Arizona Willie
Active Member
Yeah, but which Surface sells for $499?
My Surface Pro cost me double that.
My Surface Pro cost me double that.
New Surface Ad
- Thread starter TeknoBlast
- Start date
Wayne Orwig
Active Member
As corny as the original ads were, I believe they had value. They were 'in your face' and got you to look. Admit it, we all looked.
When I first showed my Surface and attached the magnetic keyboard, everyone knew what that sound was.
Now that they have people's attention, they can get down to business.
When I first showed my Surface and attached the magnetic keyboard, everyone knew what that sound was.
Now that they have people's attention, they can get down to business.
J515OP
Super Moderator
I must say I like the commercial vs. Apple one a lot. Reminiscent of Samsung's ads but Samsung attacks the Apple users and this show the differences in the devices. MS doesn't need to go around bashing Apple and Android (like the Windows Phone commercial. Is that MS or Nokia) but they do need to get people thinking differently about what MS tablets bring to the table.
mitchellvii
Well-Known Member
I hate these ads because they show the Surface actually doing something useful. More dancing and kickstand clunking!
rubaxter
Member
Dropped by Best Buy today to look for USB headsets, and tried to use the Surfaces on display for search of items that should have been in stock.
- Nobody there with the slightest interest as a salesperson in the Surfaces; at least one couple wandered there, but no response from staff. BTW, that couple wanted a tablet that she could take and do work-related business on, which is right on target for a Surface.
- Hardware was nearly non-functional and no snap on keyboards were present to highlight one of the key features of the package
- Canned display software was infantile, at best, for a tablet that should sell based on Real Life Work capabilities in addition to normal tablet media consumption features
- Search was ABYSMALLY slow, and often failed to even pull up a complete/usable Bing page, much less actually load a Search Results page
AND,
Right next door the Apple iPads were spitting out search results, had interested salespersons waiting on people, and obviously had many browses based on the apps actually running.
I know there were a lot of apps running because I finally gave up on the Surfaces and switched to the iPads to do my in-store searches. I closed numerous apps before starting my Safari searches, which completed with only minimal delays.
This is where the couple that browsed the Surfaces ended up talking to a salesperson at some length about the add-on business capabilities of the iPad that really can't hold a candle to the Surface.
As I said, this was not in an Apple Store, or affiliate, but in a big box merchandiser.
AND, AND,
Right down the lane was the brand new Samsung special display area, providing people with interested sales staff for a variety of hardware, including tablets.
This is the same situation I've observed in several stores up and down the East Coast, during travels and vacations.
A new advert campaign won't help sell anything when the in-store experience in the high volume stores might just as well be bricked up in a basement alcove.
NOBODY BUYS BECAUSE NOBODY KNOWS, EVEN THE SALES STAFF!!
- Nobody there with the slightest interest as a salesperson in the Surfaces; at least one couple wandered there, but no response from staff. BTW, that couple wanted a tablet that she could take and do work-related business on, which is right on target for a Surface.
- Hardware was nearly non-functional and no snap on keyboards were present to highlight one of the key features of the package
- Canned display software was infantile, at best, for a tablet that should sell based on Real Life Work capabilities in addition to normal tablet media consumption features
- Search was ABYSMALLY slow, and often failed to even pull up a complete/usable Bing page, much less actually load a Search Results page
AND,
Right next door the Apple iPads were spitting out search results, had interested salespersons waiting on people, and obviously had many browses based on the apps actually running.
I know there were a lot of apps running because I finally gave up on the Surfaces and switched to the iPads to do my in-store searches. I closed numerous apps before starting my Safari searches, which completed with only minimal delays.
This is where the couple that browsed the Surfaces ended up talking to a salesperson at some length about the add-on business capabilities of the iPad that really can't hold a candle to the Surface.
As I said, this was not in an Apple Store, or affiliate, but in a big box merchandiser.
AND, AND,
Right down the lane was the brand new Samsung special display area, providing people with interested sales staff for a variety of hardware, including tablets.
This is the same situation I've observed in several stores up and down the East Coast, during travels and vacations.
A new advert campaign won't help sell anything when the in-store experience in the high volume stores might just as well be bricked up in a basement alcove.
NOBODY BUYS BECAUSE NOBODY KNOWS, EVEN THE SALES STAFF!!
Last edited:
Russ
Active Member
JP --
There is no exception to the rule that we all regard ourselves as marketing experts. The problem is that we, in this forum, are a very narrow segment of the target market. Back when I had to care about that stuff, I found, almost invariably, that the ads that I personally liked the least usually had the highest response rates. My solution for that problem was to delegate the ad responsibility and just watch the sales curve and the net income. Sometimes you just gotta do what you're good at.
Take care,
Russ
mitchellvii
Well-Known Member
BestBuy staff never has any clue.
Russ
Active Member
It's an "expectations thang," Mitchell. When you, or for that matter, most anyone in this forum, walks in to a general merchandise store like Best Buy, the odds are high that you will know more about computers than the sales associate who serves you. And, if your attitude precedes you, you probably won't get good service, either. Most people don't like to be made to feel small or dumb. If they were as smart as you, they probably wouldn't be working at Best Buy for a few bucks an hour.
It may surprise you to know that Best Buy is one of the highest ranked retailers for customer-centered service. Given the turmoil they have had in the last few years, I think it astonishing that they have been able to maintain that rating.
A little story for you, Mitchell:
A ferry boat operator was approached by a man who wanted to go to the town across the river. He asked the ferryman, "What are the people like over there?"
The ferryman responded, "What were the people like where you came from?"
The prospective passenger said, "They were the meanest, nastiest, most self-centered people I ever saw."
The ferryman replied, "I expect that you will find the people over there pretty much the same."
Later in the day, another man came along seeking passage, and he, too, asked the ferryman, "What are the people like over there?"
The ferryman responded, "What were the people like where you came from?"
The passenger replied, "Nicest bunch of people you would ever want to meet -- generous, kind and always ready to help someone who needs it."
The ferryman replied, "I expect that you will find the people over there pretty much the same."
Be well,
Russ
mitchellvii
Well-Known Member
I didn't say the BestBuy staff isn't nice, I said they are stupid.
Case in point, stop by the BestBuy computer department tomorrow and ask one of the "Specialists" what they think about the Haswell CPU and you will get a textbook blank stare. Their entire technical training consists of learning the phrase, "This is a..."
Case in point, stop by the BestBuy computer department tomorrow and ask one of the "Specialists" what they think about the Haswell CPU and you will get a textbook blank stare. Their entire technical training consists of learning the phrase, "This is a..."
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