Luke Burbank says apparent Microsoft online ad fail was actually a success

Even though Microsoft pulled down a recent ad the Internet declared a failure in a massive backlash, the actor in the ad, who happens to be a former KIRO Radio personality, said he thinks the whole thing was actually a success.

“We really somehow managed to, for better or for worse, make something that the Internet really talked about a lot. So in a way, it was kind of weirdly successful,” Luke Burbank told KIRO Radio host Andrew Walsh.

The ad was a video making fun of what some called an underwhelming announcement from Apple last Tuesday regarding the latest versions of the iPhone. In the video, Burbank and his wife Carey pose as a couple of Apple workers pitching new ways to innovate the popular phone.

“We’re going to give the people what they want, we’re giving them the finger,” said Burbank, followed quickly by actor-wife Carey, saying, “—print, finger-print touch ID.” As one of the features of the new iPhone includes a fingerprint scanner that eliminates the need to enter a passcode for security.

The ad also comments on the new gold color option.

“We made you an iPhone that is the color gold because think about it, everybody loves gold, pirates, leprechauns,” Burbank said, explaining the gold logic in the mock pitch.

Microsoft set the ad to private after negative reviews began piling up online. “Microsoft’s Windows Phone Ads Mocking The iPhone Go Private…Because They Were Terrible,” said a headline on The Huffington Post.

The company issued a statement after pulling down the video saying: “The video was intended to be a light-hearted poke at our friends from Cupertino. But it was off the mark, and we’ve decided to pull it down.”

Burbank said despite the backlash, he doesn’t feel that bad about being a part of the ad.

“I don’t personally feel the criticism is really about me. I think a lot of people just like to hate on Microsoft for some reason,” said Burbank. “I had no idea until I found myself in the eye of the storm how much people like to slam Microsoft at any possible turn and how butt-hurt they get if you dis the beautiful Apple products.”

Although he’s a longtime fan of Apple, Burbank agrees with the tone of Microsoft ad, saying he also didn’t think Apple came out with any mind-blowing improvements on the iPhone this time around.

“Honestly, I did think the announcement was kind of underwhelming. It’s really just the same stuff. Maybe a little faster, and maybe made out of plastic, but there wasn’t anything that was a quantum leap for me.”

If he could do it all over, Burbank said he’d still participate in the making of the ad. He said he really only has one regret about the whole thing.

“I really look fat,” said Burbank. “I just wish I was 20 pounds thinner.”

Luke Burbank is the former host of The Luke Burbank Show on KIRO Radio. He can now be heard daily on his podcast Too Beautiful To Live hosted at KIRORadio.com.