14 DAY TRIAL // Imagine no walls... Imagine that Bill Gates is a PC, along with celebrities such as Eva Longoria and Deepak Chopra, Pharrell Williams, astronaut Bernard Harris and many, many others. And it’s not like Microsoft is in short supply of “personas” declaring themselves to be a PC. In fact, with Windows' install base having surpassed the 1 billion milestone, there are PC Guys to go around, despite the ironical aura and label built by Apple's viral marketing with Get a Mac video ads. Microsoft, with Bill Gates on the front line, is embracing the “I'm a PC” status, with pride, with a sense of a global community and breaking down the stereotype created around the Windows brand.
“Tonight [September 18], you may have caught our new "Real PC" TV ads - which aired for the first time during an episode of The Office. You may have also seen the "Life without Walls" ad in newspapers today. The Windows consumer campaign has officially moved into its next phase with a new series of TV and print ads designed to highlight that technology is supposed to help people break through barriers and overcome obstacles,” stated Christopher Flores, Director Windows Communications.
At the bottom of this article you will be able to find embedded the first three new “I'm a PC” video advertisements, namely Pride, Not Alone and Stereotype. But Microsoft is, at the same time, doing much more than taking Apple's PC rags and transforming them into a tuxedo through a simple matter of perspective. The company is in fact inviting Windows-based PC users around the world to be a part of the “I'm a PC” pride parade.
“And starting tonight - you can also choose to take part in our campaign yourself! People wanting to proclaim they are a PC just like in the ads can upload their photos and videos to Windows.com. The content you upload may be selected for use in our online banner campaign or on video billboards in New York's Times Square. Users will be notified by email when they can see their content in the banners,” Flores added.
Microsoft's selling strategy is the promise to allow end users to prove that being a PC is not a matter of a stereotype. Via Windows.com, the Redmond giant is ready to reveal the real faces of PC users everywhere, provided that they wish to upload photos or videos and share them with the world.
“A PC is not a stereotype,” Microsoft claims. “And neither are you. If you are a PC, you belong to a community of more than a billion individuals, working, playing, and connecting. Doing their own thing. If you are a PC, we want to celebrate you. So stand up. Show your face and we'll show the world what a PC really looks like.”