that video, the first one seemed to be missing something and just didnt feel right.

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  7. Charles,

    I'm by no means an ad expert, but I think the opinion you and Grant are advocating - that this is a nice play by CPB/MS - will become the consensus. The second and third installments are absurdist genius (a CPB staple) but yet maintains a Microsoft touch. Yeah, it's crazy, but yet you still believe it could come from Microsoft. Maybe not my Microsoft (I'm 38) but my 9 year old son's Microsoft.

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  8. Charles,

    I'm by no means an ad expert, but I think the opinion you and Grant are advocating - that this is a nice play by CPB/MS - will become the consensus. The second and third installments are absurdist genius (a CPB staple) but yet maintains a Microsoft touch. Yeah, it's crazy, but yet you still believe it could come from Microsoft. Maybe not my Microsoft (I'm 38) but my 9 year old son's Microsoft.

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  9. Charles,

    I'm by no means an ad expert, but I think the opinion you and Grant are advocating - that this is a nice play by CPB/MS - will become the consensus. The second and third installments are absurdist genius (a CPB staple) but yet maintains a Microsoft touch. Yeah, it's crazy, but yet you still believe it could come from Microsoft. Maybe not my Microsoft (I'm 38) but my 9 year old son's Microsoft.

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  10. Hey Louise. What do you mean by the Russian thing. Surely not because Sergey is of Russian extraction?

    Eyecube, that's a great comment. It hadn't occured to me but the young potential customers are a huge market that need to be won over early. I've often argued that if comms was aimed at people 5 years before they had money in their hands they would be incredibly effective at creating undreamt of loyalty. The corporate quarterly report sees to that though and is another reason why monetarism is fundamentally fucked up thinking (I've been listening to Tony Benn a lot again)

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  11. Although 9 years olds are unlikely to know who Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld are!

    I hope that first ad was just a slow start and they follow the latter in quality and humour.

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  12. The most admired person in China is Bill Gates Rob. I'm guessing a lot more 9 year olds know something of Bill than you may think.

    The first ad is strategically very solid and I love that 'leather' response by Bill.

    I'll make a prediction with you Rob. I'm pretty sure this is going to get bigger and better. Watch this space :)

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  13. Right on Charles. Someone referred to this as Crispin starting creative class warfare.

    Think of all the things this accomplishes. It indirectly addresses those smug and irritating Apple ads, using the device that Apple chose (humour). It softens Microsoft's image. Given the budget, I probably would have asked the advertising to do something along similar lines!

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