Microsoft’s latest Zune ads more artistic than Apple’s
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
OK, so we all know the Zune is not quite the iPod killer some had predicted. In fact, there are reports that iPod car chargers are outselling the Zune on Amazon these days. However, there IS one area Microsoft has impressed me with the Zune, and that is advertising. Check out this new commercial for the Zune entitled “Cookie”. (click below)
The latest Zune ad from ad agency 72andsunny has a very “Tim Burton/Film Board of Czechoslovakia” feel to it, and I think it is VERY well done. Sure, the visuals will likely scare the crap out of young children, and you have to already have heard of the Zune and be familiar with its song sharing abilities to even understand it, but it is a visual tour de force that I think one ups Apple’s energetic neon nano ads. I will not debate the fact that the iPod neon ads are likely a much better approach if you want to sell music players, and there IS sort of a downtrodden, communist vibe to the Zune ad, but still, kudos to Microsoft for evoking a deep and genuine response from this viewer, even if it IS melancholy and confusion.
Enough with all the MS bashing, I’m not a fan of MS – but I think most people are uneducated when it comes to the subject. Apple is just as bad as Microsoft, if not worse, and I’m tired of all these ipod fanboys praising apple for something that they didn’t solely create, innovate nor improve. The concept of the mp3 player was already around long before, and the design of the ipod was stolen (yes stolen) from an earlier interface of a digital walkman (google: stolen ipod schematic).
As for the ad, I really like it. The ipod ad is great at catching attention and is visually appealing, but this ad is more story like and older viewers will understand the sharing concept from the ad. I really like this ad for its usage of a dark and weird atmosphere (like the monster that takes the cookie). Nice ad – a big + to the advertiser that MS hired!
The music is Magic Trick by M. War… Christ! Do you people even glance over the comments before posting your own? It was said 10 times, usually immediately after another comment that already said it! Listening is just as important as talking, ya know…
They’re trying to hype up the music sharing feature? With the cookie sharing business?
What the hell did that have to do with an MP3 player…is M$ encouraging people to SHARE!!! No, no, Zune-ers can’t be thieves like ALL the iPod-ers 😉
anyone else want to mention the FUCKING COOKIE METAPHOR?! FUCK YOU STUPID ASSHOLES.
Me? I’ve used ipods. Can’t wait to try the zune. Then I’ll make up my own mind. All the mac fanboys make me want to do is purchase thousands of these things and give them away free – just to piss them off. Closed-minded wanks.
She is sharing her cookie that always become whole again. I think it’s a metaphor for sharing songs on the Zune. Your music on your Zune will always be whole.
On the other hand, the cookies she gives is eaten up and disappeared from sight. Guess what metaphor is that for? DRM. After a couple of plays and it’s as good as gone!
I am an Apple fan till the death…but I liked the commercial….I liked the song….In fact, I liked the song so much I went on to iTunes, found it. listened to a few of the tracks on the Post-War album. Then bought it. So, Microsoft helped sell an album for iTunes! I kinda like that marketing.
I like the animation but it doesn’t show the product. If I didn’t know what the ad was about, I wouldn’t have understood it until they see the Zune logo.
I’m just waiting for the counter-ad that the internet will no doubt create where the cookies all disappear after three bites and people are sad again 😛
>And this doesn’t also apply to iPod advertisements?
It does. Only difference is, almost everybody knows what an iPod is. Most people have no clue what a Zune is.
Go back and check out the *very first* iPod commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQUOcfLkaJk
Nothing abstract about it. Connect iPod to iBook. Transfer 1000 songs. iPod goes into pocket. Very straightforward marketing.
Apple could ONLY pull off the abstract silhouette commercials AFTER the iPod was almost an established icon. MS’s mistake is that they think they could imitate the hip & cool of the iPod by being abstract and obscure with there commercials NOW, when in fact nobody knows about the product and hence won’t “get” the coolness of the abstract ads.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Tim Burton and Michel Gondry and works by other directors that this ad reminds me of, and in terms of the imagery, I like this commercial. The problem is, it’s not a marketing that MS should be doing right now. IMHO anyway.
The visuals are amazing, but who has more than 5 secs to figure out what they are selling !?
This is not a traditional ad.
Go here there are quite a few more zune animations with a strong sharing theme.
http://www.zune-arts.net
This video was not meant to be played out of the site thats why it does not need to explain anything about the zune, it expects you to already know, theres a nice big link to the zune site right in the middle of the page if there is any more confusion.
Im guessing some idiot has ripped it from the site and placed it on youtube.
Check out some of the other vids, i suggest Motion Theroy (two birds icon on the list) and Bent Image Lab (Big Robot icon you cant miss it).
PS
These are not ad’s by microsoft but art made by Zune fans.
Ipods kind of suck, and i-tunes is a virus. I hope that the Zune does something completely differnt with the Zune for us poor souls that are sick or an idioticaly simple ipod and need to put up with the crap and rubish of uneducated mac users who think its cool to have something that does less.
Give me a player where i can rip the guts out of and customise with anything i want, fetures are great, simplifed ( lack of features ) is just restrictive and should be left to little kids that have no knowledge of technology.
Putting this aside the direction the Zune is heading is not promising and I hope it changes.
This is good plz send me some animation of your company
I like it