Comments on: Recent Ads Betray The Secret To Microsoft’s Branding Confusion

By: AlexSchleber

AlexSchleber — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:21:40 +0000

@tomzer1 you might also enjoy: http://3on.us/msft-confusion #branding

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:53:30 +0000

In reply to @SisyMoney:
All those points are well taken, however the focus of this post was simply on MSFT's branding struggles. The fact that the ads happened to be about the Mac vs. PC "wars" is completely secondary/circumstantial.

I know a lot of people think I am merely a Mac "fanboy" for frequently criticizing MSFT. Not so: I've been a MSFT customer for nearly 15 years, and currently don't own any Apple products other than an iPod (though that may change in the near future).

It's just that I wish, as I have mentioned here before, that MSFT had done more with all of the money we've been handing them all of these years. That is really the crux of the matter.

Their R&D budgets have been higher than anyone's, probably more than all of the VC funding for hungry young startups per year combined. Yet we have seen preciously little of substance coming out of MSFT's corner, instead there have been recent bombs such as Vista (I use it, I know its problems all too well).

Unfortunately, this is all a rather predictable outcome of a monopoly situation. The incentives to innovate and create first class products simply go down. In my view, it would have been better for MSFT and all of us had they been split, about 10 years ago, into 3 more nimble, less bureaucratic, more hungry companies with much greater focus.

I would bet that the resulting "MSN/internet division" company for example would have turned a profit by now, rather than languishing as it has for 13.5 years -> *link*

Heck, it might have even been nimble enough to throw up a serious challenge to Google in search. Sigh...

By: SisyMoney

SisyMoney — Fri, 08 May 2009 02:50:52 +0000

People seem to forget that back in the mid 90s, when Apple almost bellied up, it was Mr Bill Gates himself who very quietly came to the rescue and forked out a huge amount of money for a good ownership portion of Apple. My understanding is, Mr. Gates makes a profit every time a Windows package sells, an Office package sells and an Apple computer sells, that’s a nice position to be in. Mr. Jobs, a fierce competitor – but I’ve seen boxers beating the crap out of each other and then drinking and singing in a bar, can be credited with making people want to own two computer systems, PC and Mac.

By: AlexSchleber

AlexSchleber — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:49:43 +0000

Last call.. “Recent Ads Betray The Secret To Microsoft’s #Branding Confusion” http://3on.us/msft-confusion

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

By: AlexSchleber

AlexSchleber — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:32:59 +0000

Tom, that’s a great metaphor for what’s been going on, spot on…

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By: tomzer1

tomzer1 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:57:39 +0000

Good analysis. It is amusing to see how the Microsoft elephant is so scared and fumbling over the Apple mouse.

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By: AlexSchleber

AlexSchleber — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:32:36 +0000

@tomzer1 you might also enjoy: http://3on.us/msft-confusion #branding

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

By: GregoryJRader

GregoryJRader — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:50:47 +0000

RT @tweetmeme Microsoft�s Recent Ads: Branding Confusion Squared | Business Mind Hacks http://bit.ly/vt1Cu

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By: AlexSchleber

AlexSchleber — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:14:16 +0000

CNET just pretty much echoed what I wrote in my most recent post re:Microsoft #Branding Confusion -> http://tr.im/jMPF

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By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:11:44 +0000

CNET (usually a relatively Microsoft friendly outfit) had this to say Saturday (did they read my post?):

"It is difficult to name two Microsoft campaigns that actually built on each other. It is difficult to name two Microsoft campaigns that even reflected the same spirit, the same ethos, the same sense of a defined brand.
...
In the end, Microsoft, a brand that has considerable strength in the marketplace, seems to have become something of a diffused, defused blur in projecting its image. Microsoft built a business machine. But its brand advertising became like your demented auntie at Christmas: there, but not there."

*link*

By: davedigerati

davedigerati — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:24:42 +0000

RT @AlexSchleber Relevant to your own #branding -> “Microsoft�s Recent Ads: Branding Confusion Squared” http://3on.us/msft-confusion

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

By: AlexSchleber

AlexSchleber — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:13:17 +0000

Relevant to your own #branding -> “Microsoft�s Recent Ads: Branding Confusion Squared” http://3on.us/msft-confusion

This comment was originally posted on Twitter