Jerry Seinfeld's Microsoft Ad Premieres (VIDEO)

During NBC's NFL broadcast Thursday night of the Giants v. the Redskins the new Microsoft ad featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates debuted. Last month news broke Seinfeld would be participating in the $300 million campaign for a fee of about $10 million.

Watch:

Comments

[shallm]

I love this ad. This is very good, funny and honest ad.

I think what people are irritated by is a blunt and cynical admission by Microsoft that
MS spent 6 billion dollars to develop the product that does not have any value. The rumours are that it took 10,000 employees about five years and 6 billion dollars to ship Vista.

This ad honestly says: "Yes, we developed product about nothing, we developed products without any substance or purpose. Vista, Shmista, XP, whateva, we are here to kill time, and you stupid people are paying for it."

"Vista enterprises" is perfect example of what is wrong with our economy. It became self-perpetuating cycle of money laundering operation. We create money by moving money from one place to another without any human purpose to it.

In the name of stimulation of economy we create useless products. In the name of stimulation of economy we are starting useless war. Then we hide poverty of US population by giving credit to poor people. We give people fake money " fake credit, than we take this money from people"s pockets directly " their tax money. Sadbutfunny.

How did we get here? Very simple.
America is the only culture on the planet that believes that money is a goal of human life. Maybe this is why we feel that we do not have life? Because we do not have life " we need new shoes? New shoes from Jerry and Bill.

Cuteandfunny!

[cabinboy]

Not one mention of all those Macs in his apartment on the show...?

[GQTaste]

Ten milion for that? Larry David was the true genius of that duo.

[jennbeez]

I finally caught the commercial tonight. I don't really understand why Bill Gates made a commercial for Shoe Circus, but I guess it made sense when they wrote it.

[GretaR]

I must admit that my first impression when I saw this on tv was disappointment in the producers for having Jerry Seinfeld sell _leather_ shoes, and disappointment in Jerry (playing himself) for going along with the script point. Unless this widely reported factoid of Jerry being a veg*n are not true, in which case I would expect no better. And, it would not have caught my attention except for that.

I mean really, was it so important to the point of this commercial that the shoes be leather? Jerry should have offered him "a lovely hemp alternative" and then set the shoe a fire. Now, that's good tv.

Frankly, I found the whole commercial a convoluted mess, and might have missed something in the Jerry Seinfeld character's response.

(Save your anti-veg*n rants. This isn't that kind of discussion.)

[Agentlady007]

I'm going to send Bill Gates an Omega watch.

[Tags]

It really should be Bill fawning over Jerry. If they want to humanize Microsoft, they're going to have to at least let people fantasize that they have something in common with Bill (ala Walt Disney.)

Now that Gates is an "elder statesman", they need to avuncularize him, not make him look like a Greek god who deigns to wiggle his ass for the benefit of mere mortals.

[pbfishtaco]

One more PC to go here. I'm not updating to Vista on our last Microsoft OS home computer.. We love our new Imac. Tired of locking up, tired of poor customer service.

Seinfeld, a commercial about nothing. Where have I heard that one before?

[apoyo]

Jerry looks old.

[umber2echo]

I would have been an infinitely better commercial of CP&B hired creatives who could actually WRITE, strategists who could focus on a precise concept, communicate it, and execute effectively. It would have been infinitely funnier if they had gotten a comedian/celebrity who was relevant in THIS CENTURY! It would have been more daring had they combined all three and pulled in the REAL talent behind the old Seinfeld show: LARRY DAVID, who everyone who has an HBO or NETFLIX subscription, or knows anything about popular culture, knows has one of the best and most innovative comedies on cable NOW (as opposed to over 10 years ago, when MS's target audience for this dreck was 6!)

[ProFromOre]

How DIDN'T this ad accomplish it's vision? Further, how do YOU know who the target audience was?

You make assumptions for the sake of your argument. That's back-asswards logic. Logical thinking and reasoning looks at facts and draws conclusions. It's not make things up so it makes YOU right.

Look back at this obvious 'anti-ad'. It's anti-thetical to the theory of advertising - it DOESN'T sell anything. Look closer; the dialogue is typical, insipid, human conversation that happens a gazillion times a day.

If the target audience is 16, why feature Gates or Seinfeld? It makes no sense. The ad's concept wouldn't be relevant. It seems obvious the target audience is NOT 16.

THEY chose a target audience: people who'd RECOGNIZE Gates, at least by name, and Seinfeld. Given Seinfeld's re-run success, that's a damn wide swath of people. Gates is familiarity is also a wide swath.

It's a mature target audience, more likely to appreciate clever, cerebral humor. The first time anyone watches it, they're paying close attention: to figure out what the hell's going on. It's quick and kinda goofy. Seinfeld, approaches someone he doesn't know, he say Bill Gates, not 'Hi Bill'. Then offers a bite of his churro.

The viewer is captivated 'til the very end & the very out of character butt wiggle. It's over. You say "What the &&**%?" Pause. Think. Then: "Oh, it's about "

[bryand1]

Humanity's insipid, chronic duality even extends itself to computer operating systems...Does quality have to have an enemy to prove its worth?

[ProFromOre]

an intelligent observation, get outta HERE!

[fdp3]

Jerry is obviously a Mac User.

What we learn from this ad is that there is nothing about their product that Microsoft is comfortable talking about.

When you think of Microsoft, Bill Gates wants you to think of Jerry Seinfeld rather than Windows Vista. Just as the GOP wants you to think of POW and 9/11 and Jesus when you see John McCain rather than George Bush, Iraq, the economy or the last eight years of Republican dereliction.

fp

[crazylikeafox]

That ad was so bad Crispin Porter + Bogusky (the agency that made it) should put closed for a retool on their shop window.

[Pippilangstrumpf]

I'm a mac user. My teenage son is a PC user and we're constantly teasing each other about who has the better computer.
Well, after he saw these ads he told me today that he might just get a mac next time, just because of these ads.
It was cute seeing Gates' old photo but beyond that, if they think they're getting the 'youth vote' with this they're out of their gourds. Seriously...nothing like using two old fogies to try and capture the youth market. This was 'lameness' at its best.
And for us in the older generation bracket, Jerry Seinfeld has lost a lot of appeal since his wife and he sabotaged the author of that children's recipe book. After that, I can't look at Jerry Seinfeld with any respect. I will touch nothing that has his stench on it anymore.

[ProFromOre]

My gawd, it's a damn tool, a piece of equipment. Getting emotionally wrapped up & one's ego wrapped up with a computer is as ridiculous as people who will vote against their own best interests time and again.

This thread has been incredibly insightful into why we have rampant, excessive consumerism and people who will vote themselves and their descendants into poverty and fascism.

It confounds me what motivates the human id.

[luckyoldson]

This entire thread is obviously full of Microsoft haters and Apple users.

It's funny listening to losers whine about two people who excel in their industries.

I have a suggestion for the people posting here: GET-A-LIFE.

[umber2echo]

First, what's your evidence for saying that the thread is "*obviously full of Microsoft haters and Apple users"? Fact is, you can't know that. I use MS, I neither hate it nor love it, and I thought the commercial was idiotic. There's the first point of your argument shot to shreds.

Then you dismiss people expressing their opinions, in a fun way, in an open public forum as "losers" and whiners? Again, what do you base this on: the fact that your opinion lies somewhere else? We're all losers and whiners, therefore you are a winner and the voice of reason . . . because (following your tortured logic) you love MS, Bill Gates, and Jerry Seinfeld and believe that they can do no wrong? So much for the 1st Commandment, eh? It's called DEMOCRACY and FREEDOM OF SPEECH and ASSOCIATION. It's in the CONSTITUTION. Pick up a copy and read it sometime.

Why should those of us who saw nothing in the first crucial installment of a $300 million commerical campaign hold back our opinions on the commercial, the material culture, corporate monopoly, and celebrity?

The most laughable part of your post is your suggestion for the people posting here" to "GET-A-LIFE."

YOU posted here, so what does that say about YOU?

(this, btw, was written entirely on an HP using a Microsoft OS).

[RButler]

Exactly. Every blog about MS usually is full of Apple user's complaint.s Don't they have a better use of their Macs? I guess not.