Microsoft is believed to have briefed their Australian media buying company and advertising agency, pending the launch of a major advertising campaign designed to boost sales of PCs that have declined recently following the introduction of tablets and new PC models from Apple.The software developer who is trying to boost sales of their Windows OS hopes to convince consumers to go out and buy new Windows based hardware and dispel the notion that what they currently have is “good enough”.
The campaign which was launched in the USA last night focuses on a character called “Julie,” who declined to upgrade because she didn’t think computers were getting better. Microsoft decides to build a mock store in a room of her house that leads her to get an HP TouchSmart 610 after she discovers the all-in-one form factor for the first time, never having seen an iMac.
“So there’s no need for a tower anymore,” Julie says.
During the past 12 months Microsoft has faced problems getting users to upgrade quickly and is increasingly dependent on buyers upgrading only when their current PCs are too slow or break, rather than in sync with new Windows releases.
Microsoft has regularly blamed slow corporate and later home user replacement cycles for poor performance.
Some say Microsoft are running the ads to counter demand for Apple PCs. Dropping Windows PC demand has been blamed partly on the iPad cannibalisation effect, where many are keeping their old computers and buying a tablet instead.
