ObaMac vs. McCrosoft

I was watching TV yesterday and I saw the new Microsoft ad where they use an image similar to 'PC' from the Mac ad campaign 'Mac vs. PC.' This struck me as seeming eerily familiar, and then it hit me; Obama and McCain are the new Mac and PC. This may sound a little far fetched, but hear me out.

On one hand we have Mac and Obama, or ObaMac. Both are sleeker, more stylish, more modern, more hip. Both offer new and different systems of operating. Both represent change, redesign, out with the old, in with the new. Their campaigns are similar in that they try appeal to younger generations, and paint their competition as being old and outdated. ObamMac likes to point out their opponent's habitual weaknesses that seem to follow them year after year, and offer the people an alternative that is more people-friendly and fresh. And let's face it, ObaMac supporters are all a little pretentious about their 'candidate.'

Then we have Microsoft (PC) and McCain, or McCrosoft. These are the old go-to guys that have been running things for years. They are wealthy and influential. The majority of people have been supporting them because they are familiar, comfortable, and there was no real quality alternative. They like to brag about their history, reminiscing about their days on the front lines and how they persevered and climbed their way to the top. They don't like to talk about their shortcomings, and instead focus on their opponent's lack of experience and people's unfamiliarity with them.

Shaking things up.

None of this really occurred to me until I saw Microsoft's new ad for the 30th time in 2 days. Microsoft's new ad campaign embraces Macintosh's 'Mac vs. PC' campaign and tries to claim it and use it in their favor. It is striking similar to John McCain's strategy of hijacking Obama's 'change' campaign and using it for himself. Mac's and Obama's campaigns had been so effective that the only way to beat them was to join them in a sense. 'McCrosoft' is trying to redefine itself, and they are using their competition's ideas against them.

Another similarity is that John McCain and Microsoft were both a little jealous of their competition's celebrity-like popularity, so both recently hired or appointed their own celebrities to even the playing field. (Palin for McCain, Jerry Seinfeld, Eva Longoria, Tony Parker, Pharrell Williams for Microsoft) This strategy may work better for Microsoft than McCain, because in the end people need to 'buy' McCain, not Sarah Palin. (I'm sure John McCain hates that)

What does it all mean?

It is too early to tell how these ads and strategies will work out in either case. However, McCain and Microsoft should be aware that no amount of celebrities, new slogans and campaigns are going to fix the actual problems with their 'products.' Mac and Obama should be careful not to get to comfortable with themselves or their platforms. Most importantly, all of the above should keep the people's best interest in mind when campaigning for their money/vote.

It is interesting to see how much more consumer-ized presidential races have become. Candidates are not as worried about informing the public about their views as much as they're worried about winning their vote. This is a scary trend, especially when people get carried away with making the sale. It would be nice if we couldn't find similarities between two battling presidential candidates and two battling big corporations.