Softwear Is a Hard Sell
|
News Commentary. I was so aghast at Microsoft's new clothing line, I couldn't muster the will to blog about it over the weekend. |
"Microsoft's ambassador of kwan, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, drove this new [collection] of retro Microsoft shirts in conjunction with rapper Common," Larry Larsen blogged at Microsoft 10 earlier today.
"Ambassador of kwan?" Didn't Jerry Maguire get canned for his philosophical "marketing is crap" memo? My God, now I understand! The madmen at Crispin Porter & Bogusky must have read that memo. What else could explain the truly clueless Windows marketing campaign, which just gets worse with every new concept?
First there were the Ben & Jerry's commercials. Oh, sorry, I meant Bill and Jerry. Well, those Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld commercials chilled like ice cream. Next came the "I'm a PC" ad campaign, which has about as much to do with Windows as my $6 Target toaster.
Retro Microsoft T-shirts will appeal to whom? People still mentally living in the 1980s? Does Microsoft's ad agency really believe that people long for the good old days of MS-DOS or that a Bill Gates mugshot somehow makes him tougher, and so cooler? The people Microsoft should be marketing to don't have any nostalgia for DOS. They were either too young to remember MS-DOS or just old enough to want to forget using it.
The tees go on sale Dec. 15. Hey, just in time for Christmas. Would you want one from Santa? Please respond in comments or by e-mail.
I could see some sense to "I'm a PC" T-shirts because they would resonate with the lame-butt commercials and affirm some identity. At least people meeting other people wearing "I'm a PC" shirts would know they share something in common—and they would have an individual identity as part of a club. They would belong to something. With Softwear, they belong to nothing.
There are reasons why companies plaster their logos on T-shirts, caps, jackets and other stuff people either wear or use. Free marketing is main reason one. The other is social, about belonging to something. "He's special and wears a Nike T-shirt." The "He" could be a Hollywood celebrity or handsome high school jock. I don't see Microsoft getting anything like that from these decidedly geeky T-shirts—and I mean no offense to rapper Common for his designs. He's the only thing cool about Microsoft Softwear.
That brings up something else: How is it that Crispin Porter & Bogusky missed making Common the centerpiece of this whole T-shirt campaign? People want to belong to something. They want to share something in common! The T-shirts should have been hip, not ugly retro, and they should have emphasized what Windows users share in common. Isn't that the whole point of the "I'm a PC" campaign? That all these individuals share the Windows PC in common—that it unites them?
Somewhere in Crispin Porter & Bogusky's marketing madness, there are the makings of a good campaign. "I'm a PC" could have been unifying with Windows as the theme. Windows isn't even mentioned in the commercials. Microsoft Softwear should have extended the story to the T-shirts and played off Common's name.
But my marketing criticism doesn't stop there—whoa, Vista is so dead. Over the weekend, I caught the end of an HP laptop commercial, which plastered a Windows logo on-screen for a few seconds. There was no "Vista" anywhere. Just Windows. Sigh.
[Please send your tips or rumors to watchtips at live.com].
Related Posts:
- Students Give Bill and Jerry the Big Fail, Microsoft Watch, Dec. 1, 2008
- 'I'm a PC' Ads Don't Play Well on DVRs, Microsoft Watch, Nov. 17, 2008
- Why 'I'm a PC' Is a Brand Failure, Microsoft Watch, Oct. 20, 2008
- 'I'm a PC': It's Viral Now, Microsoft Watch, Sept. 23, 2008
- 'Hello, I'm a PC', Microsoft Watch, Sept. 19, 2008
- Windows: Life Without Walls, Microsoft Watch, Sept. 18, 2008
- Canceled: The Bill and Jerry Show, Microsoft Watch, Sept. 18, 2008
- Mojave Goes Prime Time, Microsoft Watch, Sept. 13, 2008
- Bill and Jerry: A Couple of Coenheads, Microsoft Watch, Sept. 11, 2008
- Clowns but No Windows at the Shoe Circus, Microsoft Watch, Sept. 4, 2008
- Walls Without Windows, Microsoft Watch. Aug. 21, 2008
- Why the 'Mojave Experiment' Fails, Microsoft Watch, July 30, 2008
- Viral Vista: The 'Mojave Experiment,' Microsoft Watch, July 29, 2008
- Can Negative Vista Perceptions Disappear?, Microsoft Watch, July 28, 2008
Comments (15)
I will likely buy three, one for each of my brothers-in-law. For years they collectively poked fun at my use of a Mac and my "I don't know anything about that; I don't use Windows" response every time they quizzed me about their problems with their computers.
In the last two years, all have switched to Macs and couldn't be happier.
The t-shirts should elicit some great groans over all the years they wasted with Windows.
Posted by Chip | December 8, 2008 11:29 PM
There's nothing necessarily wrong with retro geek clothing. It typically resonates well with a certain segment of the population. The problem is that when geeks think of the good old days, MSDOS and the early versions of Windows don't usually bring back happy thoughts. The people who would likely wear this type of clothing were more likely to have run OS/2, Amiga, or some Unix variant.
The designs from Common are a bit "hipper", but I'm still not entirely sure they'll sell.
Posted by Scott | December 8, 2008 11:34 PM
Softwear Is a Hard Sell?
More like forced to buy, or a M$ Tax. I believe that Marco had a story like this one:
Second customer gets refund for bundled Vista
http://vista.blorge.com/2008/12/03/second-customer-gets-refund-for-bundled-vista/
"An Israeli man has battled his way to receiving a refund from Dell after choosing not to use the copy of Vista that came bundled with his laptop. It’s the second such case, but the first that has gone to court.
Zvi Devir of Haifa, bought a Dell laptop with Vista pre-installed but wanted to run Linux instead. He decided to take advantage of a message every Vista user sees the firm time they run the system, but few take much notice of:
By using this software, you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, do not use the software. Instead, contact the manufacturer or installer to determine their return policy for a refund or credit."
Posted by The Hand | December 8, 2008 11:47 PM
Unless they make 'cool geek' shirts like the guy on IT crowd (Brittish serie) wears no one is gonna give a ^%$# about these shirts.
In regards to your "what can I do for you" post:
Stick to IT.
Posted by Charlie | December 9, 2008 1:58 AM
thank you very much
Posted by oyunlar | December 9, 2008 2:53 AM
This to me smacks more of a cheap advertising and PR trick to get into the press and appear "different"
-
MS (IMO) can see that Mac brands (and Linux) are seen as more fashionable and desirable because they are different or "Geeky and cool" and this is their cheap attempt at trying to muscle in (IMO)
-
Having said that, I could really wind people up by sending these out as Xmas presents....it might just be worth it.
-
Lets be realistic though, who on earth would go out wearing one of these things? Proclaiming your support for Linux/Mac is one thing, this is something else....
Posted by Goblin | December 9, 2008 4:33 AM
Watch out for their upcoming shoe collection, called ... "Hardwear".
Posted by Lawrence D'Oliveiro | December 9, 2008 4:54 AM
Oh, and their new range of sex toys, called ... "Firmwear".
Posted by Lawrence D'Oliveiro | December 9, 2008 4:56 AM
I can't wait to get the "blue screen of death" T-Shirt or the "Microsoft Bob" polo shirt. I wonder if they will have a "Clippy" sweater.
The "Format C: " bathing suit will be a big seller.
Posted by Ralph | December 9, 2008 8:09 AM
I think they missed a big opportunity here, instead of a basic t-shirt they should have actually embedded a version of DOS with a keyboard and screen, web access via wifi would have been the icing on the cake. It might have been expensive but it would show that they are still in control of technology rather than trying to be a fashion label.
Why was the DOS t-shirt not written in the DOS typeface? Its hard to tell what it is supposed to be.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/interactive/
Posted by billybob | December 9, 2008 8:43 AM
I'll be buying two for myself. I think the writer is missing the appeal to alot of us.
Posted by dkd | December 9, 2008 9:24 PM
Just goes to prove - money cant buy you love.
Looks like everyone thinks MS is a big dorky acne-ridden geek in the corner who churns out big clunky code.
And now the dork is trying to be cool by mimicking some of the cooler kids in class. However his attempt to be Steve Jobs just comes across as plain embarassing.
Shame.
Perhaps if they ploughed all those megabucks into the management of MS, so we didnt have the dancing clown, nor churn out crap no-one wants. *cough* Vista.
I'm sooooo glad I saw the writing on the wall over a year ago and switched.
---* Bill
Posted by Bill | December 10, 2008 5:31 AM
I was born in 1979. This means that I'm indeed old enough to want to forget DOS, even though I'm also a sucker for 1980's "retro" or vintage stuff. But the reason why I wouldn't bother with these is that the designs itself are just plain uninspired! Especially that mugshot one. Also, I have to agree that the "Common connection" is totally missed, you can barely see his name on the Softwear website (or maybe he wanted it that way after having seen the end results... ;)
Posted by James | December 10, 2008 10:12 AM
Yes I am old enough for Dos and memory managers and the like, when it was so much more costly to have a math co processor and L2 cache module on a pc.
Would I buy the T-shi5t ?nope at least not one with bill on it, and the msdos one is does not quite remind me of the old days....
Usually I don't agree with Bill but he is right on here - this is not a good move - it is missing what should be the prime audience - and that audience is still moving to mac _ I know as that is what my neices have all bought in the last 3 years - that's 5 kids I would have built PCs for.
Posted by paul | December 14, 2008 8:17 AM
Hey Joe, why do you always have to be such a douchebag?
Being born in 1974 and buying my first PC in 1985, I sometimes miss the old days of DOS. Such simpler times.
I have never and will never own a crappy, overpriced, lock you into all things Apple MAC or anything that starts with an "i" for that matter.
Posted by Erik W. | December 15, 2008 11:08 AM