Stop it Already!
For the greater Seattle area, Microsoft is perhaps the most important employer with almost 35,000 direct jobs, even with the recent layoffs. Taking into consideration the usual ripple effect, we can easily add another 100,000 jobs indirectly supported by Microsoft.
These would include contracting firms, service providers, educational positions and so on. A Bellevue Reporter article discusses how MS uses up almost 100,000 hotel rooms in Bellevue alone. The Redmond Ridge QFC? It probably exists only because of the dozens of Microsoft employees living up there.
Boeing is contracting rapidly, but MS has barely shed 5,000 jobs. At the same time, it is also hiring for 2,000 positions.
So, I am always perturbed by the constant “MS is evil” message that’s thrown around by the liberal media and bloggers, even in the Greater Puget Sound area. It always makes me happy when Microsoft triumphs, especially over competitors such as Apple.
A heartening result of Microsoft’s new Laptop Hunters commercials is a request from Apple’s lawyers to pull those ads. According to MS’ Kevin Turner:
And so we’ve been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? “Oh, I’m looking to spend less than $1,000.” Well we’ll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials.
And you know why I know they’re working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey — this is a true story — saying, “Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.” They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I’ve ever taken in business. (Applause.)
I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, “Is this a joke? Who are you?” Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we’re just going to keep running them and running them and running them.
Another good sign? The ads may be working against those overpriced, crappy Macs …
Microsoft’s so-called value perception has risen steadily since the campaign began in March, while Apple’s has fallen
And, finally, Slate’s bloggers are acknowledging that Microsoft might have hit the right nerves this time:
[the ad] actually gives people a reason to buy a Windows machine. It’s not a great reason—”it’s cheap” is not the best claim to make. And it’s not a great ad. The ad is dull, the people in the ad are dull, the claim is dull…
[but] it actually does come out and make a sales proposition.
Good job, MS. I was hoping they’d come with something more effective than the boring Seinfeld stuff.
