We have all grown accustomed to eye-popping technological innovation and elegant design from Apple.  That their advertising is also creative, funny, and very effective is just icing on the cake.  Over the last 25 years, starting with the iconic “1984” ad, Apple has been as innovative in their brand and product advertising as they have been in computer hardware and software, music devices, and mobile phones.  Their current campaign, which has been running since 2006 features John Hodgeman representing “nerdy” PCs (and the Windows operating system) and Justin Long representing “cool” Macs.   Wonderful, funny, effective stuff.

But, that was then and this is now.  The most recent entry in the long-running series depicts “PC” promising that this time Microsoft has finally gotten their new Windows 7 operating system right and fixed the well-known glitches of the Vista system.  “Mac” reminds “PC” that we’ve heard this before from Microsoft as “PC” reprises earlier promised improvements and regresses through the years right before our eyes.  Funny stuff.

But wait.  It’s bullshit.  By all accounts, Windows 7 is a huge improvement on Vista and a very worthy competitor with the Mac’s Snow Leopard operating system.  No less a trusted source (and Mac lover) than the Wall Street Journal’s Walter Mossberg has written,  “Now, however, it’s much more of a toss-up between the two rivals. Windows 7 beats the Mac OS in some areas, such as better previews and navigation right from the taskbar, easier organization of open windows on the desktop and touch-screen capabilities. So Apple will have to scramble now that the gift of a flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows.”

CNET, Gizmodo, and David Pogue, among many others, have also heaped praise on Microsoft’s new system.  In other words, Apple is making a blatantly misleading claim in their advertising.   So, who expects advertising to be fair and accurate?  Mac users, that’s who.  The image created by Long as “Mac” is deliberately cool,  understated, and straightforward.  He wonderfully represents the Apple brand conveying important attributes including honesty and transparency.  Apple is not just a brand; it is a cult.  And, members of that cult expect something different from “their” company.

So, What Was Apple Thinking?  How can such a smart company do such a dumb thing?

For starters, as Mossberg pointed out, Apple has a serious problem on their hands.  Microsoft has many huge structural advantages over Apple yet Apple has managed to steal market share in recent years largely because of their superior operating systems.  Remove that advantage and Apple will need a whole new strategy for competing with Microsoft.  If PCs offer the same (or better) experience as Macs for significantly less cost, it’s not hard to imagine what the result will be.

Coming up with another clever ad in a log-running and very successful series is a lot easier than coming up with a new corporate strategy.  And, attacking the already tarnished credibility of Microsoft is a lot easier than attacking the merits of a much-praised competitive product.

But that is a very short-sighted strategy.  For one thing, it has little chance of success.  Apple’s audience for these ads is very technologically savvy.   And, they have ready access to tons of reliable information about Windows 7.  And, word-of-mouth, whether real or viral, is going to be more powerful than any amount of paid advertising.  And, the culture of Apple’s target audience is one of transparency and genuineness and they expect as much from Apple.  And, finally, Apple is just forestalling the inevitable – they are going to have to find a way to gain market share against a much-improved competitor.  Might as well get cracking on that now and drop the phony ads.