# Vicious Competitor Attack Ads The Microsoft Office 365 'Gmail Man' Ad is Vicious and Direct By Jordan Sowunmi | Published 2011-07-30 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gmail-man References: [mashable](http://mashable.com/2011/07/29/microsoft-gmail-man/) & [microsoft](http://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/office365/online-software.aspx) The new [Microsoft](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/slashnext) Office 365 'Gmail Man' commercial is an unrelentingly attack on [Google's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/datadriven-marketing) perceived propensity for privacy invasion. The Office 365 'Gmail Man' ad features a man dressed as a mailman, participating in the real-life actualization of Google's email snooping and direct marketing. We see the 'Gmail Man' as he sticks his nose inside mail and starts picking out key words, as well as offer solutions to 'problems' or conflicts discussed in the email. In a particularly comic moment, he is confronted by a child who seems to know that what the 'Gmail Man' is doing is wrong, but he brushes her off with ease. While most users, myself included, don't seem to find Gmail's [email content based, direct marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/manage-subscriptions-view) egregious enough to warrant an account switch, the Office 365 'Gmail Man' ad showcases a captivating reason for why we should. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.9/10 - Popularity: 33% | Activity: 77% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Commercials](https://www.trendhunter.com/commercials) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Privacy-invasive Ad Campaigns:** Companies are using aggressive advertising tactics to call out their competitors' privacy practices, creating an opportunity for disruptive innovation in privacy-focused technologies. - **Personification of Competitors:** Brands are personifying their competitors in advertising to create memorable and relatable characters, offering an opportunity to develop unique marketing campaigns. - **Entertaining Attack Ads:** Companies are creating entertaining attack ads to attract attention and differentiate themselves from their competitors, presenting a potential opportunity for disruptive innovation in creative marketing strategies. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Technology:** The technology industry can capitalize on privacy-focused innovations and unique advertising campaigns to stand out in a crowded market. - **Marketing:** Innovative marketing agencies can create captivating campaigns that personify brands and entertain audiences to successfully differentiate clients from their competitors. - **Advertising:** Agencies that specialize in creating bold and entertaining ad campaigns can respond to this trend by developing more creative ad concepts that capture viewers' attention. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Auction-Inspired Technology Commercials](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/apple-data-auction-commercial.md) - [Email Outreach Programs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cold-email-outreach.md) - [Dystopian AI Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/anthropic-super-bowl.md) - [Short Film-Inspired Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-underdogs.md) - [Cheeky Wireless Service Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nada-yada-yada.md) - [Marketer-Targeted Cereal Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/out-of-home-campaign.md) - [Cinematic Video Game Spots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/droga5s-wake-up.md) - [Villainous Board Game Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/monopoly-all-is-fair.md) - [User-Friendly Email Privacy Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/email-protection.md)