From: Portugal
At a ‘Windows Experience’ centre in an electronic store in Lisbon, curious onlookers at a Windows 8 setup were asked if they’d like a demonstration of the new operating system. Moments later, a boy appearing not older than 12 comes forward, stands atop a stool and talks about the product’s features, creating bewilderment. The video, now a viral advertisement, strings together peoples’ reactions to his explanations. ‘Simple, easy, intuitive,’ the product window says, toward the end.
Why we like
This Friday, well-over middle-age Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger hits global cinemas once more in his widely awaited comeback film The Last Stand, the first leading role he’s picked after Terminator 3 a decade ago. Meanwhile, at an electronic store near you, an aging computer brand too is showing impressive finesse in a bid to retain past glory. And unlike Arnie, Microsoft Windows still touches millions every day.
Once the omnipresent operating system of the world, Windows has been relatively slow on catching up with rivals on the design and performance front but still enjoys dominance in global markets. What it battles virtually every day, are the constant comparisons to the sharper, more suave interfaces Apple offers. Now, Windows 8, positioned to be the company’s best shot at creating a contemporary product to shed off its ‘clumsy’ image, has hit stores, and in this case, is being marketed incredibly well.
The idea of a child donning the demonstrator’s role to explain how simple the system is, is a gem both at the local as well as a universal level. For one, it evokes pleasantries all around, which in turn make for a cool video to watch. The classic advertising mantra of talking to adults as if they’re children has been given a new case study here. And no prizes for guessing, the ‘cuteness’ of the video has viralled globally, thereby recreating the ‘coolth’ factor for Windows, an image its products desperately need.
Toward the end, unsure of a customer query, the boy asks to get help from his ‘colleague’, who turns out to be a girl his age. It’s an ending as brilliant as the idea itself, one of the best we’ve seen.
Back home, Windows 8 has been marketed over the past few months with similar coolth, the ‘everything at once’ jingle and its Indian-ised version having created definite brand equity.
Next time this writer’s visiting Croma, a slide down this smooth-looking product is top priority. Let’s just hope Arnie’s comeback attempt is as impressive!
Watch all the three spots on Goo.gl/m3RlV
