Seinfeld is the master of Microsoft's domain
Seen the new, much-heralded advert for Microsoft featuring Jerry Seinfeld?
What do you think? I don't want to pass comment for fear of incriminating myself.
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About this blog
This was dot.life - a blog about technology from BBC News.
Rory Cellan-Jones is the BBC's technology correspondent.
Maggie Shiels is the BBC's tech reporter based in Silicon Valley.
Update: Rory and Maggie have now moved to dot.Rory and dot.Maggie.
Rory Cellan-Jones is the BBC's technology correspondent.
Maggie Shiels is the BBC's tech reporter based in Silicon Valley.
Update: Rory and Maggie have now moved to dot.Rory and dot.Maggie.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~44~RS~)
Comments
Darren,
I think this might just be the worst advertisement ever. Bill Gates is even more wooden than usual and even Seinfeld cannot rescue a script as embarrassingly poor as this.
I thought the Mojave Experiment was interesting, if flawed, but this is shockingly poor.
I can't see this beating the "Im a Mac -Im a PC" adverts in any award ceremonies.
Aghhhhh it's just so horrible!
Jim
TheTechNewsBlog.Com
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I think the ad did its job. Every tech site I've just been to has a piece on this video and that's surely its purpose to get people talking about Microsoft.
Personally I quite liked it. As a piece of branding I think it gave Microsoft a rather homely feel.
The little touch of Bill's arrest photo on his discount card was rather amusing though.
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A slightly desperate attempt by Microsoft to ape Apple and come across as relaxed and easy. It fails because Bill Gates is anything but relaxed and easy. He should stick to his philanthropic work where he is doing a brilliant job.
Also, no matter how hard Microsoft try to give their software a cool image, it's hard to imagine Gerry Seinfield using anything but a Mac.
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hahahaha!!!
oh that's really funny! It makes me want to dump my imac, macbook, apple tv, ipod and iphone in the canal and buy a dell with Vista on it.
text isn't very good for sarcasm is it?
Is it an advert for shoes?
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Who's the other guy?
He looks like he still lives with his parents.
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The ad is rubbish, but it did it's job.
It's been posted eveywhere on the web and generated interest in Microsoft that for once isnt based on how much people hate them for being successful.
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The advert was OK.
I still hate Vista Media Center though.
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What's it even for? If Jerry Seinfeld weren't so desperately unfunny and if Bill Gates could act then it it might not look so much like the awkward and contrived rubbish that it is.
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In this topic there are people who understand how advertising campaigns work and those who don't.
Hint: The ones who understand are the ones saying it did its job.
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And what was that exactly?
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@10
To raise exposure, get folk talking about it.
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It's a nice concept, and has points in it that could be humourous. Sadly, the delivery spoils it. And that comes from someone who isn't a great fan of Microsoft.
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Loved it! Much better than the smug, I'm so cool Apple ads that, may have been amuzing the first time out but, are well past their sell by date now we are into the 80th version.
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Darren Waters fears he will "incriminate yourself"?
You don't mean, Darren that you are fearful of upsetting the Microsoft Mafia do you?
This advert speaks reams of the position Microsoft is in today - blind in the wilderness.
The message of this ad is that Microsoft admits that Vista (let alone Zune/Office/Xbox/Search etc) is a total mess and, nudge nudge, wink wink, wants you to stop moving to Apple Mac because "the next one" is going to be really great.
It's SO AWFUL and SO TRANSPARENT it beggars belief...
And as I would expect from the sad land of Britain there will be many people who will stand up and say how wonderful it is. Just read what the world is saying and stop making Britain look like a cretinous land of people in thrall to Microsoft.
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"himself" - of course.
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On its own, this advert may seem a little bizarre. But, this is part of a series. You know - like Seinfeld.
Do you remember what the theme of Seinfeld was? 'A show about nothing'
I'm sure it will all make sense eventually and in the mean time MS have got the blogs buzzing. Job done.
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What a terrible 'advert' if that is what it is meant to be. Is it for shoes or just to tell us that Bill takes a size 10?
It could of course just be one of those clever marketing ideas, dreamt up by some whiz kid and costing a great deal of dollars, to make something so bad that everyone just has to watch it - job done.
I wonder if Seinfeld has a Mac?
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Re: I wonder if Seinfeld has a Mac
Did you never watch the TV shows?
He always had a Mac in the corner of his apartment. And only a Mac. I don't remember ever seeing it switched on though...
This makes the Seinfeld-Gates idea even more strange, in my opinion.
Yes - the execution of this, so far, is poor. But its effectiveness can't be faulted - even I'm writing about it here. Let's see how the 'series' develops. And I thought Bill had retired. Will we be seeing Barmy Ballmer in future 'episodes'? Hope so...
By the way: I'm a Mac and Windows user (since forever), and I love and hate them both in equal measure.
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It's homely and dorky. I suspect that was the point... It works.
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Does the Wow start now?
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And what's with the "Delicious" at the end?
Isn't Golden Delicious an.... Apple?
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If vista was an employee it would be suffering from frequent breakdowns under stress, on a final written warning for working too slow and would be sued for lying on its application form.
I suppose the ad was meant to get people talking so it may well have worked. Problem from the MS point of view is what’s being said?
MS have gone a long way…
.. from
…you have performed an illegal operation…...to.....we apologize for the inconvenience…
That’s progress!
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that ad would give alan sugar a heart attack.
on another note, I switched to mac last week and.... I may never go back. I've no intention of installing windows atm.
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Honestly, I didn't understand what it was about.
From an ad quality point of view, they've got to infuse more life into it. Although, I got the punchline...
Microsoft!! Why pay more? use Linux..:)
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I have to admit I'm in the 'don't get it' camp but then it's probably part of a series and I was never much into Seinfeld anyway.
If anything it seems to say Microsoft is like a pair of overpriced shoes that hurt a lot when you first try them. No?
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This advert is already successful simply by virtue of how many people are talking about it. Having said that, Microsoft could have achieved a similar (and cheaper) effect by producing a 3 minute video of Bill Gates dressed in lederhosen and doing the Macarena.
Also: Not only did Seinfeld always use a Mac in his show, but he has already been featured in an advert for...wait for it...Apple Macs.
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This advert is incredibly successful. Infact, being the huge linux fan and Microsoft Hater that i am, i will now stop using Linux and wait for the next Windows as i can tell they are going to go big and stop everyone leaving...
wait, was that a hint of sarcasm in my post....
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Wow. Bill Gates buys his shoes at a discount store?
What image is this supposed to portray? That despite having billions in wealth he's too cheap to buy decent shoes?
Perhaps I'm missing the point...
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"In this topic there are people who understand how advertising campaigns work and those who don't."
And you're clearly one who doesn't understand how advertising campaigns work. It's no good to get people talking about your campaign if all they say is negative.
Advertising is about image. This is the wrong image. Ergo, it's not going to work.
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For all those asking if Seinfeld uses a Mac, he does, but he runs Windows on it.
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It is a successful piece of brand advertising because it sums up Microsoft in a succinct way: lazy, hopeless and entirely lacking in thought
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Many millions of people buy Britney Spears products in part because she shakes her bottom. We all know her products aren't really very good though.
Same here. Bill can shake his booty all he wants, I'm still not going to buy anything he produces.
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Anyone that watched Seinfeld may recall that there was always a computer on the desk in Seinfeld's apartment...
... it was an old Mac.
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