$10M for Jerry Seinfeld May — or May Not — Help Microsoft
August 22nd, 2008
Microsoft will pay comedian Jerry Seinfeld $10 million to advertise its Windows Vista operating system. In all, the campaign, which includes a series of ads featuring Seinfeld and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, will cost $300 million.Based on the theme “Windows Not Walls,” the series aims to shed a more favorable light on Windows Vista. Launched by Microsoft’s new ad agency, Miami-based Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the campaign is set to debut Sept. 4 and will be one of Microsoft’s largest ad blitzes. Crispin is credited with turning around Burger King’s image.
But will it work? That depends on whom you ask. Some public-relations pros think it’s a slam dunk. Others say it’s all in the execution. Still others say Seinfeld won’t reach the right demographic.
Entry Filed under: Hot off the Press
5 Comments Add your own
1. Jennifer LeClaire | August 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 pm
It depends on who Microsoft is hoping to hit with these ads. I see the largest hit to their current product adoption is from the younger Demo who are switching to the Mac platform and Linux (newer budget computers are coming pre-loaded with Linux based OSs now).
Seinfeld is a comedian who’s show ended 10 years ago. If Microsoft is hoping to hit the 18-25 demo, they have backed the wrong horse. There are plenty of “Cooler” more culturally relevant comedians that could add the flavor to the Microsoft products to compete on the MAC level.
If MS is trying to maintain their dominance in the business world and hit the 26-45 demo, it could be a good choice for them. However, Seinfeld has never been a “Cool” guy so it really depends on how they use him in the new spots. If they were to flip it and do ads where Seinfeld represented a “Pretentious Mac User” they may have something.
In the business adoption of their products, it is really based on supporting software applications. As so many software packages are becoming open source, web enabled or web only – it means more flexibility and choice in operating systems. Now is the time for MS to say, “We are better, and cooler, more flexible than MAC and here is why” or “If MACs were so great, why are they pretending to be PCs?” approach. MAC ads were edgy and PC ads were staid and flat. The Gates Company need to come out swinging in order to maintain their slipping market share.
Seinfeld is not the “Ambassador of Cool and Edgy” and may not be able to effectively back that message.
Tony Mannor
President/CEO
Andermahr & Company
Tony@andermahrketing.com
2. Jennifer LeClaire | August 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
My names is Kevin Stirtz, the Amazing Service Guy.
My prediction: the Seinfeld ads will not have much impact on what people think of Microsoft.
Here’s why:
My expertise is customer loyalty and loyalty is based on what people think of a company. What they think of a company is largely based on their experiences with it. I called these POEs (points of experience).
Advertising and marketing can influence what people think about a company but it needs to be in ALIGNMENT with how the company behaves, how they do things and how they treat people.
A company’s reputation is built on what they do, not what they say.
So even though Jerry Seinfeld will make people laugh with some entertaining commercials, that alone will not change how people think and feel about MS. Because it will not change how MS actually does things.
If the Seinfeld ads accompanied big changes in the culture and operations of MS then they might help influence what we think about the company. But I don’t see that happening.
Kevin Stirtz
The Amazing Service Guy
http://www.AmazingServiceGuy.com
952-212-4681
3. Jennifer LeClaire | August 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Whatever it is that Microsoft is trying to achieve by using Jerry Seinfeld and the other celebrities in their new Vista campaign, they have already achieved one thing: attracting publicity. And that’s half the battle won. Because Microsoft has been drowned out of the Apple-dominated conversation for the past year or so.
- Will it succeed? Well, putting celebrities in ads is no longer the automatic home run that it was 20 years ago (see: Gap). Some of the reason for that is that the consumer - particularly the younger one - is a heck of a lot more savvy than they once were. They aren’t under any misguided impression that a celebrity endorsement is either real or meaningful. They make up their own minds. That’s some of the reason that the Apple ads work so well: people don’t view them as “hard sell”, but rather as a funny, approachable way of presenting true information. It allows them to make up their own minds.
- So the question may not be whether Jerry Seinfeld - the celebrity - is the right approach, but whether he’s going to be saying something that consumers are interested in hearing. Will he allow Microsoft to enter the conversation again? Can he make them relevant?
Vikki Garrod, Head of Brand Strategy at Mortar http://www.mortaragency.com/agency/index.shtml
4. Jennifer LeClaire | August 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 pm
It will draw from the non-hip crowd, slow-adopters. Not their best move for $10m. iPod and iPhone have the Gen X, Y, and Zers. Do they intend on built-in obsolescence not only of Windows but also of the entire brand?
Lin Ennis
Sedona Marketing Maven
www.LetYourMortgageMakeYouRich.com
5. Jennifer LeClaire | August 23rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Curiosity. Which I think bodes well for Microsoft, because I don’t think I’m alone. What’s he going to do? What’s he going to come up with? True, he’s been out of the mainstream for a bit, and while Bee Movie didn’t do well, it was different for him and the trailers were pretty funny. And he did a funny stint on 30 Rock that was a little different too. So what he has been doing isn’t standard stuff. What that means is I think that people will be very curious to see what he does. And while I don’t connect him with technology at all, it’s irrelevant really. His whole act is about human behavior, and that’s where I’d expect he’ll go with anything he does. The issue becomes will he do something worthy of my curiosity? If the spots are unfunny or uninteresting, or in any way typical, they’ll lay a huge egg. My guess though is that Microsoft gave him free reign to do whatever he wants, as they should. No other reason to use him. So, I will be one of likely many people to actually search for the spots online once they come out so I can see the whole campaign. Seinfeld is a great comedian. This will be like a new release. A guaranteed home run? Not at all. But a guy I’d be excited about having at the plate. I for one, as well as Microsoft no doubt, hope he doesn’t bomb.
That’s my two cents.
Jay Nelson
Creative Director/Principal
Sprague Nelson Advertising
119 Braintree Street
Suite 505
Boston, MA 02134
w: 617-782-6300 ext 301
c: 617-640-7530
f: 617-830-0338
jay@spraguenelson.com
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