PC vs. Mac: When Marketing Efforts Flop (MSFT, AAPL)

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is trying to get even with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) via a new website in the never-ending “PC vs. Mac” war.  There is just one problem. Well, more than just one.  The site is not very attractive.  It still has the white gloves on it.  It just an extension on a Microsoft.com URL.  It is also very dull.

Deciding between a PC and a Mac?

Microsoft notes on this site, “Macs don’t work as well at work or at school.”  It goes on to talk about Apple’s productivity suite being hard to share and that your documents may not look right or that your spreadsheets may not calculate correctly.  Microsoft does not demonstrate that at all in the site.

The top ten reasons just seems to be on the periphery of an attack.  Sun Tzu would very disappointed.  The site has much more detail on each, but here was Microsoft’s first stab for a top-ten list:

• Get quicker access to all of your stuff
• Manage open windows more easily
• Quickly find what you’re looking for
• Share files and printers among multiple PCs
• Stay entertained effortlessly
• Easily create and share movies
• Connect to networks easily
• Do more and wait less
• Don’t leave programs behind
• Offers your PC better protection

The goal of this whole site may actually miss the entire goal.  The featured picture really does NOTHING… Is that a purse shop behind that woman or what?  Does this help at all in the old Justin Long versus John Hodgman TV commercial wars.

The compare versions is not a real comparison.  Microsoft accidentally tells you why you should be on Windows 7 versus XP or Vista.  The side-by-side comparisons are internal comparisons of Windows.  The ‘compare editions’ just compares the Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate editions.  If this is a dedicated effort to making this a PC versus Mac argument, then why is it that there is no real comparison to Mac?  The link on the site to the Facebook fan page claims more than 638,000 fans.  Those might just be the Microsoft employees and their family members.

Obviously Microsoft can’t go around knocking Apple like the cartoon on YouTube of “I need an iPhone 4” (we won’t link to that one) but the real intent here is just not known.  The site is very dull, very boring, and it does not stack up at all against the Mac site for Apple.  Take a look at the two websites and you’ll probably think the same thing I did: Microsoft needs a batter marketing effort.  It s painful to say it as a Windows and PC user, but Mac is just marketing itself better in the “Mac vs. PC” efforts.

Microsoft should really consider a redesign of this tiny effort.

JON C. OGG