Microsoft aired the first of its pro-Windows commercials featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates Thursday evening, although there was no mention of Microsoft's operating system in the ad. Instead, the ad focused on the interaction between Seinfeld and Gates in a discount shoe store.
The commercial's lack of reference to Microsoft products or comparison of Windows Vista to Mac OS X stands in contrast to Apple's successful Get a Mac ad series that features John Hodgeman as PC and Justin Long as Mac. Apple's ads typically point out problems with Windows Vista while highlighting features in Mac OS X.
Microsoft's first Seinfeld/Gates ad.
Future Microsoft ads, however, will likely include more than Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates discount shoe shopping while eating churros. According to TechCrunch, Microsoft senior vice president Bill Veghte confirmed more commercials in the series are on the way, and the first phase includes "icebreakers" designed to reintroduce Microsoft to consumers.
How well Microsoft's ads go over remains to be seen, but the consensus from many in the tech world is "meh." So far it appears that many people are failing to find the commercial compelling, which could make it difficult for Microsoft to get its message heard when up against Apple's strong ad campaign.
Ah see the mistake you make is thinking that Microsoft gives a crap about Apple's ad campaign. Honestly they could care less about your 2% market share.
No doubt mac heads everywhere will claim victory over the entire computer industry because the commercial didn't make sense to them.
You guys are so full of yourselves you don't even realize how irrelevant you are.
Guest wrote: Ah see the mistake you make is thinking that Microsoft gives a crap about Apple's ad campaign. Honestly they could care less about your 2% market share.
No doubt mac heads everywhere will claim victory over the entire computer industry because the commercial didn't make sense to them.
You guys are so full of yourselves you don't even realize how irrelevant you are.
Resorting to name calling. Someone feels hurt. Must have hit a button. I sense a bit of jealousy. lol
Guest wrote: Ah see the mistake you make is thinking that Microsoft gives a crap about Apple's ad campaign. Honestly they could care less about your 2% market share.
No doubt mac heads everywhere will claim victory over the entire computer industry because the commercial didn't make sense to them.
You guys are so full of yourselves you don't even realize how irrelevant you are.
Guest wrote: Ah see the mistake you make is thinking that Microsoft gives a crap about Apple's ad campaign. Honestly they could care less about your 2% market share.
No doubt mac heads everywhere will claim victory over the entire computer industry because the commercial didn't make sense to them.
You guys are so full of yourselves you don't even realize how irrelevant you are.
Ai ai, that hurts:) But I see your point; first of all, Microsoft needs to show that users are too stupid to understand how great Vista is and that they have achieved with the Mojave experiment.
Second; people in general and Macusers especially, are too stupid to understand the depths of this ad, so we will soon get another which will explain it to us in details.
Otherwise, I thought the message was clear: Bill Gates shakes his butt to us.
Ah, and before I forget; I think the market share is around 8 % in the US now and 4 % globally. Not much but obviously enough to have a certain impact on the dominant player in the market; enough for them to make a music player, for instance. And an ad campaign. A funny one at that, too. So they say, at least:)
I've always liked PCs over MAC, but that commercial made no sense whatsoever. I think MAC commercials make fun of the problems that actually do exist. But not in a demeaning way. And what with the conquistador shoes? Seinfeld should have hung it up after he stopped his show. Just shows he needs some cash to do something like that.
By far one of the best teasers I've seen. It was about time somebody started to think consumers have a brain - well, probably except those consumers that Apple promotes its products to, considering the banality of its commercials. The whole idea was about choice, having options and the fact that you don't have to pay extra for a piece of Crapple in order to get exactly what you need to make you happy and work as expected. Way to go MSFT!
Those who expected to see an ad that looked like the PC vs. Mac ads were disappointed. Those who thought the ad would have some mention of Vista were also disappointed. And those who thought the ad would be at least funny were disappointed. This was not the point of the ad. It was a trailer fore a new type of sitcom, called an advertising opera. http://and.theylivedhappilyeverafter.com/2008/09/05/microsoft-debuts-first-seinfeld-ad-to-poor-reviews/
CloseViewName:Sir Harry FlashmanPosts: 721Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:06 amSubject: It wasn't bad
It is the first commercial so it is setting us up for the ones to follow. Bill has a subtle humor and will probably play a good straight man to Jerry. I will look forward to see what is next.
Will they convince me to go right out and buy Windows and a PC? No, but eventually I will buy another copy of Windows be it Vista, Panorama, Landscape, or what ever is new at that time.
At least it was much less annoying, and more watchable, than the ads for FreeCreditReport.com
Last edited by Sir Harry Flashman on Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:33 am; edited 1 time in total Reply | Quote
I find the commercial ironic in that Microsoft used a pitchman whose heyday was in the late eighties / early nineties since that was Microsoft's heyday.
Nice add, makes Microsoft look smaller and more touchable. Microsoft does not need to compare themselves to anybody else they were the top dog and everybody knows it. They need to change the bully image they have and make people accept them.
CloseViewName:Sir Harry FlashmanPosts: 721Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:09 amSubject: Please!
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Guest wrote: I've always liked PCs over MAC, but that commercial made no sense whatsoever. I think MAC commercials make fun of the problems that actually do exist. But not in a demeaning way. And what with the conquistador shoes? Seinfeld should have hung it up after he stopped his show. Just shows he needs some cash to do something like that.
it is Mac not MAC which is an acronym for something else.
I dont like Mac's but I also hate vista...these ads are trying to sell a pig of an OS...microsoft just needs to step up their game and make something work instead of pushing junk on everyone! Microsoft see if you can find some opensource coders instead of the ones you are using now!!
Mac heads are to slow to understand it thats why they dont use windows they havent a clue how to, oh and thats right Macs dont get Viru's ummm sure thats why they have had more security updates than windows Vista, isnt that rigth knuckle head
what did you ppl expect? see Seinfeld in his New York apartment (from the show) using his PC with Vista ultimate telling ppl how great that OS and that every1 should do and get one?
every1 knows Bill Gates is MS and Microsoft said this will be a Pr campaign for Vista (what then didn't say was that its a Pr campaign for MS as a whole) that episode was to attempt to show gates more human and with a sense of humor, it will be a long series i bet there will be quite a few before the main content of the adds will be Vista.
The issue here is the content. I'm surprised with all the money that Microsoft is spending on these commercials, that they didn't just get down to business. I expected at least some sort of mention of Vista, and all I get is a reference to making PC's like cake so we can eat them?
At least every one of Apple's commercials has a point: they either describe the flaws with Vista and how it's users are affected, or point out the features of Mac OS X and how consumers would find it superior.
I do have to say I found it funny that the 3rd richest person in the world [http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_William-Gates-III_BH69.html] has the guts to shake his ass on national tv. Kudos to you, Bill.
And before the kiddies resort to name-calling and Apple-bashing, I'm a lifelong Windows user
No content at all except Bill Gates in the video. There's nothing here that would lead a consumer to think Windows, or computers period.
Awful commercial!
Guest wrote: Mac heads are to slow to understand it thats why they dont use windows they havent a clue how to, oh and thats right Macs dont get Viru's ummm sure thats why they have had more security updates than windows Vista, isnt that rigth knuckle head
I suppose you're not a native English speaker; at least, I hope you're not. Your assertion that Mac users are "to slow" and "havent a clue" how to use Windows is too stupid to be worthy of a response.
Guest wrote: Mac heads are to slow to understand it thats why they dont use windows they havent a clue how to, oh and thats right Macs dont get Viru's ummm sure thats why they have had more security updates than windows Vista, isnt that rigth knuckle head
what are you talking about? good User interface, information architecture, and usability are bad things now? have you ever heard of the book "Don't Make Me Think"? You should be able to turn the computer on and at least be able to do something with it intuitively. You should have to try to figure it out. I used PCs for years, then I switched to Macs half-way through college. Everyone that I let play with my Mac wants one of their own because it's so easy. You shouldn't have to fight your computer to get it to do what you want, it's supposed to just listen to you and do what it's told.
Talk about Mac fanboys, look at all the "guests: today and read their vitriol. I guess this ad is so bad the trolls have to come out in force to defend Troll King Billy. And Jerry Seifeld? What is up with Seinfeld?
>> I suppose you're not a native English speaker; at least, I hope you're not. Your assertion that Mac users are "to slow" and "havent a clue" how to use Windows is too stupid to be worthy of a response.
No, these mistakes are not the kind of mistakes that a non-native speaker would make. Take for example "havent a clue". You would learn the combination "have not" or rather the more correct "do not have". Then you learn the abbreviation "haven't" or "don't have". You would never think of writing "havent". That is something that only either very stupid or very lazy native speakers with no respect for their own language would do.
BanjoBanker wrote: Talk about Mac fanboys, look at all the "guests: today and read their vitriol. I guess this ad is so bad the trolls have to come out in force to defend Troll King Billy. And Jerry Seifeld? What is up with Seinfeld?
Yup, it's amazing how many trolls have popped all of a sudden. Shame, really.
As for the ad itself ... if it's part of a campaign, it might make sense eventually. On its own, though, it's a total flop. It's not a question of "Mac users not being able to understand it"; it's simply too subtle for today's jaded, ad-skipping, short-attention-span viewer. An ad that doesn't immediately grab your attention and state its purpose concisely isn't going to have much of an impact.
how about those J.G Wentworth commercials "It's your mone, and you need it now!"
although now that i think about it, the free credit report and JG wentworth do the job, they get stuck in your head so you are talking about them online.
CloseViewName:Sir Harry FlashmanPosts: 721Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:05 pmSubject: Mute
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jcrawford wrote: how about those J.G Wentworth commercials "It's your mone, and you need it now!"
although now that i think about it, the free credit report and JG wentworth do the job, they get stuck in your head so you are talking about them online.
Job well done guys
The only reason I talk about FreeCreditReport.com is because that it is incredibly annoying and I hit the mute button when it starts up. It does not induce me to purchase their service. The only character in the ad that I like is the white haired senior who glowers at the slacker.
As to the new Windows ads, I will watch them and probably enjoy them.
The symbolism in the ad is sooo "brilliant". Thanks for explaining it to me guy's. Now get back to work making those cheap vista's that anyone can fit into.