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Apple has fired back in the ad wars. See the ads here, read thoughtful analysis of the point Apple seeks to make here or here. More important than this second round of cinematic squabbling, however, are reactions to the campaigns: blogs the world over are sounding off with reactions, analysis, ranting…even remixes! In all the confusion (as though presidential campaign ads weren’t enough, right?), it can be helpful to pause and consider the messages Apple and Microsoft are sending.

In a world without walls and fences, who needs Gates and Windows?

Now that Steve Ballmer has the reigns, it’s not as pithy a question. Although +10 if you ever had that printed on a T-shirt in the mid 90s. What used to be a slogan of rebellion against the man has become the catchphrase for Microsoft’s turnaround ads: LIfe Without Walls. Okay, I get it—hip, edgy, with a slight sneer of defiance to win back the college kids who are defecting to MacBooks. Just one question, Mr. Ballmer; if there are no walls, what on earth would I need a Window(s) for?

Watching Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates romp through suburbia in the original ads was supposed to make us ask questions. Get us excited about Windows. The problem is, the public is already asking questions: Why should I use Vista? If it’s going to be so painful to upgrade, why not go with a Mac? I hear they’re easier to use anyway! The “Mojave Experiment” served to show us that in controlled settings, when eye candy is on display, Vista rocks. What it did not show us, however, is the fact that Vista is just as bloated, overly complex, and nightmarish as its predecessor. Show us that Vista is worth the effort, Microsoft.  Don’t just show us that it’s pretty!

The latest ammo in the $300 million marketing blitz is the somewhat poorly named “I’m a PC” set of adverts (imapc.com looks suspiciously like imac.com, which Google will redirect to the Apple Store). These ads, which appear across media, demonstrate that everyday people use PCs, and seem to be proud of it. One particular ad demonstrates that people who wear suits are PCs—a diver in a neoprene wetsuit, a CEO type in a business suit, a bohemian shopkeeper in…a turban. Hurray for individuality? Unfortunately, the point seems to be less, “Vista is better than OS X”, and more, “Vista may suck, but misery loves company!” In fact, in the entire Life Without Walls campaign, the Windows “brand” is used, rather than Vista. If you’re waiting for proof that Vista is superior, you really have to read between the lines. The average Joes in the commercials are even joined by a few celebrities for the Windows Pity Party, though their presence doesn’t really do much. For example: Eva Longoria Parker. Her Desperate Housewives character has transformed from an ex-model hottie into a dumpy, overweight, combative suburban nightmare. Makes Jerry Seinfeld practically sparkle in comparison, no?

I’m a Mac…

Apple commercials, a least in the beginning, were all about highlighting functionality and explaining why the Mac was a better choice. Early ads focused on how Macs were ready out of the box, and the easy use of popular peripherals. Apple’s ads answered a question: “Why get a Mac?” By anthropomorphising the computers, it was simply easier to demonstrate that iMovie was better than Windows tools. Later ads took aim at specific flaws in Vista—the complicated array of Vista versions, lack of easy migration from XP to Vista, etc. But the ads still answered the “Why get a Mac?” question. 

This tight focus seems lacking in the latest ads: “Bean Counter” and “The ‘V’ Word.”  In losing that focus, has Apple gone too far? Are the ads tit-for-tat mudslinging a lá political smear ads? Or, has Apple merely stepped it up—first berating the failings of Vista, and now pointing out larger, more systemic failings at the core of Microsoft’s OS design/marketing approach? With a track record of flashy adverts and little of software substance, the charge rings alarmingly true. Microsoft often takes a “market the hell out of it, even if it stinks” approach. Apple’s latest ads do not answer the basic “why” question, though they do cause viewers to ponder other very important questions: “Has Microsoft really given up on Vista” and “Wouldn’t that money be better spent fixing Vista?”

What do you think? Has Microsoft given up on Vista, and launched a senseless ad campaign? Or is there a distinction to their ads that, like a fine wine, requires a more subtle appreciation? And, has Apple strayed too far in their advertising? Sound off in the comments below!