For a long time, Mac-users have looked at using a Mac as an extension of their own identity. They use a Mac because that’s the kind of person they are. This has been true for a long time, but it had always been a small, elite, and generally nerdy part of the population that partook in that identity.

What Apple’s more recent marketing has (very successfully) done is redefined who is encompassed by that Mac identity, redefined who a Mac user is, into something with way more mass-market appeal, particularly among young people.

Then we had the Mac vs PC ads. These took the identity thing a step further. (I’m going to delve into a bit of Communication theory here, so bear with me.) There are roughly 4 factors that lead to identification with an organization, but the Mac vs. PC ads focus on one of them specifically: out-groups. With an organization or group, there are those who are a part of the group and those who are not. If you give a name to the out-group, it highlights what makes the in-group different, what sets them apart from the out-group. It also solidifies what defines the in-group and makes the members of the in-group more homogeneous, more like each other.

The Mac vs PC ads said: this is what PCs are, this is how Mac is different. Explicitly stating those differences caused people who used Macs to all the more strongly internalize that Mac identity. It encouraged them to make Macs not just something they use, but a part of who they are.

Now, Windows has been dominant for so long because Windows is what everyone uses. Windows, for a long, long time, was synonymous with computers, particularly in the business world. That had very little to do with the individual user’s sense of identity. It was about utility. You used Windows because that’s what you use.

So then we have the Mac vs PC ads, which didn’t really challenge the utility thing, focusing on this cultural identity stuff. And then we have Vista, which put a serious dent into the utility argument.

Which brings us to “I’m a PC.” Now, this is actually brilliant marketing and I have to say I’m really impressed by the ad campaign. They’ve taken that utility aspect, the fact that Windows/Microsoft is a part of everyone’s lives, from business to entertainment, and made that a central part of this Identity-based campaign. They’re saying, Windows is a part of your world, your work, your play. The ads are saying Windows is a part of you and your life.

And the cool thing is, unlike the Mac ads which have focused on this young hipster image, Windows has positioned itself as the platform not just for the young and hip, but for everybody. The “I’m a PC” ads are saying, Windows is going to meet your individual needs, whatever they might be. It suggests a personal relationship with each individual, rather than Mac’s focus on just this one type of person.

So yeah. Overall, I really, really like the campaign. It’s brilliant marketing focused on the ways that Windows can develop individual relationships with each of its customers to meet their individual needs. Relationship marketing is really cool stuff, and I hope more companies follow suit with this approach.

Although one of my favorite things I saw this week was a Macbook with a “I am a PC” sticker over the apple symbol.