Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/microsoft/Microsoft_s_new_ads_Seinfeld_and_Gates_out_Hodgman_lookali’; According to a report from in the New York Times, the next phase of Microsoft’s latest ad campaign is set to begin — sans Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. Apparently, the new ads do away with the unusual (and somewhat ill-received) banter and “real life” experiences of the two celebrities, and trade them for an earnest embrace of… Apple’s “PC” character. Apparently, one of the new ads even begins with a John Hodgman lookalike stating, “Hello, I’m a PC, and I’ve been made into a stereotype.” Beyond the flip on a rival’s depiction of its brand, the campaign will feature cameos from Eva Longoria, Deepak Chopra, Pharrell Williams, and even Gates — though Seinfeld doesn’t make the cut. While we’re curious to see what the company cooks up in the new ads, it does strike us as somewhat odd that the supposed narrative Microsoft was establishing with Gates and Seinfeld has abruptly been abandoned in favor of these new spots. Is this a decision which was made long ago, or did the largely negative / confused reaction to the last set of ads force the company’s hand? We only have its official statement to go on: “We will be executing the second phase of our advertising campaign tomorrow, as planned from the start.”

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/tech_news/Second_Installment_of_Gates_And_Seinfield_Saga’; The second installment of the Bill Gates / Jerry Seinfeld saga has been released, and we’ll level with you: if they keep making them this good, we don’t really care what they’re about. See for yourself after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Seinfeld and Gates get in touch with regular folks

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

By now you’ve probably watched the Bill Gates / Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft ad a dozen or so times (if not, get to it). If you’re like us, you’ve got a healthy conversation happening about what the new campaign means, and whether or not you actually like the thing. According to a leaked internal email from Redmond’s senior vice president Bill Veghte, this first installment in what will be a series of commercials is meant to function as an “Icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context.” It seems that the company is following the path they’ve stamped out with their previous media burst, the Mojave Experiment, which appears to be less concerned with changing the product (Windows), and more concerned with changing consumers’ perception of the product. In Veghte’s words, “Telling our story means making significant investments to improve the way consumers experience Windows.” So here’s our question to you: is Microsoft on the right track here? Let us know in the poll below! (You can also read the full text of the email after the break)

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Continue reading Poll: Is Microsoft’s new ad working?

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

As promised, Gates and Seinfeld made their television pair-up debut tonight, in an advertisement for something or other. We were sad to see Seinfeld sans-bee suit, and Gates is lacking in Costanza-isms, but we might just be looking at a beautiful friendship here. Video is after the break.

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Continue reading Seinfeld and Gates pair up for intense shoe-fitting session, cryptic advertisement

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/microsoft/Microsoft_enlists_Seinfeld_Gates_to_battle_Get_a_Mac_ads’; Those Apple “Get a Mac” ads have long been an annoyance to Microsoft and to Bill Gates in particular. No surprise as an emboldened Apple with rising market share has continued to ratchet up the venom in quips like, “fear of switching is the foundation of customer loyalty for PCs,” found in its latest TV ad. Now Microsoft is fighting back.

Microsoft’s new $300 million campaign (one of Redmond’s largest ever) is set to launch with a $10 million assist from “key celebrity pitchman” Jerry Seinfeld. Yes, Bill Gates will appear as well — the once maligned, rich corporate nerd turned adorable, rich humanitarian nerd. The campaign is said to based on the idea of “Windows, Not Walls,” stressing the need to “break down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting.” Something we think open-sourcers might have a laugh at. Anywho, the immediate goal of the campaign is to reverse the negative public perception of Vista and thus incorporates elements of the Mojave Experiment. While we have doubts about the latter, the combination of Seinfeld’s pithy observations with a bit of that Bill Gates, self deprecating humor seen in “Bill’s Last Day” could be a winning combination. Whether that turns the slow moving boat of public opinion remains to be seen.

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