Attack ads seem to work when it comes to consumer tech.
Apple (AAPL +0.00%) saw its PC market share grow with the Vista-bashing "I'm a Mac" ads starring Justin Long and John Hodgman.
Samsung has been successfully firing away at Apple in recent years, promoting its smartphones by poking fun at the crowds gathering for iPhone rollouts.
Now Microsoft (MSFT 0.60%) and Nokia (NOK 0.94%) are returning the favor, unleashing a barrage of shots at both Apple and Samsung with the latest ad for the Lumia 920.
The humorous ad leaves no stone un-thrown as Samsung and iPhone owners battle it out at a wedding. Siri, NFC-based sharing, phone size, and autocorrect go from features to putdowns in the frenetic spot that culminates with a pair of Lumia owners as reception hall caterers wondering if folks would still be fighting if they knew about the Nokia Lumia.
The commercial's hilarious, even if everything it gains in levity and style points it loses in practicality.
- Is Microsoft implying that Nokia's phone isn't something that folks would be passionate about?
- What makes the Lumia 920 so special when it can't do a lot of the features being hurled as insults?
- After decades of being the undisputed champ in PC operating systems, what's it like to be an underdog?
It's worth a shot, of course. If Samsung's Galaxy S series grew in acclaim by calling out iPhone buyers as iSheep, why can't Microsoft and Nokia try to kill the gold and silver medalists with a single ad?
This doesn't mean that Microsoft itself is the bronze medalist, but there's no harm in kicking Apple while it's down and trying to take jabs at Samsung just as its introducing the ballyhooed Galaxy S4.
BlackBerry (BBRY +0.26%) may be the biggest winner here. It didn't have to spend a penny to see Android and iOS devices disparaged by the Windows Phone cheerleader. If there is any fallout as iPhone and Samsung owners rethink their next upgrades, BlackBerry will be there to catch what it can.
Kudos to Microsoft for knowing that it has to take shots. It's just a shame that it doesn't have more to sell.
