Microsoft Laptop Hunter Ads Sans Prices After Apple Complains: So What?
8:33 am, July 24th, 2009, Nicole Martinelli
Apple recently complained to Microsoft about its “Laptop Hunter” ad series where pseudo-everyday consumers go on a shopping quest to buy computers on a limited budget.
In what Microsoft Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner called “the greatest single phone call,” Apple lawyers rang up to lament the ads weren’t accurate — since the company shaved prices off Macs, some by as much as $300 hundred dollars, in June.
Microsoft agreed to edit the ads to reflect this.
So what changed in the ad campaign? Not much.
The first edited ad is “Lauren and Sue,” where a mom-and-daughter team are in the market for a computer for under $1,700.
Originally, the ad showed law student Lauren declaring:
“This Mac is $2,000, and that’s before adding anything.”
“Why would you pay twice the price?” asks Lauren’s mom. “I wouldn’t,” says Lauren, who heads to the checkout with a $972 Dell laptop.
In the updated version, the specific price is edited out but Lauren does a drive-by of the Macs, dismissing the MacBook Pro (“this one only has a 250GB hard drive”) before sentencing: “It seems like you’re paying a lot for the brand.”
Microsoft’s Turner told journalists that his company plans to “keep running them and running them and running” the Laptop Hunter ads — and it’s easy to see why. They don’t need specific prices to use the expensive-but-not-really-worth-it Mac argument.
Via Ad Age
Posted by Nicole Martinelli in Advertising | Comment on this article
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Yeah, keep running those ads.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has just chalked up its worst financial performance in history, while Apple is selling more laptops than ever before — they have 91% of the market for high-end computers.
Guess there are more people who think of themselves as “cool enough” for Macs than Microsoft realizes.
ItsGene, on July 24th, 2009 at 8:53 am
As per that ad: she wants a computer that “boots up fast”… then windows isn’t for you! I wonder what would happen if Apple launched commercials in this vein.
Dev, on July 24th, 2009 at 8:54 am
“i want it to do programs fast..” she sounds like a person that knows what she’s talking about.
doni, on July 24th, 2009 at 9:16 am
The person knows the difference between RAM and a hard drive? That alone catapults the ad into fantasy territory for anyone that’s ever done desktop computer support.
smallerdemon, on July 24th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Iv’e been using pc’s all my life. but that is a horrible ad.
lets review, she wants “speed, portability, and battery life”
as far as I’m concerned, that’s my macbook. as someone who people come to a lot for computer suggestions, i would direct her to the lowest end macbook. maybe even the 13 inch macbook pro. thats under 1700 dollars. done.
Microsoft is doing some really stupid things lately, this form of advertisement is one of them.
Powitsjj, on July 24th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Everyone knows Mac’s are more expensive than Windows computers. And people are willing to pay this extra cost to NOT have to put up with Windows any longer.
nthn, on July 24th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Hmmm, let’s see. I’ll pay $899 for my Hp Pavilion with VIsta on it. I’ll then have to pay for a movie and photo organizing software since what comes with the camera and video camera are crap, truly. I’ll then have to pay for AV. I’ll then have to pay a bunch more for Office than iWork.
and then in little over a year (14 months in my case), after the warranty expires, I get to do it all over again, since my HP will begin burning out the wireless and then the DVD burner and USB ports.
And that’s after I abandoned Dell for even more crap-tastic failures.
And then I’ll get a brain and buy a Macbook. And then I’ll realize that hell, this OS is fantastic. And I can actually MAKE A HOME MOVIE after eight years of trying and failing on a PC. Then I’ll love the Macbook so much that I’ll buy an iMac.
Can I star in a commercial?
thanx_al, on July 24th, 2009 at 11:29 am
““i want it to do programs fast..†she sounds like a person that knows what she’s talking about.” – doni
BAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! That comment made my day.
nthn, on July 24th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Microsoft is actually owning mac with these ads. Its been an excellent response to the “I’m a Mac” ads. They are simpler, quicker, and more honest. Oh and “high end laptops”. Lets be real here. They are not “high end”. They are high price. Mac has 91% because most laptops over $1000 are a mac. I can get a $800 pc laptop that would smoke any mac model. Infact, recently I keep catching my wife (macbook pro user) using my laptop that I bought 3 1/2 years ago. Shes says it works with the graphically intensive websites better. (upgraded mine about a year ago for $30 and 30 seconds). I hate vista. I use XP. With prices still dropping ($300 for 3g ram and nvidia, look it up) and windows 7 coming out, the tide is turning. The ads work, plain and simple.
Fist Mcasskicker, on July 24th, 2009 at 11:51 am
“-they have 91% of the market for high-end computers.”
Sold in retail chains (such as Best Buy). This leaves out all first-party sales (Dells sold on their website, HPs sold on theirs, Alienware, etc. Regardless of the overall effect of these ads (they probably aren’t working very well), that statistic isn’t accurate without context.
Peter Boysen, on July 24th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Unfortunately many people are penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to computers. They also don’t equate price with quality and are under educated on computers and operating systems.
Paul, on July 24th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I think it is smart of Microsoft. The price difference is huge as they mention it is twice as much.
Of course, they do not mention you are also paying for the mac experience which is 10x as much as the windows.
I do not know this happens, but all in all, using the mac is so much more enjoyable and pleasing over windows, even if they use all sorts of eye candy.
king, on July 24th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
let microsoft do a mockery of themselves with these ads…who better than them …
they really must have cost them a fortune, I mean, the camera crew, the editing…the lobotomies…
john, on July 25th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Microsoft is actually owning mac with these ads. Its been an excellent response to the “I’m a Mac†ads. They are simpler, quicker, and more honest. Oh and “high end laptopsâ€. Lets be real here. They are not “high endâ€. They are high price. Mac has 91% because most laptops over $1000 are a mac. I can get a $800 pc laptop that would smoke any mac model. Infact, recently I keep catching my wife (macbook pro user) using my laptop that I bought 3 1/2 years ago. Shes says it works with the graphically intensive websites better. (upgraded mine about a year ago for $30 and 30 seconds). I hate vista. I use XP. With prices still dropping ($300 for 3g ram and nvidia, look it up) and windows 7 coming out, the tide is turning. The ads work, plain and simple.
Fist Mcasskicker, on July 24th, 2009 at 11:51 am
—
you cannot compare windows with leopard. period.
i had a core2quad running vista, with 4 gb of ram
i have a macbook pro with half the ram and a core2duo that works 10000000 times faster than the pc
just stop comparing windows to leopard. you simply cannot benefit from having state of the art hardware when you have such a horrible operating system managing it.
john, on July 25th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Best of luck in law school, Lauren. I suspect your super-fast PC will be laden with virii and worms soon, rendering the promise of your LSATs unfulfilled.
Erin's Dad, on July 26th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Everything I’ve heard, which I’ve looked all over the place to see apple deny the begging, and they haven’t. Microsoft doesn’t beg other companies to stop ragging on them. They just righted the ship and took away the second biggest mac selling point which is Vista sux. We will be hearing plenty of begging from Apple in the years to come.
Blackjesus, on July 26th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I’ve got friends that used Leopard and 2 of them went back to Tiger because of the performance issues and apps crashing after upgrading. That reminds me of something. Hmmm…. could it be Vista and XP.
Blackjesus, on July 26th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Firstly, a PC should cost a lot less because it comes with a Windows ball & chain that holds it back. Windows is hoplessly slow & clumsy.
Second, they dont cost the aplications you get for free on a Mac, which I think anyone who has used a Mac will agree are a lot better than the trial junk with a PC.
Third, a Mac is so much less hassle to use, no idiotic though bubbles, much fewer updates that dont crash your system.
Fourth, when after about 5 years you eventually sell your old Mac you will get something for it as opposed to a 5 year old PC (if it lasts that long) is worthless
For me Mac is much better value.
NG, on August 3rd, 2009 at 7:43 am
Unfortunately PC does have a very successful campaign on their hands and Apple shouldn’t care. It was a bonehead move to call and complain.
The only spot I have a problem with is our Future FIlm Producer Sheila. No one in their right mind would buy a PC with movie maker to produce films. Right out of the box, any Mac will out perform any windows pc thanks to iMovie. iMovie performs better then any other entry level movie editing software plus you can burn good looking DVDs with ease thanks to iDVD. Oh and did I mention you can actually compose music with garage band, also free, and when you are finished, make a nice clean website (with ease) thanks to iWeb.
Mike, on September 6th, 2009 at 1:21 pm