Ad of the Day: Microsoft

While the world waits with baited breath to find out where several large chunks of the Microsoft advertising budget will land, Crispin Porter + Bogusky has released this new spot for Windows 7. The ad continues the theme started a couple of years ago of going into people's homes, though this new effort outshines the earlier, excruciating "Windows House Party." Another recurring theme is the now-classic CP+B setup of using hidden cameras to capture a surprised consumer's reaction. (See, for example, the agency's work for former client Burger King.) In this case, a PC user who hasn't shopped around for a new computer lately is convinced to do so when her home is turned into a Microsoft store and she gets to learn about all the powerful new machines that run Windows 7. The spot works beyond the "wow" factor because the viewer also gets to learn new information very quickly and efficiently; if the protagonists are listing the features and benefits, you don't need an announcer to do so. Unfortunately, much of what's being advertised feels like Microsoft catching up with archrival Apple—wide, bright screens, desktop computers with no towers, even the store concept itself. Still, if the goal is to suggest Microsoft has at least caught up in terms of product quality, this is as economic and engaging a way there is of broadcasting it.