Wow! Just wow!Microsoft kicked off it's fancy new ad campaign for Windows on Thursday with an ad featuring Bill Gates trying on shoes at a store with Jerry Seinfeld. The ad which is also set to be posted on Windows.com aired during the NFL Kickoff game on NBC and will also air on major TV shows. It's part of an estimated $300 Million multi-year push developed by edgy ad shop, Crispen Porter and Bogusky. Although the ads don't directly mention Apple, Microsoft has said that it no longer intends to let its competition position its products. Cnet News reporter Ina Fried spoke with Microsoft's Vice President for Windows consumer marketing, Brad Brooks, about the ad push.
Microsoft VP Brad Brooks: This isn't so much about a campaign as it is about a long term change in perspective about how we want to tell the Windows story. And the Windows story that we really want to tell is around you, as a person. The protagonist in our story is really about you, and what you can do, and about with Windows you can live a life on your own terms. Not on terms dictated by somebody else. It's terms your way. And whether you have Windows on the phone, on the PC, or on the web, that you really have a world of choices at your fingertips. And that's really been core to our story for quite some time, but we've lost the initiative in certain cases with that story. We've been quiet.
You dumb stupid shortsighted Microsoft. You really think Apple is your real competition in the long run? Are you sure you really want to start pushing the whole computer user's freedom meme? You really want to spend $300 Million getting your minions of thoughtless Windows drones to start seriously thinking about freedom and choice? Cause I think the Free Software community and Richard Stallman will be able to tell a much more interesting and compelling story about this than you.
