Microsoft’s Second Seinfeld Ad Reimages Bill Gates
September 13th, 2008
The second installment of Microsoft 
‘s “Seinfeld” campaign launched Thursday night during the reality TV series Big Brother. Like the first commercial in the $300 million campaign staring the well-known comedian Jerry Seinfeld, the spot didn’t discuss Windows.The two-and-a-half-minute ads show Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Seinfeld living with a typical American suburban family in hopes of “connecting with people.” The cast of characters includes three kids, a cranky grandma with many skills, and mom and dad.
“Why are we doing this?” Gates asks Seinfeld. The comedian responds with his trademark humor about how the duo is out of touch with regular people, referring to Gates’ “moon house hovering over Seattle” and his own vehicle collection that causes him to “get stuck in my own traffic.” The bottom line, Seinfeld says, “We need to connect with real people.”
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7 Comments Add your own
1. Jennifer LeClaire | September 13th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I’m not a pr guy, but rather a comedy writers viewpoint–
Saw the ad. Its almost funny. Lots of clever idea but actual laughs? Maybe one. Are Jerry and Bill two regular guys? Yeah, looks like. Do I want clown points at the shoe store? Yes.
But three mil later, does it make me want Vista – not at all.
Its neither good comedy nor a good ad. Spend the money fixing the product, not creating a weak sitcom. One star of 17.
Dave Walbridge
2. Jennifer LeClaire | September 13th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
The only reason the Seinfeld-Microsoft commercials are getting so much attention is because they include hugely famous people backed by a stratospheric ad budget.
The common notion that any publicity is good publicity is nonsense. There’s definitely such a thing as bad publicity.
Just ask Idaho Senator Larry Craig. Apple’s Mac vs PC commercials are brilliant, humorous, and very effective at drivingup Mac sales – which is precisely why Microsoft is desperately throwing $300 million into their new ad campaign.
Microsoft’s ads, while “funny,” are reminiscent of Infinity’s infamous late 80s ad campaign which lamely didn’t include
any photos or information about their cars. The ads miserably failed to launch Infinity, and Infinity has been a perpetual also ran to Lexus.
Unless Microsoft’s future ads can counter Apple’s superior ads and reputation, then the Seinfeld-Microsoft ad campaign could end up being an even bigger bomb than Infinity’s. And if Gates truly believes that Microsoft’s operating system is better than Apple’s, then why is he afraid to say so in his own ads? Earth to Gates: people don’t buy computers based on who makes the funniest ads.
People buy what they hope are the most powerful and reliable computers they can afford. If we want our computers to make us laugh, we’ll go to websites like youtube.com or funnyordie.com!
Scott Smith
President
BizStarz
3. Jennifer LeClaire | September 13th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Still confused, but not skeptical. The campaign is obviously working….look how much we’re also talking/blogging/writing/emailing/tweeting…. about it! LOL Bill and Jerry are LOLing all the way to the bank.
MIssy Blankenship
4. Jennifer LeClaire | September 13th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
While I’m familiar with ‘branding’ political candidates, I’ve no experience on the consumer side of things.
If you want at least one response as a consumer, these commercials are anti-branding the product. In other words, while I am forced to use MS products, these commercials drive me emotionally away from the company itself.
These strike me as horrid commercials that demean a very large and influential company. As I said I’m no commercial branding expert, so this observation may be worth exactly what you paid for it…nothing.
It might be useful to remember that Seinfeld’s show was based entirely on the premise that nothing had to make sense. Neither do these.
Stuart O’Neill
5. Jennifer LeClaire | September 13th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
One additional thought is that you typically wait to launch a big TV campaign like this around the Super Bowl. However, by not waiting, Microsoft save money and differentiates/stands out from the crowd of clever advertisements.
Jason Mudd, AXIA
6. Jennifer LeClaire | September 13th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
It seems that the next big idea from Microsoft has to do with connectivity and getting back to what real people need from them as a product. If the consumer can sit through four and half minutes of extraneous metaphors, they’ll get that.
It works for shock value. It works for creating the “Huh? WTF? Factor” and stirring curiosity. Due to the dry, nerdy humor of Gates, the commercials are even working to make Microsoft more likeable. But we have yet to see how these commercials will translate into ubiquity
Li Sapp-Weaver, Director of Branding for 720 PR
7. Jennifer LeClaire | September 13th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Well, it seems the second ad follows through on what I thought was appropriate for MSFT to do in a broader macro-marketing level (per my email to you last week, see below reference to “connecting with customers”), but it’s all rather tongue in cheek obviously. It’s a bit of a self-mocking ad — entertaining to some and absurd nonsense to others, I suspect.
So. They’re finally making the effort to speak with customers directly. The next question strategic communicator types would ask, logically, is what are they saying? I think that’s where this spot isn’t exactly delivering. Yet anyway. Not sure what they’re building to, if anything. Maybe they’re just trying to raise their hipness quotient vis a vis Apple. Not sure, but whatever the attempt, they have a ways to go.
My humble take on it at any rate.
Sedef Onder
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