May 19, 2008

All Microsoft needs to make products like Vista and Zune cool is better advertising.

- inspired by Fast Company's new cover story on hotshot ad guy Alex Bogusky

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Comments | 7 Total

May 19, 2008 at 8:30am

Lynne d Johnson

Read the cover story: Believe It or Not, He's a PC - http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/126/believe-it-or-not-hes-a-pc.html

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Lynne d Johnson
Senior Editor/Community Director, FastCompany.com

May 19, 2008 at 12:39pm

Gene Lu

You can't make a Ford look good with better advertising. In the end, you'll end up with something that is superfluous in features, heavy, and bound to breakdown within (give or take) a year.

Sincerely,
ex-PC, now-Mac User

May 19, 2008 at 1:45pm

Michael Cober

Advertising may temporarily boost sales but it does not remedy or make cool a flawed product (AMC Pacer excluded).

Counterpoint: The ipod would still be cool and #1 in sales without advertising.

May 19, 2008 at 3:08pm

Johnny Makkar

I liked this part of the article -- “Whatever is done, though, will clearly involve an attempt at a major personality overhaul. "It's kind of like 3M," says Bogusky, who calls Microsoft "smart as fuck." 3M is "a very cool company, but I don't think if you see a roll of Scotch tape, anyone's going, 'I've gotta party with these people.' " Bogusky explains that with previous clients, instead of hiding qualities that may seem negative -- such as Mini's tiny proportions or Burger King's fat content -- Crispin exploits them. "It's part of your job as a marketer to find the truths in a company, and you let them shine through in whatever weird way it might be," he says.” -- What truths about Microsoft will they incorporate into their campaign? Should be interesting to see...

May 19, 2008 at 3:59pm

Csaba Gabor Toth

"Advertising is a price companies pay for being unoriginal." - said Yves Behar. It is not advertising that Microsoft needs - what it needs is a commitment to customers. A commitment like this: "I am Microsoft. I build the best products in the world and I offer the best customer service in the world. This is Vista. It not the better version of Win XP/whatever. Vista is simply the best in the world." Just my two cents.

May 27, 2008 at 3:32pm

Danette Golis-Variano

Lipstick on a pig, is still a pig.

May 29, 2008 at 11:00pm

It also needs to do away with all the critics.

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