I’ll restate something I read on another site;

If you don’t have walls then why would you need windows?

I’ll keep my walls, they keep out the cold. At least with the old windows I can mostly keep the rain out, even if I have to constantly clean them.

To most people, they are put off by technology ads like these or like the ones MS used to run – that your kid at a chalkboard will be an astronaut after learning Windows. To them, it’s like sitting in front of a tyewriter where the keys get stuck together and they spend mre time fixing their ‘typewriter.’

The Apple ads are brilliant because they DO NOT promise the moon with each ad – each ad answers one problem or one question. Look at the genius one, it doesn’t promise you they’ll answer every question with a smile – no, all they promise is they’ll load your PC onto your new Mac … ONE PROBLEM. ONE RESOLUTION.

But it gets better than that. By framing the ad on a white background, everytime you see a new ad, you AUTOMATICALLY think there’s one thing that the Mac has that the PC doesn’t – doesn’t matter if you believe it or listen to the ad. Show people now an ad in a white room with two guys – who will people related the ad as from? So, even if you’re in a bar and you see them two with a bear, you can’t hear any of it but what are PC & mac users thinking – yet another point to “attack” Pc’s with something better on the Mac side.

And if notice, now, iphones are black backagrounds as is the ipod … Apple, not as dumb as you think.

MS? Their main problem is conusmer perception and association with the brand is at death’s door – virus, malware, Xbox red ring of death, MSN, webtv, the zune, etc, etc … MS is a tired consumer brand. But as with the ads above, MS is the DMV … how many ads will the DMV run before you love them? And doesn’t the DMV have more systemic problems to fix first?

The Microsoft ads do nothing to address the issues. They basically say, “Hey, a billion people can’t be wrong. Don’t you want to be with the majority?” That’s like saying you should eat s–t, because a million flies on a manure truck can’t be wrong.

The problem is the product, not who sits in what camp. First rule of marketing: you’d better have the product to back up your claims. And the MS campaign says nothing about that.

They are not very well produced, and might even have been the ‘prototypes’ of this campaign suggestion. So I’d hope they get better. Or, maybe this is just stop-gap, while the ad agency regroups and produces from yet another campaign, or retools ‘celebrity’ campaign, as has been suggested by the MS blogger.

I have a hard time believing one agency, or one company (MS) would have considered an ad campaign that starts out with the 2 Bill/Jerry ads … and then goes to this. Without even a segue.

These ads are defensive in the way they ‘answer’ the ‘I’m a Mac’ ads. ‘No, we’re not boring bland cubicle-dwellers!’ is not a real proactive message, guys.

But Windows 7 is coming, and then MS can go back to the more-traditional tech-company message of, ‘You won’t believe what’s coming. The Future. Brought to you by MicroSoft’ sort of idea.