Microsoft takes back the narrative with Eva Longoria, Pharrell Williams, Deepak Chopra and you PC users.

“Hello, I’m a PC, and I’ve been made into a stereotype,” says a John Hodgman lookalike into the camera, dressed in brown suitjacket and tie, against an all white backdrop. Yep, this is the next phase of Microsoft’s $300 million advertising campaign and they are going straight for Apples "Mac vs PC". This won't be the entire campaign though, how would that look if your campaign was built around spoofing another - instead they are making lots of different ads to appeal to different people. Commercials featuring author Deepak Chopra, singer Pharrell Williams and actress Eva Longoria are set to hit the small screen soon. The tagline: “Windows. Life without walls” is the ribbon to tie all of this together - and it's actually making some sense now as we read in the New York Times that David Webster, general manager for brand marketing said:

“They’ve made a caricature out of the PC,” he added, which was unacceptable because “you always want to own your own story.”

So, out come the "regular joes" who aren't so regular as ads stars "everyday PC users, from scientists and fashion designers to shark hunters and teachers, all of whom affirm, in fast-paced, upbeat vignettes, their pride in using the computers that run on Microsoft operating systems and software"... Oh wait, this is beginning to sound like all other testimonial campaigns, ever. Hmmm. If they only shoot the hands I'd think it was a campaign for HP laptops. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this turns out, though I admit that I'm already liking the Hodgman spoof. Hodgman rules though, you don't mess with the Hodgman!

See website to go with campaign: Life without walls
Previously on Adland: Microsoft Kills Seinfeld - a.k.a $10M down the drain.
Update: Microsoft Windows - Windows. Life Without Walls. - I'm a PC. commercial available here.