UPDATED 00:28 EDT / OCTOBER 15 2015

NEWS

Microsoft, Intel, OEMs to launch PC advertising blitz

In an effort to kick-start sales in the flagging PC industry and spur faster adoption of Windows 10, Microsoft is teaming up with the world’s top three PC makers – Lenovo Group Ltd., Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. – plus silicon chip giant Intel in a new advertising campaign which is said to be the first cross-vendor effort of its kind.

Themed around the question “PC Does Whaaat?” the new, sweeping campaign will launch a three-pronged assault on potential PC-buyers across TV, print media and the Web, Re/Code reported.

It’s no secret that the above companies could all benefit from selling a few more PCs (just look at Intel’s latest financial results). The most recent market forecast from analyst firm Gartner Inc. warns that PC shipments will decline by 5.3 percent to 214 million units in 2015, and no doubt that’s part of the motivation behind this new, unified ad campaign.

In previous years, Microsoft and Intel have subsidized the greater part of the PC industry’s advertising campaigns owing to their big profit margins. But in the past they’ve usually worked with PC makers on a one-on-one basis, rather than working as a group.

Re/Code says the campaign will run simultaneously in both the U.S. and China, with the aim of showing people how the latest machines running Windows 10 can do so much more than their current PCs. This fits in with an earlier move by Intel, which said its newest silicon chip was primarily targeted at the 500 million PC owners out there whose machines are five or more years old. One focus of the campaign will be the versatility and flexibility of the new breed of Windows 10 machines.

Microsoft has already teased some of its followers on Twitter about the upcoming campaign:

Re/Code says the campaign has been in the works for a while – in fact, it’s said to predate the announcement of Microsoft’s Surface Book – a device that’s reportedly caused concern among PC makers that Redmond is looking to steal business from them.

No doubt, the new campaign is one way Microsoft is hoping to placate its partners.

The “PC Does Whaaat?” campaign is set to be launched tomorrow at a special webcast event.

Photo Credit: WolfGrid via Compfight cc

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