In what may be considered a triumph depending on which side you’re on, Apple has apparently responded to Microsoft’s “Laptop Hunter” series of television commercials. Per Ars Technica, Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner was quoted as stating at the company’s Worldwide Partner Conference on Wednesday that “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.'” Turner further went on to note that “they took like $100 off or something,” before stating to applause that it “was the greatest single phone call in the history that I’ve ever taken in business.”
Turner also confirmed that Microsoft is indeed “just going to keep running them and running them and running them.”
I’m not sure if this is effective marketing or not, as no one has actually mentioned enjoying these commercials to any extent of the imagination…
Let us know what you think over in the comments.
7 replies on “Apple Legal Department Asks Microsoft to Stop Airing “Laptop Hunter” Ads”
If it is true. They just admitted that APPLE is a bigger threat to them than anyone else. Come on, less than 15% market share and Microsoft is already worried. Competition makes for healthy business. Plus it drives companies to innovate and better their products. I think its pretty lame for MS to claim victory over such a small thing.
If it is true. They just admitted that APPLE is a bigger threat to them than anyone else. Come on, less than 15% market share and Microsoft is already worried. Competition makes for healthy business. Plus it drives companies to innovate and better their products. I think its pretty lame for MS to claim victory over such a small thing.
It is so funny the way Apple looms large in the minds of the chuckle heads over at Microsoft! Can you imagine anyone over 15 years of age thinking that something like that was the greatest business phone call that they have ever taken? lol “Yeah Apple! Ha ha on you!”
I spent a few days at Microsoft in Redmond recently and I was amazed at the number of defensive, adolescent, Apple-related remarks that came out of these guys. “It's like Apple thinks that the entire creative community uses there stuff.”, “All those iPod owners obsessing about cases for their equipment are like old ladies wanting to cover their furniture in plastic”, “Part of the appeal of the Zune is the way it is like a comfortable old sneaker.”
Apple envy is truly rampant!
They are very good ads. They are not art, but they get a point across, and appear to have been effective. Far better than anything out of MS in a long time. The call to tell them to stop probably did happen.
I am surprised Apple is allowing them to run MS ads that show the Apple logo and mention Apple againa and again. Seems like you could attack them for that.
So Microsoft are implicitly admitting that they are knowingly running false and misleading advertising? What scumbags.
Doubt it happened, sounds made up.
Finally, Microsoft figured out how to get an effective ad campaign and learned the art of attacking its rivals..!!