Are Those Anti-Apple Microsoft Ads Actually Working?
by Peter Kafka
Posted on May 19, 2009 at 3:45 AM PT
The Web is full of armchair ad critics, particularly when it comes to spots from Apple and Microsoft. And the usual consensus from the chattering classes: Apple ads goooood. Microsoft ads baaaaaad.
But Microsoft’s (MSFT) latest campaign, which features documentary-like tales of youngish people priced out by Apple (AAPL), may actually be working. At least when it comes to youngish people’s perceptions of the two brands. So says tracking service BrandIndex. More from AdAge:
The perceptions of value the two brands offer has shifted dramatically in the eyes of 18- to 34-years-olds since Microsoft began running its “Laptop Hunters” campaign in late March. Apple’s “value perception” has fallen considerably, while Microsoft’s has risen…
Based on daily interviews of 5,000 people, BrandIndex found the age group gave Apple its highest rating in late winter, when it notched a value score of 70 on a scale of -100 to 100 (a score of zero means that people are giving equal amounts of positive and negative feedback about a brand). But its score began to fall shortly after and, despite brief rallies, hovers around 12.4 today.
Microsoft, on the other hand, has risen from near zero in early February to a value-perception score of 46.2.
The real test, of course will be actual sales data, and we won’t see anything resembling official numbers for this period until several months from now. But for the record, tracking service NPD says that overall PC sales dropped seven percent in the first three months of this year, while Apple’s Mac shipments dropped 1.8 percent.
Here’s the Microsoft ad starring “Lauren,” which kicked off the latest campaign:
And here’s Apple’s sort-of response:
Comments
It’s nice to see this little contest play out, but it’s really important to keep stating the obvious: Microsoft does not make PCs. They don’t sell systems. They sell one piece of a complex product, the OS. They are at the mercy of other companies that can make unreliable crap, alienate their customers, fail in myriad ways. It is not an Apple to apples comparison.
Further, to get an idea of what it would be like if they DID make their own stuff, consider the highly successful Zune.
QED.
For anyone interested in the most painless user experience out there, Mac is the best bet. (I don’t have one.. this is being types on a Shuttle PC with XP. My wife and her entire 30-something cohort use Mac almost exclusively.)
Posted by Forrest MacGregor at May 19th, 2009 at 4:53 amYet, ironically, Consumer Reports just released their laptop ratings.
The top three rated 13-inch laptops were those “overpriced” Apples; the #1 model in the 14-16in range? – Apple again; and the top 17in? – the new MacBook Pro – overwhelmingly, despite a price tag 3 times that of the #2 machine.
Quality does matter.
(and I really resented having to “register” to make a comment at a place I’ll probably never return to again)
Posted by Thomas Olson at May 19th, 2009 at 5:03 amForrest MacGregor’s comment is key: Windows runs on countless different combinations of hardware and is very difficult to support, there are just too many variables. Apple controls both the hardware and software making a much better user experience. As programs and data start to move to the cloud (e.g., Gmail, Google Documents, Picasa), choice of computer is becoming less relevant than choice of browser. After many years of supporting both Windows and OS X, I have observed OS X from Apple wins, hands down, so factor the cost of frustration and downtime into any comparison of OS X and Windows. OS X is just a superior product, even compared to Windows 7.
Posted by Jeffrey Atwood at May 19th, 2009 at 5:19 amThanks all for weighing in. And for Thomas – we appreciate that you took time to register, and we’re trying to make that process easier.
Posted by Peter Kafka at May 19th, 2009 at 7:54 amwindows machines are highly disposable. Probably perfect for the teenage crowd. when they see how badly they work, perhaps they will reconsider.
Posted by David Owens at May 19th, 2009 at 8:00 amIt’s kind of hard to sort out what’s causing drops in sales numbers right now. Apple might be doing even better if things weren’t so tough.
It reminds me of the fact that the amount of ice cream consumed this time each year is also a time of increasing drownings. Of course, there’s no direct connection. It’s just warmer.
So with a terrible economic climate, the choices people are making is probably more economically driven. If things weren’t so bad, how might their perception change?
And when it comes to those Microsoft hunter commercials, they always make inappropriate comparisons of Macs to the PCs they buy. They whine about $2,000 Macs and never mention the $1,200 Macs that actually compete with what is bought. Typical Microsoft shell games.
Posted by Eric Welch at May 19th, 2009 at 8:23 amIt is interesting to note that we’re talking about measuring value here — not desirability.
And perceived value doesn’t necessarily translate to purchase behavior, especially with the young. All you have to do is go on a college campus today and attend a lecture to see the popularity of Macs over PC brands.
But don’t stop there. as others have pointed out above look at customer satisfaction and Apple beats PCs again. And they’ve done so for years.
One has to ask, if Microsoft is such an industry leader why don’t they even speak about their own product(software)in these ads? Instead, they take shots at Apple. That’s not how an industry leader acts. They got flustered by the challenger brand, and Microsoft blinked.
If Microsoft has such great products why don’t they talk about them? Yeah, Vista…Windows 7 (if it ever comes out) Windows Mobile, and let’s not forget that innovative and cool Zune.
Posted by Don Lorenzet at May 19th, 2009 at 10:02 am