New Microsoft ads released: Not funny, not effective

In one of the new Microsoft ads running today, (the other Suits ad is also online) a smart engineer type says "roger" and then an everyday guy who looks like he might be a farmer says, hey - my name is Roger. It's corny enough to make me want to switch to a Mac by sheer protest and watch the Seinfeld ads again to reminisce about the good old days.

Instead of hiring a former sitcom comedian to explain how an uncool company can become cool again, they filmed everyday people (including some kids in Africa) to explain how pervasive Windows has become in the market. It's a Homer Simpson moment: We already know Windows has infiltrated every last segment of society, so what's the point? I think the new ads are trying to say more than just: Hey, a lot of people use Windows. I think they're trying to say: Hey, a lot of really cool, normal people use Windows so don't be too embarrassed and switch to a Mac because that would be bad for society.

The ads also reveal, finally, the real goal of the campaign. In the Suits ad we see everyday people who don't wear suits and, at the end, a really smart guy claims that he uses a PC as well. The Suits ad says: not just the cool people use a Mac. It also says that Microsoft is tired of getting labeled as uncool.

In the second, longer ad where more everyday people (like Bill Gates, playing himself instead of a caricature of himself) say they use a PC. Now, when Microsoft says "PC" they of course mean Windows, not Linux - even though both use the same PC architecture.

The ads are not-so-secretly saying something like this:

Remember that Microsoft has helped every sector of society do their jobs and solve really complex problems. Remember that this whole cool concept that is causing a lot of people to switch to a Mac is sort of bogus because even the really cool people, like NASA engineers, use Windows. And, remember that little kids in Africa are likely never going to be given the chance to switch to a Mac.

So that covers every segment: cool and uncool, smart and everyday, US and other countries.

Ultimately, the ads don't really work. They are telling us something we already know, so that makes them pedantic. And, they are neither funny nor obviously unfunny, so that makes them unmemorable. In the end, it's just another stab in the dark trying to capture the under-30 crowd who have to use a PC at work but could potentially become lifelong switchers.