Microsoft alters ad that sparked complaint from Apple lawyers |
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Microsoft alters ad that sparked complaint from Apple lawyers
Microsoft has altered one of its popular "Laptop Hunters" advertisements after Apple complained that it misrepresented the new, lower pricing on its Macs.
AdAge reports that the new ad -- featuring "Lauren and mom" -- doesn't mention the price of the Mac anymore.
The change in ad copy comes nine days after Microsoft chief operating officer Kevin Turner bragged at a conference that Apple's lawyers had contacted him and complained that the ad no longer reflected the lower price on its Mac. Turner said at the time:
And you know why I know they're working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey -- this is a true story -- saying, "Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices." They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business. (Applause.)
I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, "Is this a joke? Who are you?" Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we're just going to keep running them and running them and running them.
In the original ad, Lauren picks up a Mac and says: "This Mac is $2,000, and that's before adding anything." That has now been changed to Lauren saying: "It seems like you're paying a lot for the brand."
The "Laptop Hunters" campaign is supposed to be filmed in reality TV style, capturing shoppers as they peruse the laptop aisles of retail stores. So, changing the ad copy does present some interesting challenges.
"We slightly adjusted the ads to reflect the updated pricing of the Mac laptop shown in the TV advertisement," Microsoft said in a statement. "This does not change the focus of the campaign which is to showcase the value and choice of the PC."
Here's a look at the new ad:
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