Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s Siri is known for its occasional blasts of snark, but Microsoft has co-opted the virtual assistant for its latest Windows tablet commercial. Billed “Less talking, more doing” the advert – which you can see after the cut – pits Apple’s iPad against an ASUS VivoTab Smart running Windows 8, and which unsurprisingly enough is found lacking in Microsoft’s opinion.

The commercial kicks off with Windows’ Live Tiles, with Siri conceding that iOS doesn’t update its icons like that, and then launches into multi-tasking. The ASUS tablet is shown opening up a sidebar with a second app, again something which isn’t supported on the iPad.

Then it’s time for PowerPoint, since Microsoft apparently can’t imagine a world where a tablet user might not want to throw together some slides. On the ASUS, the presentation can be edited and re-formatted, while the iPad is shown merely scrolling and zooming around in frustration. It’s worth noting that Apple does offer Keynote for iOS, its own PowerPoint alternative, which does allow presentations to be created.

“Should we just play Chopsticks?” Siri concludes, playing out the advert as Microsoft reveals its kicker: how much 64GB versions of both tablets cost. The iPad – Apple’s full-sized version, complete with Retina display – is priced at $699, while ASUS’ Windows 8 tablet is $449.

It’s certainly one of the better adverts Microsoft has put together – at least there’s no random dancing like the Surface tablet commercials the company aired last year – and the use of Siri’s voice (the actual audio files for which Apple licenses) is a sly touch that’s likely to get the fans arguing. Still, Microsoft’s decision to illustrate functionality with PowerPoint seems like a missed opportunity; the business-centric app has little relevance to home users.

Thanks Craig!

Microsoft borrows Siri for iPad smack commercial is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In today’s world of advertising oversaturation, it’s really hard to get your marketing message out. Sure, you can try making a “viral” video, but if you really want to get your name out there, you need to do something a little different to stand out from the crowd. How about running your ad in some guy’s facial hair?

Well thanks to Cornett IMS and their new Beardvertising service, you now can. For a fee, companies can now promote their wares in the oversize beards of its hirsute marketers. Ads are placed on “BeardBoards” – tiny billboards which clip into a wearer’s beard, and are sure to grab attention of passersby.

Better yet, if you have a substantive beard, you can make money wearing a BeardBoard, getting paid up to $5 a day for promoting an advertiser’s wares on your chin. If you think your beard might make the cut, you can sign up over on the Beardvertising website now.

So far, Beardvertising has signed on A&W Restaurants and Eagle One Automotive Appearance as clients, but I think that they might want to go after Remington or Norelco too.

I think it’s safe to say that most adults know what constitutes child abuse. Unfortunately, the same thing can’t be said for children, who might think that what they’re being subjected to is normal. The ANAR Foundation and Grey Group Spain are hoping to change that, though, with the launch of an ad campaign that uses lenticular printing.

In this particular application, This printing technique lets individuals see different images based on their height.

Adults will see a plain poster of a boy captioned with “Sometimes child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it.” On the other hand, the version children will see is that of a bruised and battered boy, captioned with “If somebody hurts you, phone us and we’ll help you,” followed by a hotline number.

Hopefully, this can make kids aware of their situation and encourage them to seek help without fear of repercussions from an aggressor.

[via DIY Photography via Laughing Squid]

YouTube held a Brandcast event in New York today for advertisers during which it was revealed that Dreamworks has acquired YouTube network AwesomenessTV, something that the video service says is one of its networks with the most subscribers. During the event, it was also revealed by Neilsen that YouTube trumps all cable networks in the 18 to 34 age range.

In addition to the acquisition announcement that was made at the Brandcast, some information on YouTube’s audience was provided by Nielsen, which revealed that the video service pulls in more viewers in the 18 to 34 age range than any cable network out there, something sure to catch the eye of more than a few advertisers. The aforementioned AwesomenessTV is one such network that helps bolster those numbers.

Perhaps it is for this reason that the ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment revealed plans to buy media from 32 channels on YouTube. Specifically, it has made plans to purchase family-friendly content, though additional information wasn’t provided, such as which content that represents or when the purchase will take place.

The Alliance for Family Entertainment, more commonly called the AFE, is composed of almost 40 advertisers across the nation, all of which, when combined, represent 37-percent of all money spent on TV advertisements in the United States. What all of this boils down to, says YouTube, is the so-called Generation C, which is composed of an audience fully entrenched in social media and content creation, influencing billions of dollars in consumer spending.

[via YouTube Blogspot]

YouTube reaches more young viewers than any cable network, says Nielsen is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Windows Phone has always been left out of the mobile wars, with iOS and Android mainly taking center stage and fighting in the ring. However, Microsoft is using that to their advantage with their latest Windows Phone television ad. The ad pokes fun at the constant iOS vs. Android war by basically saying that you don’t need to fight with other users if you’re using Windows Phone.

The ad takes place at a wedding, where everyone in the audience naturally pops out their smartphones (and tablets, in one instance) to take a picture of the moment. However, this leads to name-calling and sarcastic taunts to other guests. Obviously, an all-out fight ensues as people argue over what the better mobile platform is, while Windows Phone users casually stand there using their Nokia Lumia 920 devices.

Microsoft feeds off of the oft-forgotten mobile platform in the mobile wars, and uses that to their advantage, touting that if you have a Windows Phone device, there’s no need to argue over which mobile platform is the best, because Microsoft argues that you have the best in your hand in the first place.

It seems that more and more companies are aiming their sights at competitors and downplaying the features on these devices rather than market their own products and demo some of the features on their own smartphones and tablets. We get that Microsoft thinks they’re not included in the mobile wars because they’re already the best, but they fail to really list why they’re the best.

Windows Phone ad pokes fun at iOS vs. Android war is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.