[rasmits]

The way the news explained it, it's going to be Microsoft's most expensive Ad campaign for Windows. They're going to advertise how easy it is to do stuff like organize photos or learn about astronomy. It's pretty much what should have been done with OS X a long time ago...

edit: They also said they're not showing off any new features, just stuff people might not know about or might have forgotten, right before they told us about Longhorn's 2006 release date.

[omem]

cant' access it

[Brad]

Please quote the whole article or give login information when you post links to articles on sites like that. The first 10 l/p combinations from bugmenot.com failed too.

[rasmits]

Sorry, didn't know. I'll just take the link out then... I pretty much reiterated it all anyway.

[JLL]

Originally Posted by rasmits The way the news explained it, it's going to be Microsoft's most expensive Ad campaign for Windows. They're going to advertise how easy it is to do stuff like organize photos or learn about astronomy.

Just like XP enabled you to fly?

[cyrusmekon]

Fed up with confusing keyboards?? Introducing Windblows 2006 the only keys you'll ever need!!

[Mugge]

This ad campain was mentioned at OSnews.com too. And in the comments section, someone pointed out that their advertisements were made with a macintosh!



I shit you not! Here's the link:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/i...curious_lg.jpg
(it a very big picture)

If you download it and look at it's properties, you'll find something "curious"

Link to topic in Osnews:
http://osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=10340

MS might think curiousity will kill the cat. But I think the have been sniffing too much of that new Britney Spears perfume

[SpecMode]

Originally Posted by Mugge This ad campain was mentioned at OSnews.com too. And in the comments section, someone pointed out that their advertisements were made with a macintosh!

That is probably the most amusing thing I've seen all week. Five-to-one this gets mentioned on /. within a couple of days. If it hasn't already.

To echo a lot of the comments at the OSNews link, the timing of this particular campaign is rather suspect...but, on the other hand, if this l'il tidbit gets out into the open, it may actually help Apple rather than hurt them.

[Gargoyle]

Here are the strings extracted from the image meta data!

JFIFExifAdobe Photoshop CS Macintosh2005:04:07 11:35:29JFIFAdobe_CMAdobe

[Mr.Fusion]

Originally Posted by cyrusmekon Fed up with confusing keyboards?? Introducing Windblows 2006 the only keys you'll ever need!!

LOL. That's awesome. I think I missed this pic the last time around.

[alcimedes]

[onlyafterdark]

Its so pathetic, yet not at all surprising. I would love to see the day that this kind of bs comes back to bite them in the ass.

[Franz Josef]

Originally Posted by Gargoyle Here are the strings extracted from the image meta data! JFIFExifAdobe Photoshop CS Macintosh2005:04:07 11:35:29JFIFAdobe_CMAdobe

[Kickaha]

You know how they used the Rolling Stones' 'Start Me Up' for a Windows launch? I think I know what song they're going to use this time.

'Don't You (Forget About Me)', Simple Minds

"Hey! What about us! We're gonna have Tiger like features any year now! Really! Hellllooooooooooo!!!"

[SorryToSay]

Originally Posted by Kickaha You know how they used the Rolling Stones' 'Start Me Up' for a Windows launch? I think I know what song they're going to use this time. 'Don't You (Forget About Me)', Psychedelic Furs "Hey! What about us! We're gonna have Tiger like features any year now! Really! Hellllooooooooooo!!!"

That song was by Simple Minds...

[webavatar]

One day we'll see Apple create a commercial.. sometimes I wonder if Apple was so caught up developing their computers and iPods that they all forgot to ever leave the lab.. maybe they dont realize television has been invented yet

First rule of business.. capatalize on your momentum. They are gonna lose it I am afraid just like they lost the first war

(btw, I hate winblows so dont think this is meant to diss macs)

[Mugge]

No reason to burn money when you can have "word of mouth".

But one should keep the fall of Commodore in mind. Now those guys really sucked @$$ in respect of marketing I surely blame Commodore's pathetic business practices, that I need to have a PeeCee around for playing games on

But Apple has Steve Jobs, he's worth more than a very many (mucho many) hours of TV time

[sCreeD]

Wow, XP looks neat! When does it come out?

...oh wait.

15 months of desperation.

Screed

[InactionMan]

Microsoft is going to advertise their OS?!? That's madness! It's like they want people to buy it or something! I'm sure glad Apple has sunk to that level yet.

[onlyafterdark]

People but Windows????

[Brad]

Yeah, this is rather an odd duck. Why bother advertising Windows XP? Surely the market has already been saturated and Microsoft isn't going to gain some influx of revenues from new adopters.

I believe the purpose of this campaign is to keep a grasp on the mind share, not the market share. It's Microsoft's way of reminding people how "good" they have it with Windows XP and to distract them from the press that's always talking about Longhorn losing feature X or being delayed for Y months.

Still, weird.

[rasmits]

Originally Posted by Mugge This ad campain was mentioned at OSnews.com too. And in the comments section, someone pointed out that their advertisements were made with a macintosh!

Wouldn't be the first time. Bill Gate's own house was designed on a PowerMac.

[admactanium]

it's never been a secret. i was an creative director/art director and vice president on their ad account for many years. i've presented work to microsoft ad managers on my powerbook. it was never anything that was publicized obviously, but it wasn't some major secret either. i've probably done over 40 print ads for them on a mac and done many many tv spots using my powerbook for supers/graphics and a mac-based avid.

[SonOfSylvanus]

Originally Posted by Brad I believe the purpose of this campaign is to keep a grasp on the mind share, not the market share. It's Microsoft's way of reminding people how "good" they have it with Windows XP and to distract them from the press that's always talking about Longhorn losing feature X or being delayed for Y months.

As I read the first part of your post, I was getting ready to reply with just what you wrote in the second part (above).

[Mugge]

@Brad
Maybe they are also trying to target new users, who otherwise might choose a mac. Or trying to point out that windows can also be used for more than just office.

Well, chances are they are more likely to "end something curious"

[SlackerDX]

I love those pics that you guys have posted!

I just watched one of those Windows XP ads and it really just serves to reinforce the bad stereotypes people have about Macs. Yesterday I was telling my friend to consider an iBook and she was worried that she wouldn't be able to transfer files between her PC and the iBook. Then Microsoft releases this ad campaign that implies that certain applications will only work with Windows.

I'll admit that I was guilty of it too before I did a little research. It makes sense. Mp3s, JPEGs, PDFs...those are file types, not Windows or Mac specific programs. In addition, .Docs and Powerpoint files are easily shared across both platforms either through Office itself or iWork.

I know I am preaching to the choir. I just feel like Apple should do something to educate the public. Maybe have an ad where an Apple guy emails a Powerpoint to his friend's PC, his friend makes changes, and then the Apple guy gets it back. This would show that the two systems can share files. Do one for Office files, music files, picture files...It's important that people realize that the average user will not give up anything by switching to OS X.

[johnny5w]

Originally Posted by cyrusmekon

Seems like I use command-option-escape more than I ever used control-alt-delete. Not that I'd go back, though

[BenRoethig]

Originally Posted by Kickaha You know how they used the Rolling Stones' 'Start Me Up' for a Windows launch? I think I know what song they're going to use this time. 'Don't You (Forget About Me)', Simple Minds "Hey! What about us! We're gonna have Tiger like features any year now! Really! Hellllooooooooooo!!!"

A take on Bad Company "Running with the Pack" called "Running with your cash."

[MCQ]

Microsoft's new mantra: "It just works"

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/fastf...?promoid=yahoo

Allchin, a wiry-built 54-year-old who has been in charge of Windows for almost a decade, is admirably blunt about his own frustrations using the current operating system. It annoys him, for example, that the adjustments necessary to move a laptop from a work to a home network aren't obvious. Longhorn, he said, will make that process easy, along with many other common tasks. If you want a Longhorn machine to automatically configure itself so you can work in a coffee shop, it will. If you put in a DVD, the volume will automatically adjust and the video will just start playing full screen. “You shouldn’t have to spend a lot of time struggling with things,” Allchin said, adding that the number one design goal for Longhorn has been: “It just works.”

So, will it?

[onlyafterdark]

I liked the reference to the new ad campaign.