Microsoft’s $300m attempt to sell us Vista

I have written before on Apples onslaught on Microsoft and if Microsoft will survive and retaliate with some brilliant innovation. It seems they’ve opted for fixing their current product and marketing the idea that their new product is much better … and they’re marketing it wholesale to the public.

Microsoft has petitioned the ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky with $300m to sell Vista to the masses this year. Below is the first ad they’ve come up with aligning all those who criticize Vista as belonging to the “Flat Earth Society”. All the communication I’ve read about Vista which comes from Microsoft and its PR agency’s mouths are that they all believe they’ve made a brilliant product which is much better than XP.

Here’s what Microsoft is saying about Vista on their site…

When Windows Vista debuted in January 2007, we declared it the best operating system we had ever made. “Windows Vista is beautiful,” the New York Times raved. It’s humbling that millions of you agree.

But we know a few of you were disappointed by your early encounter. Printers didn’t work. Games felt sluggish. You told us, loudly at times, that the latest Windows didn’t always living up to your high expectations for a Microsoft product.
Well, we’ve been taking notes and addressing issues.

Personally, I’ve downloaded Windows Vista’s first service pack and I’m still not impressed. Half the stuff I’ve had before on Windows XP doesn’t work on Vista; some new applications suddenly require new hardware or upgraded hardware to function at all and everything runs extremely slow.

I’m really suspicious about Microsoft’s new marketing campaign for Vista. I’m sure they really believe in their product, but the spin on the ads about their critics believing the Earth is flat (I may be over-exaggerating that bit, but that’s the vibe I’m getting) is a bit condescending. Also the plain fact is that their critics aren’t just talking without experience; they, like me, have had terrible experiences with their product and instead of launching marketing campaigns to convince us otherwise they should step up to the plate and do something about the problem!

From what they’re saying on their site i.e. “taking notes and addressing issues.” I sure hope so, because I fear their marketing campaign might backfire horribly if no real change is made on the ground. And another thing … what particular change will they make? Another service pack? I think this entire issue points to the benefits of open source software vs the detriments of corporate software giants.

All Microsoft has going for it is its first-mover advantage and its hold on corporations. But with the culture and societies of Open Source gaining traction and Google and others spread Open Source thinking, tools and software. Even small- and medium enterprises are now opting for open-source applications for their businesses in order to save on costs as well as ensure a more stable computing environment for their data. The future doesn’t bode well for Microsoft at all … and unless they embrace open-source as well, and soon, no amount of marketing will help them I’m afraid.