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After Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer this week laughed off the challenge of Google’s upcoming Chrome OS for personal computers, it has now emerged the software company has been similarly dismissive of Apple after receiving a complaint regarding the recent ‘Laptop Hunters’ commercials.
Laptop successfully hunted. Oh, and keep the change. Image: Microsoft.
The commercials in question provoked a reaction from Cupertino-based Apple after they repeatedly focused on highlighting the supposed financial benefits and superior versatility of Windows-equipped PCs over Apple Mac hardware.
Speaking at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference 2009 in New Orleans, company COO Kevin Turner said Apple’s legal department contacted him a few weeks ago demanding that the Laptop Hunters ads were pulled from circulation.
“Two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying… “Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices,” said Turner, who also noted that he initially thought the call was a prank. “It was the greatest single phone call that I’ve ever taken in business,” he enthused.
Turner said Apple’s ruffled feathers shows that the Laptop Hunters ads are working insofar as improving consumer perceptions regarding PC hardware. He also suggested Apple’s phone call will likely inspire Microsoft to keep its ads running for a long time to come.
“I did cartwheels down the hallway,” outlined Turner. “At first I said, “Is this a joke? Who are you?” Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we’re just going to keep running them and running them and running them.”
In the series of “completely unscripted” Laptop Hunters commercials, general consumers are given a set amount of money (usually $1,000 USD) and tasked with purchasing a portable computer equipped with specific features and functions. Once such a computer is found and bought, the consumer gets to keep it – plus any remaining cash.
Despite its own long-running series of ‘Get a Mac’ commercials, which actively laud the advantages of the Mac platform over Windows, the quick dismissal of portable Mac computers as overly expensive in Microsoft’s ads has evidently put Apple’s (hypocritical?) nose out of joint.
And with good reason, according to advertising experts at BrandIndex, who revealed in May that Microsoft overtook Apple across value perception scores during the year’s second quarter – which is when the Laptop Hunters commercials first aired.
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