Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates Hit Prime Time
By Kyle Austin
September 5th, 2008
By Kyle Austin
The much-ballyhoed Microsoft ad featuring Jerry Seinfeld finally hit the air last night during NBC’s coverage of the 2008 NFL opener between the Giants and Redskins. The ad, which featured Jerry and Bill Gates at the “Shoe Circus” marked the kick-off of a new $300 million ad campaign aimed to overhaul Microsoft and Window’s ”boring” image. Early speculation on the campaign, including the front page piece in the Wall Street Journal on August 21, described the overarching theme to be “Windows not Walls.”
Those early reports seem to be close at least. Microsoft, which simultaneously launched the Seinfeld video online , has positioned the theme of the campaign on its Website as ”Your World Through Windows.”
However, last night’s commercial (which lasted 90 seconds) didn’t even mention Windows and hardly touched on Microsoft. Appropriately, featuring the co-creator and star of the “show about nothing,” it essentially was an advertisement about nothing.
Most of the early reaction around the blogosphere has been negative, with edgy bloggers failing to latch on to the somewhat dry humor. At least they have the bloggers buzzing though, right?
What’s your thoughts? Did Microsoft just waste $10 million on Jerry (his contract for the campaign)?
Entry Filed under: Branding & Advertising
4 Comments Add your own
1. Ben Haber | September 5th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
The length of time it showed them walking through the parking lot seemed like eternity. I thought the commercial might never end.
2. ChangeAgentDes | September 5th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Gates didn’t come across nearly as well he has on Larry King and many other places. This was all Jerry and it was Jerry not at his best. If they give Gates some real material (and not just adjusting shorts) they would both do better.
3. Kyle Austin | September 5th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Have to agree. The script wasn’t very good. Where is Larry David when you need him?
4. David Blomstrom | September 6th, 2008 at 8:28 am
This ad is utterly unfunny, unwitty and astoundingly stupid. In other words, it’s the perfect ad for Microsoft, a corporation that’s amazingly corrupt and stupid.
The only thing they left out is the sound effect added to the end of THIS VERSION.
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To learn more about the computer revolution’s equivalent of Michael Jackson, check out my Bill Gates “knol.”
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