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Seinfeld-Windows TV Ad Anything But 'Delicious'
CWmike writes "Microsoft's $300-million ad campaign for Windows starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld launched Thursday with a long TV commercial almost entirely devoid of any talk of Windows, Microsoft or anything, really. With co-star Bill Gates, the scene is set in a shopping mall. Seinfeld, who did most of the talking, helps Gates buy a pair of shoes called the Conquistador. The commercial ends with Seinfeld asking Gates if Microsoft will "come out with something that makes our computers moist and chewy like cake so we can just eat them while we're working." Gates wiggles his rear to answer in the affirmative. The commercial ends (see video inside the story) with the Windows logo and the phrase 'Delicious.' Preston Gralla writes, 'I just saw Microsoft's much ballyhooed Jerry Seinfeld ad, and can say without equivocation it's one of the worst, most pointless ads in history. If this is Microsoft's response to the 'I'm a Mac' ads, it should fold up its tent and tell the world to switch to Apple."
Seinfeld-Windows TV Ad Anything But 'Delicious'
Are you crazy? I found that ad effective & informative.
... starring a Microsoft shill & a racist.
I can't wait to get down to my local shoe store to try out a pair of "The Conquistador" although everyone knows they 'run tight.' I can't wait to finally have shoes I can wear in my shower!
Well, there goes my ability to watch any reruns of Seinfeld
I caught this ad on TV with my non-technical retail employed roommate. And, acknowledging my predisposition to the big evil, I turned and atonally inquired what he thought of the commercial. "What?" he replied, "I don't think when I watch commercials, I just watch them." My god, it's worse than I thought, normal people just might digest this!
My work here is dung.
Clearly the OP does not really understand what advertising is usually about. Most mass market advertising does not try to provide information, it is providing associations. It presents something enjoyable (here it is assumed that Seinfeld+Gates==Enjoyable) and then presents the branding that they want to be associated with that enjoyable feeling. The crazy part is that this works, and in a weird way can be suggested as actually improving the product. Since the next time the subject of the advertising uses/sees the product, they will subconsiously access that association with enjoyment ... therefore the product is more enjoyable as a result of the advertising.
I am not saying that this is a good thing, but it is how things work in the real world.
Now you can argue either way as to whether Seinfeld+Gates=Delicious ... I didn't actually watch the comercial myself ... but they might be reaching as far a transitive association all the way back to the Seinfeld show, which almost everyone agrees was enjoyable. In any case I don't think there was ever any intent to have actual informative content in the comercial ... they are just "building the brand".
See Seth Godin's book "All Marketers Are Liars"
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/all_marketers_are_liars/
or a quick review of it here:
http://www.businesspundit.com/lying-marketing-and-perception/
Thoughts on tech, Software Engineering, and stuff
I did find it humorous that they used his mug shot for his photo on his membership(?) card for the shoe store.
I
A large table dominates the room. Sleek metal chairs are located around the table, all of which sits on a raised platform above a large pool full of sharks. Various nervous looking henchmen sit in the chairs, watching their beloved leader. A squeaking whiny voice speaks:
Bill Gates (for it is he): Now, I've been thinking about our advertising, how we get the message out that Vista is the best operating system ever written, and I was watching TV last night.
Steve Ballmer: Oh, excellent my master! Excellent!
Steve chortles uncontrollably
Bill Gates: Shut up number 2. Now, I noticed two things. First of all, there is a hilarious comedian on the television called Jerry Seinfeld.
Various flunkies nod.
Number 8: Oh yes, he's very funny
Number 9: I agree my master. We were all talking about his hilarious show around our water cooler earlier today.
Number 5: Indeed. In my department, I couldn't get to the water cooler because of the number of people talking about his show. It is the funniest show on television. You are so right number one, you are...
Bill Gates sighs
Gates: Silence! Now, the other thing I noticed was a theme to many of the advertisements. Let me show you.
The table turns around, with the chairs parting to form a straight line parallel to and facing a giant unfolding screen. The lights dim, and an image appears on screen.
McCain: I'm John McCain, and I approve this message. Barack Obama says he's for the common man. But he's actually just a typical liberal elitist.
Obama: Poor people suck. I'm a big dofus. Look at me with my big car and fancy house.
McCain: Do you really want this person becoming President, or would you rather that a real American be in the White House?
The screen changes to show a new ad. This time the word "Hope" appears in big letters on the screen.
Obama: I know what it's like to be at the bottom. I grew up in a family so poor we used to have to live in a paper bag. Every morning, we used to have to get up before we went to bed, lick road clean, and every night our parents would beat us, bury us, and dance on our graves. But my opponent John McCain was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, listen to his real world experience:
McCain: Look at me, I'm an old person who doesn't even know how to use an Interweb. I have sixteen houses because I keep forgetting where they all are and so have to keep buying new ones to live in.
Obama: Do you really think that guy can relate to us? Do you really want him to become President? Vote for me, change you can believe in. I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message.
The lights come back on and the table and chairs go back into position.
Gates: You see, I'm noticing a common theme. What the common people want is to know their leaders aren't elitist, whatever that means.
Number 17: Er, Mr Gates. I don't want to talk out of turn, but those are election ads, they're not trying to sell computer operating systems.
There is a deathly hush. Gates motions to Balmer:
Gates: Number 2...
Balmer picks up a chair. Number 17 gets up and starts to back away.
Number 17: Please! I meant no disrespect! I was just trying to help! No! Please!
Balmer coldly follows 17 and carefully aims the chair. Finally, with a single thrust of the arms, the chair is thrown. All four legblades hit 17 together. He staggers backwards, bleeding profusely, and falls off of the platform into the shark tank, screaming as he goes.
Gates: As I was saying. The people want to know that their leaders are not elitists, that we can relate to the comm
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
It's an "Ad about Nothing"!
The ad was a complete success. Can you believe that, after reading about it on Google News, I actually sought out and watched the commercial? Can you believe that right this very moment you are reading some unimportant commentary by someone whose opinion doesn't matter whatsoever about a TV commercial?
Score one for Microsoft.
Better known as 318230.
I thought that Seinfeld was acting like he just smoked a whole bag full of weed and Gates was just annoyed with him.
Delicious, butt-wagging, Seinfeld, cheap shoe stores being abhorrent, poking fun at Mexicans...what do all these things have in common?
Look at your common PHB. Likes "delicious food" as opposed to what the Mac guy eats, probably raw food or wheat grass or something. Thinks butt-wagging and slapstick are funny. Probably laughs at Seinfeld re-runs. Is glad he doesn't shop at the cheap shoe store for athletic shoes, but probably gets his dress shoes there, because who can tell. Has Mexican neighbors, is uncomfortable knowing he's in the same class they are.
This ad is brilliantly tarteted as a sort of subconscious reminder that PHB doesn't have to be a Mac guy, darnit, and he's good enough. Microsoft is here to shove more Applebees cake down his throat.
I saw it as, "We took the money we got from every computer you ever bought, and used it to make this crappy commercial!"
Bill Gates can wiggle his flabby ass all he wants -- I will never forgive them for Internet Explorer.
Soylent Green is peoplicious!
That's the only thing I could think the whole time. It's the only response I could possibly give. The only comment I can make. WTF There are no other words. This is it, there is nothing left. Article summary: WTF. Sum of all comments: WTF. The only thought that can take place when viewing: WTF.
Win a signed Stephen Carpenter ESP Guitar from the Deftones: http://def-tag.com/?r=0008781
I thought it was quite clever actually.
You have to understand what they're going for...When was the last time you saw a Mac commercial that was really about something technical? They just don't do that, they sell this fun "image", this personified "I'm your buddy" thing which has little or nothing to do with your computer.
That's what MS is trying to counter. They're trying to humanize their image, build up some emotional investment in their brand.
I saw it cold actually, on TV, but I'd heard about it and I was geared up to scream "BULLSHIT!!!!" when the stupid claims started, which kinda threw me when they never did, I must admit.
Despite that knee jerk, and despite all my MS related baggage, I was semi-amused at various points. It was clever. Surreal, yes, but amusing.
And they're getting mad play, jesus, everyone looking at the ad online. I think it may play somewhat for them in the long run, but it's too early to tell.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
I will have you know that TV programming in Japan is quite different than anything you will find in the US, since I think that they give all the people who come up with the shows drugs for inspiration.
I was going to say they do that with US TV too. Except in that case the drug is cocaine and the only thing it inspires is crap TV as a means to get more money to get more cocaine...
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
The add made little sense.
Agreed. I think it will divide the audience at best, and in the worst case will subtract from the value of their product.
...anti-dentite.
"Have you heard of some type of thing?" -- anon
I don't know... I really don't care about the human face of the founder of any companies I do business with, especially huge corporate entities. I can *sort of* connect with a guy who hand crafts his beer, or grows the potatoes for his potato chips, but I'm not sure that this kind of connection is relevant when you see the world's richest man who founded a company that, for all intents and purposes, does something that most people don't really even understand.
I have a degree in communications (which includes advertising), and I simply don't see how this distinguishes the Microsoft brand in any way other than the fact that they can afford a commercial. A baffling and painfully awkward one at that.
Okay, what I'm really trying to say is that I'd love to see Jeff Goldblum kick Jerry Seinfeld's ass all over silicon valley. Ummm.
Yeah, cuz black people obviously HATE football...
"The point of the ad is to put a human face on the company."
And the commercial succeeded in putting a human ass on the company. How like Microsoft.
"by that I mean people who don't sit on slashdot all day wondering why everyone else isn't building robots" DECS