Jerry Seinfeld And Bill Gates' Microsoft Ads Being Pulled

Microsoft is preparing to pull its TV ads featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Microsoft's co-founder and chairman Bill Gates.

Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw said the end of the Seinfeld ads was planned well in advance, and wasn't coming in response to any criticism of the spots. "All along we said we were having a teaser campaign," he said. "We're getting ready to start the second phase. This was the plan all along."

The news, broken this afternoon by Valleywag, comes just days after Microsoft aired the latest in the series of commercials, produced by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, featuring the two men in comic situations. The ads have been largely panned as a strained effort on the software giant's part to not only promote Windows but also portray Microsoft as cool and in touch with regular consumers -- basically, to counter the stodgy image painted in Apple's "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads.

Seinfeld, who reportedly received $10 million for his efforts, was a superstar in the 1990s with his hit show. Using him now, in 2008, only added to Microsoft's image as being behind the times, critics said.

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Comments

[SeconLine]

Here's something I pulled out of the archives from 1996:

Top 10: If Microsoft made cars...

10. New Seats would require everyone to have the same size butt.
9. We'd all have to switch to Microsoft Gas.
8. All roads would be rebuilt to lead to Redmond.
7. The oil, alternator, gas and engine-warning light would be replaced by a single "General Car Fault" warning light.
6. Sun microsystems would make a car that was solar-powered, twice as reliable,five times as fast, but ran on only 5% of all roads - for some strange reason.
5. You would be have to pay Microsoft to fix 'their' defects when they arise.
4. You could only have one person in the car at a time, unless you bought Car95 or Car NT - but then you would have to buy more seats.
3. Occasionally your car would die for no apparent reason and you would have to restart it. Strangely, you would just accept this as normal.
2. Every time the lines on the road were repainted, you'd have to buy a new car
1. People would get excited about the 'new' features of Microsoft cars, forgetting that the same features had been available from another car maker for the last 10 years.

[ScarletKnight1307]

does anyone know what these ads were about?

boy they sucked

[joylyn]

I haven't a clue - to pull them is stupid, just like McCain. I have seen them, no big deal.

[ThirdSection]

Q: What will be the first product Microsoft designs that doesn't suck?

A: A vacuum cleaner!

[j-racqoon70]

Does Gates really think his customers are that stupid. I mean I like Jerry as much as the next person, even more so since I was born in Jersey, but I've been a MicroSoft customer for a long time, and they suck. If I could afford a MacBook I'd buy one on the spot just to stop using Windows.

[quantumspin]

Yes, he does. Also, the ads I've seen with 'average' people look like they are shot in police precinct interrogation rooms.

These ads, plus the Gates-Seinfeld spot, are reflective of how MS designs its products--vague, lackluster interfaces, but promoted as gleaming, innovative designs.

Lipstick on a pig is still a pig. MS has yet to admit the fact that Windows is just gloss over DOS from the 80's. Meanwhile, Apple has actually INNOVATED with a great kernel, great GUI, wonderful hardware, and a portfolio of products that says 'the future.' Amazing contrast between the two companies' attitudes toward their customers.

[ThirdSection]

If you're that turned off by Windows and you can't afford a Mac, you ought to look into Linux. There's a bit of a DIY element to it, but it's free, and some of today's distros are so well-built that you don't need to be a computer scientist to use them.

AND, it will work on any computer that Windows "works" on.

[PurplePhase]

For me affordability is one thing but compatibility with the rest of the business world is essential. Microsoft dominated the market so people are forced to use PC's and Microsoft operating systems to be compatible with other essential persons.

Microsoft forced us into this and Microsoft can't change its image of the stodgy bullish 400 pound gorilla even if Microsoft hired a dream team of comedians like Robin Williams, Chris Rock, (too late for George Carlin), Jon Stewart, Jim Carey and others.

[JooJooMan]

Please!

I can't stand whiners! Microsoft forced YOU??? Please. How do people so easily give up their own responsibilities to another is beyond comprehension.

Microsoft was the first to recognize that the average person and business will benefit from using computers with "good enough" software. That's why computers are so popular today. Remember others chose to develop software that was so robust and great but extremely EXPENSIVE so that the average business even could not afford it. Now that Microsoft has helped make personal computing popular and indispensable, people want to blame them for this and that.

[JooJooMan]

Much like the car industry today who is being reckless and dragging their feet in producing non-fossil fueled vehicles. One day soon somebody is going to produce an affordable electric car that we can all afford and we will all adopt. It will not be perfect but it will work and we all will buy it. Then, GM, Ford, Toyota and the rest of the car makers will start suing, threatening and branding the innovator as the bad guy.

[oregondemgrl]

Not true my friend. You can have Microsoft Office for Mac. Mac's are completely compatible. They also last longer.

[dortmunder]

You can put Jerry Seinfeld in your ads all you want. It doesn't change the fact that your product sucks. That's the bottom line.

[ChescoMom]

Most boring and pointless ads I've ever seen. Jerry's hairlineis receding. I still hate Vista with a passion.

[Nicotone]

I thought these ads were great. Everything was very nuanced and you got this absurd small story out of them. Entertaining than most of the crap that is on television. All this negative commentary is stemming from the general dislike of Microsoft which makes it a bit disingenuous. Like bagging on the iPhone because Steve Jobs is a tool, it's the same thing. At least it isn't as condescending and annoying as Justin Long and the whole Mac/PC campaign.

[lukebenward]

"Live without walls." from a company called Windows. Tsk. *friendly chuckle and moves on*

Apple:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2uhbkzt&s=4
Reports of Steve Jobs' death are greatly exaggerated.

[SDannemann]

They probably ran with the Seinfeld concept without really thinking about who they were marketing to. Commercials are so short, you can't go with such slow, deliberate, almost tiresome scenes.

[herhonor]

I thought the ads only reaffirmed the elitist out of touch multi millionaire attitude of Gates and Seinfeld (yes i know how much they DONATE) actually it would be a good ad for the Republicans trying to identify with real people...oh WAIT A MINUTE... maybe THAT was the lampoon purpose!!! to draw attention to rich people with seven houses trying to be like regular people in order to get ?? votes??? ya think??

[RRundbaken]

They were interesting. People talked about them. They are rebranding so you need something atypical. They just missed the mark a bit. In essence, they are showing two likable people. One changed the world, the other changed television. Not a bad approach. But just off comically.

[gr8abz]

Myself and most of the people I know did not think the ads were funny at all.

[danielsadicario]

"Using [Seinfeld] now, in 2008, only added to Microsoft's image as being behind the times, critics said."

...yikes, cringe!

[OtayPanky]

What's the deal with THAT?

[crayola 08]

the ads were ok. still no amount of clever advertising would get me to switch to that terrible operating system. no thank you ma'am. i'll gladly stick with my mac so i can do my work in peace without having to deal with the OS constantly crying for attention with it's numerous virus alerts and popups about this n that.