Microsoft Cancels Anti-Palm Ad Campaign

Posted By: Ed Thursday, February 1, 2001 2:07:34 PM

After ten months, Microsoft has decided to cancel its controversial "Can Your Palm Do That?" advertising campaign. "No major brand has succeeded by solely playing off the competition," says Tim Maleeny, director of strategic development at ad agency Publicis & Hal Riney, a unit of Publicis. "Microsoft's campaign reinforced the notion that they were late to the game." Instead, the company will begin a series of advertisements that will highlight the PocketPC's wireless capabilities. "It's time now for the Pocket PC to establish itself on its own," says Phil Holden, marketing director of Microsoft's mobile-devices division. "Our 'Can your Palm do that?' campaign suggested that the Pocket PC and Palms were similar. Now we’re going to stand on what the Pocket PC can do and not what the Palms can't do."

Palm is also gearing up for a new marketing drive. According to Satjiv Chahil, Palm’s chief marketing officer, the company will begin runing ads in mid-February that emphasize the Palm VIIx. Until now, Palm has held back pushing the VII series because of limited supplies of the device.

You can read more about this on MSNBC.

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hehehe

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/1/2001 2:12:42 PM #

In actuality, the "Can your Palm do that" simply does not fit with a wireless PPC ad campaign, seeing as us Palmers have had wireless for nearly a year in advance of PPC.

can your palm show an hourglass icon

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/1/2001 3:06:18 PM #

Can your palm crash?
Can your palm suck your battery dry in 4 hours?
Can your palm suck all your money out of your wallet?
Can your palm take 14% market share?

RE: can your palm show an hourglass icon

PMYirrell @ 2/1/2001 3:20:32 PM #

Can your Palm become unusable when in daylight
Does your Palm need a 200MHz processor
Does your Palm need 32 Mb RAM
Does your Palm need reinforced jacket pockets?!
Do you wish for a shotgun when your palm won't work?

RE: can your palm show an hourglass icon

scaught @ 2/1/2001 4:03:17 PM #

do you need any more windoze in your life?

RE: can your palm show an hourglass icon

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/1/2001 4:36:41 PM #

...Yes! Many times

...Visor Prism gets 6 hours...is that close enough for you?

...Yes!!! Palm Vx= $400 Prism= $450 soon to be released color Palm M505= $635...yah, my Palm sucks money big time!

...Yes, Handspring can! Only 14%

---------------------------

Bottom line, use what you like, but Pocket PC has many advantages over Palm devices..especially thier displays which have a higher resolution and are a hell of a lot easier to read. Add to that list MP3 music, web browser, ebook reader, and the fact that Compaq is mopping the floor with color Palm devices....yah, they are pretty cool. After 3 years, Palm devices are just a little boring for my tastes.

RE: can your palm show an hourglass icon

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/1/2001 4:51:55 PM #

the m505 is projected to cost $635 US dollars IN FRANCE. Palm handhelds cost more overseas and the m505 will most likely go for 450-500 in the US.

RE: can your palm show an hourglass icon

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/2/2001 3:16:09 AM #

$450 for a Palm m505 that has a built in sd slot, 16bit color and much improved screen, state of the art lithium polymer rechargable battery that will most likely improve battery life even further... Yup, pretty dull gee, I guess I'll just have to get a PPC.

Hmmm, the iPaq looks nice... hmmm $499? not bad. It's sleek and nice looking.
What's that if I want to expand it I need a "jacket" which will make it bigger AND heavier?!? It costs $150 BEFORE I get the memory card etc?
Sounds like a great deal!
I could go on, but do we really need to compare apples with fish sticks?

RE: can your palm show an hourglass icon

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/2/2001 4:11:44 AM #

hourglass icon?
there is no hourglass icon on pocket pc.
unless you open an 40K HTML file with pics.
but, can your palm do this?

RE: can your palm show an hourglass icon

PMYirrell @ 2/2/2001 12:57:56 PM #

I didn't think Palm OS even HAS an hourglass!!

Speaking of spending...

Springboarder @ 2/1/2001 9:25:08 PM #

In my opinion, this devices are correctly named for where they'll spend most of their time. My Prism spends a great deal of time being useful in my palm! I'd bet that if I bought another fine machine with a lesser OS, it'd spend it's time in my pocket instead.

CE VS. Palm OS

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/1/2001 9:20:46 PM #

I would love to see that the future holds for Palm OS 4.0 - I have had three Palms (IIIe, Vx that was stolen, and a visod DLX) and one CE 2.1 handheld (uniden) and the CE handheld was nice cause the modem was built in but THAT WAS IT. the fastest palm (I had) was 16Mhz VS. 40Mhz (I think) and my paln NEVER laged. No hourglass. Don't get me wrong, if I had the money to spend RIGHT NOW, the iPaq would be the winner. But I think Palm has something up their sleeve and I'm waiting to see that. It takes Microsoft about 3 times to get something right, P/PC is the third CE OS and being a Palm user I think they did a good job on it (No CE bashing here). Not to say that some apps don't crash the Palm, I stuck with Palm because I have had LESS problems with it.

can your palm do this

The Piloteer @ 2/8/2001 10:21:14 AM #

Instead of utilizing sarcasim, like my fellow Palmers here, I would just like to come right out and say it: I HATE WindowsCeeEee and PocketPeeCees!!! It's nothing more than a bulky, incompatible-with-the-rest-of-us, chopped-down version of Windows 95.

I have, and am currently writing from, a Palm IIIc. I love the color and could not live without it. But everytime I see a PocetPC, I simple scoff @ it and turn to pay homage to the nearest Prism (kutos to all the Prism users out there).

I am not a hateful person. I love any PDA which uses PalmOS. But when I see a PocketPC running WindowsCE, I want to take Thor's hammer (or Roland's sword ;-) ) and smash it, doing the world a great dead.

Now if you'll exuse me, I have to get up out of bed and get dressed... :-P