UPDATED 9/19: Thank you Matt Konwiser for pointing out in your comment below that there are still questions as to whether the ads were canceled or not. According to Gizmo, a third ad has been produced and will likely be aired. But Gizmo says that the series was originally supposed to include 12 "episodes" and production of the fourth ad was killed three days before it was supposed to begin.
While we want to be fair and give Microsoft credit for trying something new and daring in this ad campaign, we also want to give them a thump on the head. The reason that Apple's Mac/PCs ads are successful is that they appeal to folks who are NOT in the market for anti-aging cream. Microsoft either needs to do something to make itself appear less stodgy and more cool, or it needs to embrace its image as the workhorse software maker for the business world. One thing that won't help it -- is a series of ad campaigns that show it is aging and out of touch.
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ORIGNAL POST 9/18: That didn't take long. Microsoft is ditching its much derided ad campaign that featured Bill Gates, Jerry Seinfeld and a lot of inexplicable nonsense. Valleywag broke the news late yesterday and today, the New York Times reports details on the replacement campaign. Instead of a '90's throwback comedian, Microsoft will feature everyday people using Vista, a few celebs and that now famous Apple PC Guy -- or at least, a look-alike version of him.
The new campaign is expected to begin today. Other celebs expected to make appearances in the commercials include Eva Longoria, author Deepak Chopra and singer Pharrell Williams. But the ads will reportedly be showcased on "regular" people such as scientists, fashion designers, shark hunters and teachers who will declare to the camera how they love their Windows PCs.
Before we leave the whole Seinfeld mistake behind ... we've posted commercial No. 2, which is endlessly long, endlessly painful and makes you think Apple's PC guy is actually cool.
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I'm amazed...
that they've "pulled the plug" so quickly. True, the ads were not really funny, and they seemed to be completely missing the point, but the second ad at least was going somewhere, and it's a shame that we might not see "the rest of the story" between Jerry and Bill as they "discover regular people".
It's also interesting that the Windows ads getting just as much discussion are those "Windows Mojave" ads that are Microsoft's attempt at trying to get regular people to try Vista, as if the buzz from all of us "so-called experts" about how bad Vista is getting to them.
I do like the idea of having ads that show "regular people" using PCs, I've always been annoyed at those HP ads that show celebrities using their computers. Oh, P. Diddy uses a PC? Sign me up! Ugh.
I'm not amazed... i am indiferent
Before i read the comment that said that the ads weren't canceled i was a bit disappointed that we would not get to see where they were going... and i doubt that if they canceled the ads Jerry would give back the contracted compensation...
about Mojave, i still don't know how they can say "see vista is great these people like it" almost a two years after its release and not have people be skeptical... i am sure the computers they let people test "Mojave" on were top of the line and had no software that would cause conflicts installed which is what the big hullabaloo about Vista was, unrealistic system requirements and limited program and driver support for the people who did want to upgrade.
They didn't pull the plug.
From Gizmodo:
"From a trusted Crispin Porter [MS marketing agency] source, we've learned that the internet has jumped the gun and that the Microsoft Gates/Seinfeld ads have not been axed. It's true, Microsoft apparently asked the agency to focus on the new "I'm a PC" spots. And it's true, the agency has gotten plenty of "I don't know what this means" response in their measured statistics of the Gates/Seinfeld ads. But no one has pulled the plug on the dynamic duo just yet."
http://gizmodo.com/5051682/microsoft-ads-featuring-bill-gates-and-jerry-seinfeld-not-canceled
bill gates/seinfeld ads
Microsoft is missing the point. The ads are as pointless as Vista. I am a longtime and still current user and purveyor of MS products. I hate the Apple ads, just because they are sleazy, clever, but sleazy. The first week that I reviewed Vista, I predicted it would go the way of ME. Microsoft needs to stick with what works and continue to kick Apples butt. Why not ads, about software that only beatniks use, and is only compatible with an Apple. XP Pro is a great system and we are not letting go easily. The change from NT to 2k to XP was effortless. Vista is a pain in the ass, it is not intuitive. Microsoft needs to do their homework better.
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