Microsoft is describing the latest installment in its "I'm a PC" ad campaign as a real-world account of a recent college grad's quest for a new computer -- ending triumphantly when she picks an inexpensive Windows PC over a higher-priced Mac. But if it is completely true to life, a closer look at the scene outside the Apple store reveals something very weird.
As "Lauren" walks into the store, a man is walking past the door wearing a jacket and jeans, with a camera hanging from his shoulder. The scene then quickly cuts to Lauren walking out of the store -- supposedly after investigating the available Macs -- and the same man is still walking by the store, his hand in exactly the same position, just a few paces ahead of where he was when she went in.
Now, it's possible that this is all on the up-and-up. Maybe the man was pacing in front of the door, waiting for his wife to buy an iPod. Maybe Apple employees are just that fast at explaining the MacBook pricing structure. Or maybe there's some other explanation.
But watching that part of the video, it's hard to escape the feeling that the ad was something less than a straight-up, by-the-book account of Lauren's search for a new computer. In fact, the scene feels more like a mistake involving an extra in a movie or TV show. Normally, that would be fine in an advertisement, of course, but the positioning of this ad as real life makes it different.
The company has said Lauren is an actress and office manager who responded to a Craigslist ad to be videotaped on her hunt for a computer, but she wasn't aware until the end of the process that she would be in a Microsoft ad. Microsoft declined earlier today to make her available for an interview.
I've asked the company to provide an explanation of the mystery man in the scene, and I'll update this post depending on the response. Here's the full video again if you want to watch the scene in real time.
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