OpenOffice.org does a drive-by on Microsoft

ffreeloader · Jul 23, 2006

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Some people might think this is a curious place to put this, but I had to laugh when I first read it. I found it hilarious so I put it here in the Just for Laughs forum.

OpenOffice.org does a drive-by on Microsoft
I've started taking mass transit to work recently, and when I arrive in Bellevue - a stone's throw away from Redmond - I see these ads on, and inside, the buses:

They're advertising OpenOffice, a free, open-source office software suite from Sun Microsystems. Other slogans include, "Stop giving a bully your lunch money", "Compatible with expensive, closed, memory loving software", and "Prehistoric reptilians welcome."

One key to creating memorable, effective ads is the element of surprise, and seeing these very aggressive shots at Microsoft posted on buses in the heart of Microsoft's turf is certainly surprising.

But who's the intended audience? Well, let's see...we're savvy enough to understand jokes about us-opolies and prehistoric reptilians. We're young and hip, or like to think that we are. We're undaunted by the geekspeak that we find at the URL in the ads. And we live and/or work in or around Redmond.

Maybe this is crazy talk, but I get the idea that these ads are aimed primarily at Microsoft employees. They're like propaganda leaflets dropped over enemy territory. Sun isn't trying to win customers, it's trying to demoralize the enemy!
Click to expand...

You can read the rest of this short article along with links from MS employees who have commented on these ads in their blogs here on thenewmarketing.com website.

All I can really say is that OpenOffice.org must have finally decided that what is good for the goose is good for the gander too....

Bluerinse · Aug 25, 2006

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LOL that is classic, and fair game to Sun for giving Microsoft one in the eye

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OpenOffice.org does a drive-by on Microsoft

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