Microsoft's "Laptop Hunter" Redhead Outed as Actress; You're Surprised?

Microsoft's latest ad campaign emphasizes, as I said, the so-called "Apple Tax." Called "Laptop Hunters," it's supposed to use "real people," according to Microsoft. Thing is, in the L.A. area, "real people" often translates into actors and actresses.

Thus, we have the case of "Lauren," the first person featured in the new "Laptop Hunters" series. Besides being outed as an actress named Lauren DeLong with a fairly extensive acting career (not so much on IMDB's site as her own).

Here's how her site talks about the Microsoft spot:

"In the beginning of March, Lauren DeLong booked what she thought was a "Market and Research" job regarding laptops. But that's not all she booked...actually Lauren found out they were shooting a national commercial! Tears, laughter and excitement greeted this new development."

Seriously, it is possible that a) this could be her big break, b) she really didn't know that it was a commercial at first, c) Microsoft didn't do enough research on her.

My take on the criticisms:

• Did you really think she wasn't an actress?
• Of course she went to the Apple Store first; what kind of ad (or story) would it be if she went to the "happy ending" first?
• Granted, she may not have bought an optimal laptop, but I know I can find a laptop for under $1,000 with wireless-N, a dual-core Intel CPU, as well as fixing all the other complaints of critics without much difficulty; I've done it recently for a friend.

No matter what, this is the first successful Microsoft ad in some time, meaning an ad that's actually generated buzz, both positive and negative. While people can argue about Lauren being an actress and the HP Pavilion she selected being lame, the truth of the matter is, there is a big difference in pricing between Macs and PCs.

Watch Lauren's ad: