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Gates and Seinfeld want to be regular guys
Those who keep panning Microsoft's Jerry Seinfeld-Bill Gates campaign will soon be eating crow. (A subject I know something about, thank you A-Rod for a half-assed effort all year.) Sure, there's much one could dislike about the initiative: Seinfeld, Gates, Microsoft, Crispin Porter + Bogusky. And yet these elements, deadly on their own, somehow fuse into a pleasingly goofy whole. It's tough to turn away, and the buzz keeps building. This latest (nearly five-minute!) installment, posted above, finds the guys slumming in suburbia to learn how it feels to be average Joes. Jerry cracks wise ("I've got so many cars, I get stuck in my own traffic") and Bill does the robot dance. It plays like Seinfeld crossed with The Brady Bunch and an unintentionally bad PBS documentary. Seinfeld's show, one of the most enduring hits in the history of electronic media, was famously about nothing. And these spots are about nothing much. So at least they can't do any real harm. Which is more than you can say for Windows Vista. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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September 15, 2008 in Crispin Porter, Gianatasio, Microsoft, Technology | Permalink |
Comments
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Over time, these ads have the potential to make the Get A Mac ads look sterile and puerile.
Posted by: Duncan | Sep 15, 2008 10:03:52 AM
I think these ads are smart -- a long-term pitch to position PCs as the 'everyman' computer, something practical that gets the job done at a reasonable price. One of the things that wasn't much remarked about in the first one was how Bill Gates bought shoes at SuperSaver Shoes or whatever it was. So expect these ads to start veering towards economy and practicality, to distinguish PCs from the aspirational (and significantly more expensive) macs.
Posted by: dan deluca | Sep 15, 2008 10:48:26 AM
The 'everyman' computer? That would be all fine and dandy if Microsoft sold computers. But they don't. It's a software company.
Posted by: Dabitch | Sep 15, 2008 3:30:21 PM
These ads are just awful - when this kind of "quirky" humor doesn't work, it REALLY falls flat. They're trying on insert themselves into culture the way the Mac ads have, and while I agree they're not doing any permanent damage, I would definitely say its millions upon millions of $ wasted.
Posted by: Charlie | Sep 15, 2008 6:50:36 PM
These ads are apparently way too smart for the average Joe. They are cleverly slamming Apple products in these.
A couple examples:
Shoe ad: The Conquistador shoe is the one that everyone wants, but doesn't fit Bill, Jerry helps him find the one that fits him. (Apple is pretty & trendy, but not for everyone)
Family ad: Dad says to Bill "Ever had scalloped potatoes?" and Bill says "didn't we have this last night?" Jerry responds with "Just put some cheese on it". (It likens to the revamping of the ipod/imacs with frill features. Look - the ipod now comes in orange - go buy it!)
They are full of innuendos, watch them again and think about it.
Posted by: Jendo | Sep 16, 2008 10:58:07 AM
Let me see if I have this right, Jendo. The world is coming crashing down around us, Wall Street is going Chernobyl and we're supposed to spend valuable time studying a dopey TV commercial like it was the Talmud in order to decode its hidden meaning?
Maybe the problem isn't that "the average Joe" isn't smart enough to appreciate how clever these commercials supposedly are. Maybe it's that the commercials themselves are just too obtuse and unfunny to warrant serious consideration.
Don't forget those "average Joes" you scorn are the very people Microsoft is trying to reach. But the tone of the commercials -- as well as of your own post -- betrays a level of contempt and condescension for everyday people who don't reside in your rarified realm. Climb down from your ivory tower, Jendo. The view may not be as magnificent, but you'll gain a better perspective.
Posted by: Dr. Remulak | Sep 16, 2008 12:05:16 PM
haha. i like the ads and i like your post dr. r.
i can see people coming around to these. give it a few more ads ad people will stop slamming them and be like ya these ads are pretty sweet.
Posted by: | Sep 16, 2008 12:09:28 PM
they r dumb.
Posted by: | Sep 17, 2008 6:28:30 PM
