Microsoft just spent a boatload in advertising in an attempt to bring a little credibility back to the brand, but all of that came crashing down the moment Chiat Day, the LA-based ad agency with the Apple account, created this humdinger of a spot.
This is, without question, the best ad I’ve ever seen to discredit a competitor. Two guys in front of a white background, a desk, a stack of money, and a bookie cap. That’s it. That’s the production.
Oh, and some brilliant PC/Mac banter.
Compare that to the super-expensive 90-second Seinfeld spots or the subsequent (and super-expensive) global-hopping “I’m a PC” spots created for Microsoft, and Apple wins hands down for getting the most bang for their advertising buck.
The Apple spot is so dead-on brilliant in fact, that I can’t help but feel a little sorry for Microsoft. Before they launched their campaign, Microsoft was like the nerdy IT guy three years behind the times. But now, after a $300 million global ad campaign and a single Apple spot, Microsoft seems more like the real Wizard of Oz: all theatrics and no substance. Pull back that curtain, Toto, and you’ll find a very desperate Bill Gates turning all the knobs and switches.
It’s genius, folks. Genius. If Microsoft thought they had egg on their face before, this is what I’d consider a whole omelet, complete with cheese and ham and all the fixings.
It’s advertising at its greatest and yet most cruel. Sorry Microsoft, this battle goes to Apple.
