New Seinfeld/Gates commercial is actually sort of funny
I have no idea how the 30-second version of this ad will work, because quite frankly, the first minute of this is pretty bad, but if you stick with it, this 4-and-a-half minute extended version of the new Seinfeld/Gates Microsoft ad is not only tolerable, it is downright watchable.
It is now apparent that the idea here is not to say anything positive about Microsoft or its products, it is to make Bill Gates, who pretty much personifies Windows (bland, wooden, not all that attractive), more relateable to the average person. The hope is that in time (say, 40 or so years) this softening of Gates will make Windows seem more like an old friend to the average consumer, and less like a horrible OS.
Of course, Microsoft could probably cut that down to 30 years if they would drop the lame “butt wiggle” thing they apparently are shoehorning into every ad.
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader Kyle for the link!
I’m sorry but I really really enjoyed that.
This does nothing to promote Microsoft or Windows. It is hardly even watchable. If this is it, they will go down in history as the worst ads ever!
All it shows to me is Gates, the richest man in the world is a terrible actor who has so much money he can spend 300 mil of a non ad. That does not connect with “real” people.
I think I will buy more Apple Stock on Monday!
It still doesn’t make enough sense to justify my time.
I have to agree with digiprod. It just shows me that Gates has more money than he knows what to do with. Nothing about it makes me want to switch from a Mac to a PC and I thought that’s what the whole campaign was about, combating the “Get A Mac” ads.
Sorry, I didn’t laugh once until the very end when Bill Gates does the robot. I think it’s worse than the first commercial. It’s filled with dumb scenes like a teenage boy looking at a bottle in the fridge and the dad saying “That’s Bill and Jerry’s mustard.” That’s the whole joke. They even pause for effect. Wow.
I think that it is one of the worst ads in history, but Bill Gates does have a future as a deadpan character actor. If I had $10 million to make a series of vanity ads and hang out with celebrities, I probably would have picked someone else besides Seinfeld (someone with XX chromosomes). Anyway, these ads will get some internet buzz because no one will understand what they are about.
Watchable , yes. Promote windows?, no. It surely is a non ad. That i (along with lots of other) don’t get.
I liked this one much more than the first.
The first’s message was easy: Bill & Jerry representing MS/Windows are out of place and out of touch, but they know it and are okay with it.
The second shows this even more. Now we see Bill & Jerry (still representing MS/Windows) now with a family representing the average user. The home is the state of this relationship.
They’re out of catsup, their eating the same thing they had yesterday, the dad thinks scalloped potatoes are something special (and we learn we had them yesterday), the pool is empty and will never get warm. Through it all Bill & Jerry are mooching off the family — when the delivery kid wants paid, they stiff him.
Through this all is grandma. She’s the Mac user here. She’s not invited and she’s not welcome. But through the whole thing, she’s the only one getting anything done: the laundry, the yard work, fixing the car.
I THINK THEY NAILED IT!
Oh yeah…
And the daughter is “cool” or trying to be. She represents Windows iPod users. She wants to be cool, she wants to fit in. And she can see the only way to do that is to get rid of Bill & Jerry (MS/Windows) and take back her room.
The ping pong game represents MS Customer Relations. If something goes wrong, it’s the customer’s fault
It just works on SOOOOO many levels.
These ads are growing on me. Personally I like that they are not trying to do the hard sell on pc vs mac.
But I agree they are trying to personalise Bill Gates and get more people to relate to him. It’s hard cause Bill has always been the consumate geek and not as good an orator or salesman as Steve Jobs is.
Hey they need to keep him busy I guess, he can’t do charity work all the time ;p