The fact that both ads have been understood in so many different ways (here, on the blogosphere) shows that the message isn’t clear and in marketing that means trouble. Thus, being funny (for some more, for some less, for some not at all) or being talked about isn’t going to improve Microsoft’s image or sell more licenses (in particular of the problem child Vista). Apple, with the Mac vs. PC campaign, has a clear mes…
I have the opinion that the 'misunderstandings' largely consist of either preconceived notions of what the ad campaign would be like or, more commonly, anti-Microsoft sentiment repeatedly raising its ugly head and any Microsoft advertising campaign would not please those people. I think the ads are generally quite strong - kooky, memorable, unique and a talking point... if not particularly funny (FWIW, I didn't find…
Ad hoc I don't have any ideas for a good Microsoft campaign. Any suggestion of mine, out of the blue, is shooting bullets in the air. Yeah, but it would be a nice way to feed my ego. :-) Using "hard" (like Mac vs. PC ads) or "soft" approach (by not mentioning the product explicitly) for the execution of the ads is almost secondary.
PS - I have spent most of my life as a developer and entrepreneur with Microsoft products (by choice). And I'm a Seinfeld fan-boy. But, that is not relevant when we're discussing this campaign.