The Open Source Marketer

Want to know how to make ten million dollars in two minutes and have Bill Gates pay for the whole thing, then read on.

Microsoft recently launched a three hundred million dollar ad campaign to compete directly against Apple. One of the ads features Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates buying cheap comfortable shoes in a discount shoe store. The ad runs for one minute and thirty two seconds and has absolutely nothing to do with computers, Windows, or reality. At best there is a subliminal message of buying something affordable and familiar that fits you, but that’s a stretch.

Overall the marketing message is weak and shows that Microsoft, once again, doesn’t understand how address even the most basic of issues that Windows users deal with every day. The ad emphasizes the gap between Microsoft and the market and is a good example of what happens when you as a marketer don’t understand the problems of your customers.

The big winner here is not the Windows computer user, but Jerry Seinfeld who is making a reported ten million dollars to hang out with Bill Gates and possibly transferring a little of his good name to the tarnished Microsoft brand.

Let’s compare the Apple ads for just a moment. The ads were simple, targeted, and they specifically addressed the primary complaints of Windows PC users.

Computer users every where could identify with the issues that were addressed, even if they had no plans to buy a Mac. The ads were clear and they stuck in the mind of the consumer. The ads made most people feel like Apple really did understand their pain and if Apple could clearly define the issue then maybe Apple might actually have the solution.

So there, if you get nothing else from this conversation, remember that you have to understand what problems people are having so that you can offer them a solution.

Don’t just get caught up in the technical side of things either. It’s not enough to just produce a clinical solution and offer it to buyers. You have to hit them with an emotional connection that makes them feel in their gut that you truly understand their issues. Only then will they identify with you and want the solution that you offer. It’s not about you and how great your solution is. It’s about them and how connected they feel at the moment you are making your offer.

So, maybe Microsoft is hoping to buy themselves some coolness by association, but in the end they still won’t have addressed the real problems that got them where they are in the first place.

What do you think about the ads? What kind of ad would make you feel better about Microsoft?

Thinking out loud,

Charles McKeever
OpenSourceMarketer.com

P.S. Jerry had a Mac in his apartment on Jerry Seinfeld, so what’s up with that. Oh, yeah right, ten million dollars. I almost forgot.