Effectiveness of Apple and Microsoft Ads

Gizmodo pointed me at this New York TImes article about the Apple and Microsoft TV ads, In Campaign Wars, Apple Still Has Microsoft’s Number. Apple is spending a lot on it's ads and it seems to be helping.

Gizmodo quoted this paragraph: "On the other hand, Microsoft’s “Shoe Circus,” in which Mr. Seinfeld helped Mr. Gates buy shoes, failed miserably with consumers. After seeing the ad, both Apple and Microsoft users had a more negative perception of Microsoft in the areas of innovation, technology, trouble-free design, and warranty and pricing. “When you see an ad perform this poorly,” said Amy Shea, the executive vice president at Brand Keys who conducted the research, “you’ve got a real problem.”"

But left out this one: "The news was not all bad for Microsoft, though. “I am a PC” — the egalitarian response to Apple that Microsoft has settled on for its ongoing campaign — has worked well to lift PC users’ perception of the brand as technologically and environmentally advanced."

I blogged about the ads back in September in this post which got a few comments and in this one where I said the "I'm a PC" ads were better.

I also saw this Google Answer that says companies that advertised during the Great Depression did ok. "studies have demonstrated that during times of recession, companies that maintain advertising during these periods experience higher sales and profits during the downturns and afterward than companies who cut their advertising budgets."