3 ms·

I've heard this argument against the Surface ad, and it really only came from developers. As far as I know, the reception has been pretty positive about the com

by lotso 14y ago

I've heard this argument against the Surface ad, and it really only came from developers. As far as I know, the reception has been pretty positive about the commercial. The purpose of the commercial is to build awareness about Surface, and I think it does a pretty good job at that. Remember, there are commercials specific to Windows 8 that explain the OS and how it works.

robomartin 14y ago
I understand. As an engineer it is easy to focus on things that are completely irrelevant to end-users. I get it. I've done it and will probably do it again. However... The commercial in question has a bunch of college-age folks dancing around a table while flipping the stand open and closed. I can't, for the life of me, imagine any consumer understanding what they are being sold. If the MS name or logo wasn't in the ad one could very well think that it is a cool iPad case. I happen to think that it is completely ineffective. I've done lots of marketing for my own products, both hardware and software. Rattling off (or showing off) features is a loosing proposition. Techies might get off on that at some level, but Grandma does not. What does Grandma or Uncle Fester want to know? Can I surf the Internet with it? Can I take pictures? Can I look at my pictures? Can I email? Can I watch movies? Can I connect it to my PC? Can I connect it to my TV? Will it break if it falls? How long does the battery last? Does it run standard PC software? How much does it cost? Can I expand it? Can I connect a standard keyboard to it? Can I connect a standard mouse to it? Can I connect my photo or video camera to it? Can I print from it? Can I have multiple user accounts? Can I make it safe for my kids? Can I secure my personal data? How do I back it up? Can I share my apps with other devices/computers I own? Does it become a hot-spot? What built-in apps does it have? How good are the maps? Can my kid use it for school work? Will it blend? and more... I have yet to see a commercial that answers any of these questions. Instead, we see a magnetically attached keyboard and a desktop stand. Really? I wonder how much that creative effort cost. I still hold the position that MS hires morons for marketing. The local butcher could do a better job with a little training. It's almost like the brilliant scene from "My Cousin Vinny": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBL0q707fAg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBL0q707fAg
- sliverstorm 14y ago
  What does Grandma or Uncle Fester want to know? If you actually pay attention to Apple adverts, and then look at Apple's wild success- well, looking at the two together, I can only surmise Grandma and Uncle Fester want to know how (Apple thinks) the product will make you feel. Any nod to features is merely coincidental. Really, I notice time and time again- us geeks seem to be completely out of touch with what makes for the most effective marketing to everybody else.
  - corporalagumbo 14y ago
    Exactly. You hit the nail on the head.
  - robomartin 14y ago
    It is about communicating features and benefits but not in bullet form. Apple does this very well. The early ipod silhouette ads communicated tons of stuff with a a silhouette dancing to music while using an ipod. I could make a list of the features that were communicated in thirty seconds but I suspect almost anyone who saw the ads could. I think that the key here is to communicate the RIGHT features and benefits. That's why I am so down on the Surface ad I saw. I truly thought it was moronic. What the hell were they communicating? I asked my non-tech (Doctor) wife if she wanted one and the answer was: "it's just an iPad with that stand thing". Which makes my case. All MS managed to communicate to my wife was that they have an iPad with a built-in stand "thing" that she couldn't care less about.

by lotso 14y ago

robomartin 14y ago

I understand. As an engineer it is easy to focus on things that are completely irrelevant to end-users. I get it. I've done it and will probably do it again. However... The commercial in question has a bunch of college-age folks dancing around a table while flipping the stand open and closed. I can't, for the life of me, imagine any consumer understanding what they are being sold. If the MS name or logo wasn't in the ad one could very well think that it is a cool iPad case. I happen to think that it is completely ineffective. I've done lots of marketing for my own products, both hardware and software. Rattling off (or showing off) features is a loosing proposition. Techies might get off on that at some level, but Grandma does not. What does Grandma or Uncle Fester want to know? Can I surf the Internet with it? Can I take pictures? Can I look at my pictures? Can I email? Can I watch movies? Can I connect it to my PC? Can I connect it to my TV? Will it break if it falls? How long does the battery last? Does it run standard PC software? How much does it cost? Can I expand it? Can I connect a standard keyboard to it? Can I connect a standard mouse to it? Can I connect my photo or video camera to it? Can I print from it? Can I have multiple user accounts? Can I make it safe for my kids? Can I secure my personal data? How do I back it up? Can I share my apps with other devices/computers I own? Does it become a hot-spot? What built-in apps does it have? How good are the maps? Can my kid use it for school work? Will it blend? and more... I have yet to see a commercial that answers any of these questions. Instead, we see a magnetically attached keyboard and a desktop stand. Really? I wonder how much that creative effort cost. I still hold the position that MS hires morons for marketing. The local butcher could do a better job with a little training. It's almost like the brilliant scene from "My Cousin Vinny": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBL0q707fAg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBL0q707fAg

sliverstorm 14y ago
What does Grandma or Uncle Fester want to know? If you actually pay attention to Apple adverts, and then look at Apple's wild success- well, looking at the two together, I can only surmise Grandma and Uncle Fester want to know how (Apple thinks) the product will make you feel. Any nod to features is merely coincidental. Really, I notice time and time again- us geeks seem to be completely out of touch with what makes for the most effective marketing to everybody else.
- corporalagumbo 14y ago
  Exactly. You hit the nail on the head.
- robomartin 14y ago
  It is about communicating features and benefits but not in bullet form. Apple does this very well. The early ipod silhouette ads communicated tons of stuff with a a silhouette dancing to music while using an ipod. I could make a list of the features that were communicated in thirty seconds but I suspect almost anyone who saw the ads could. I think that the key here is to communicate the RIGHT features and benefits. That's why I am so down on the Surface ad I saw. I truly thought it was moronic. What the hell were they communicating? I asked my non-tech (Doctor) wife if she wanted one and the answer was: "it's just an iPad with that stand thing". Which makes my case. All MS managed to communicate to my wife was that they have an iPad with a built-in stand "thing" that she couldn't care less about.