Microsoft FAIL

I just saw two new Microsoft ads (ones which follow a trail of distasteful/failed ads featuring little kids taking pictures of stuff, people being fooled into thinking they were using a better OS, Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates acting entitled, etc.) via one of the many blogs in my RSS reader. In theory, these ads make sense: with the economy not doing so hot, you want to sell buyers the idea that cheaper is better. But that is exactly it: you're selling them a cheaper product. Of course the PCs are cheaper if the specs don't match up with the competing Macs. Sure, Lauren (who happens to be an actress...aren't these people supposed to be real folk who answered an ad?) got a cheap PC, but one that completely under-performs in all aspects compared to a comparable Mac, including half the battery life.

Also, isn't Microsoft a software company? Why do the requisites of Giampaolo's desired laptop all relate to hardware? The size of the keyboard, the amount of RAM, and battery life have nothing to do with software. Hmmmm. Also, if Giampaolo wanted something portable, wouldn't he want a 13" or smaller laptop and not a behemoth 16" one? Double hmmmm. Another also: why is HP the only PC brand mentioned and bought in these ads? Did HP subsidize these spots? TRIPLE hmmmm (but that's beside the point, so I digress).

I have trouble believing that Cripin, Porter + Bugosky are 100% behind the ads they created. I think that Microsoft's marketing team bullied them into creating ads that would push the "cheaper" messaging at the expense of any real substance. But to the agency's credit, I think these were shot at Fry's. I can spot those shrub-lined parking lots any day. I love you, Fry's Electronics.

The moral of the story? There are a few: 1) Don't trust ads with "real people" who have a long acting history, 2) You get what you pay for and 3) Shop at Fry's.


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Legally, Panasonic can't promise you anything

Panasonic has a line of semi-rugged laptops called ToughBooks. The campaign for these computers (done by Sigma, I believe) have taken over BART's Montgomery station. There are maybe 6 or 8 different executions—one for each of the models of ToughBooks. These ad are essentially selling us implications...legally, they can't say that you can work wirelessly from anywhere, but it's implied. Similar non-promises are made on the other ads. Great ads or true lies?


Sorry for the crappy phone picture.

Hindsight is 20/20

Creepy ad.
The company is still in business today.

Click for a larger version.

The Super Bowl is hella gay

I found this article about letters people sent the FCC about the recent Super Bowl. They got 150 letters from citizens who were troubled by what they saw (which I thought was surprisingly low number since people write to complain about everything).

The letters seemed to mostly focus on Prince's halftime performance and the Snickers ad where the mechanics make out. The article links to The Smoking Gun post where they've compiled some of the best letters. My favorite is one where a concerned father claims that Prince is a homosexual (he's twice-married...to women, and has dated a Bangle and Audrey Horne from Twin Peaks...neither of whom are men). The concerned father says that his boy wanted to be a quarterback, but because of Prince's performance his son will now be gay. Go read it at The Smoking Gun. Also check out page 9, where the person goes way in-depth about the Snickers guys making out.

Go to church, have sex

I was baited into accepting this postcard from a solicitor at the Montgomery BART station exit. They were handing them out along with a granola bar. Man, I love granola bars. Anyway, from the front it looks like some kind of flyer for the Power Exchange or one of those sex conventions. Once you're done looking at those deliciously glossy lips, you turn it over and...WTF?



It's a flyer for a "casual, contemporary christian church." Wow, I thought, how...progressive. It promises live music, free food, and "gods [sic] best" for your life. Is this church or the company picnic? It didn't matter. By that point I had kind lost interest and eating my granola bar.

Your cold is the devil!

I'm at Walgreens right now looking for probiotics. I need them to restore the good bacteria I lost during my clenase. Also, I'm buying candy for co-workers to get them through working on the weekend. Unfortunately, I won't be having any of it.

While looking for the probiotics in the medicine section, I spotted this little gem. Who signed off on this one?