I'm thinking of one campaign in particular that might produce some interesting results. Would Google's YouTube Hot Spots feature suggest that Microsoft's "I'm a PC" ads are effective? Are viewers watching certain parts over and over?

Then again, for this campaign, would it matter?

I've kept my mouth shut about this, but it seems those "I'm a PC" ads are reacting entirely to the wrong thing. Yes, the world of PC users is wonderfully diverse -- that's because nearly everyone already uses a PC.

What are these ads trying to accomplish? The knee-jerk reaction from PC fans -- and I'm talking about folks who will never, ever be swayed by advertising into buying a Mac -- is that the Apple ads have always painted them as, well, nerds. I can imagine Microsoft running into Crispin Porter demanding, RIGHT NOW!, that they do something, anything, to show PC users as anything but nerds. (All other considerations, like trying to bounce back after Vista, aside.) As a result, the PC ads are about the image of the PC user, and likewise, the Windows PC itself.

How did he make the cut?

Fine. But this means they don't address what the Mac ads are actually about: functionality and usefulness. And that's where Microsoft is falling down: Think of how often Justin Long ("I'm a Mac") mentions specific problems with Windows and PCs. Think about how many times Long mentions Vista, in particular.

Apple's competing on features, and Microsoft is competing on image... a battle it lost ages ago.

In fact, it's Microsoft's own market dominance that makes its current campaign so baffling. We're to believe Windows is diverse? Multifaceted? Individualistic? Scrappy? When you're a monolithic software entity with nearly the entire market to yourself, you can't help but produce a product that's going to be viewed as generic -- the baseline against with others (the Mac) are going to be compared. It's no wonder why the Anti-Apple faction sees the "I'm a Mac" ads as vaguely elitist, self-righteous or downright arrogant: that's a common majority view of any group that opts out of the majority.

And yet, it's trying to compete with Apple on image -- like it's the slick, edgy, upstart. Look, it's got Deepak Chopra and Pharrell. Also fish mongers, and a guy with tattoos. Killer! (Wait, how'd the Tron Guy manage to get in there, anyway? Oh, right -- that's supposed to be ironic, of course!)

Microsoft took heat for looking too old-fashioned with its earlier ads featuring a comic legend from the 90s. The new "I'm a PC" ads aren't much better, however: They show Redmond is still living in the past.

YouTube's Hot Spots may identify the most popular parts of the new Microsoft ads, but that won't necessarily equate to a successful campaign unless Microsoft gets its priorities straight. And next time, it ought to do some better due diligence: It doesn't really help when the stars in your ad aren't necessarily committed to your cause. Nor is your agency, apparently.