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Seinfeld, Gates make way for regular folks
When Valleywag reported late Wednesday that Microsoft was canceling its Jerry Seinfeld-Bill Gates campaign (or "moving on to phase two," however they wanna spin it), my immediate reaction was: Those guys in Redmond, Wash., are a bunch of wussies. Sure, I was one of the few commentators who liked the spots. But I stand by that opinion, just like I continue to stand by Betamax! Those Microsoft teasers roused intense interest in the brand and—for two weeks, at least—humanized Gates, a man who previously seemed unlikable even when he gave away billions of dollars to charity. Now, instead of a feel-good, brand-friendly Abbott and Costello routine, Microsoft will apparently attempt to redefine Apple's "I'm a PC" line in ads, also by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, that will feature regular people (and a few celebs) who use Vista. Never mind that most people can't even load Vista! UPDATE: As for the news that a John Hodgman clone will appear in Microsoft's latest salvo, I'm hurt and dismayed that I didn't get the part. I gained 20 pounds for the audition! OK, 10 pounds. Five? You win: I actually slimmed down for the role. Happy now? —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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September 18, 2008 in Crispin Porter, Gianatasio, Microsoft, Technology | Permalink |
Comments
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Surely Microsoft isn't spending $300 million just to "humanize" Bill Gates -- especially since he is no longer involved in the company's day-to-day operations.
Unlike you, I think Gates' philanthropic efforts have done far more to burnish his image than a couple of dopey commercials.
(By most accounts, Steve Jobs is an even bigger pr*ck than Bill Gates -- yet Apple never had to create an ad campaign to "humanize" him. Food for thought.)
While it will be interesting to see how the campaign evolves, I can't help but think Microsoft would be better served spending $300 million to improve Vista. Because no matter how engaging or amusing these new commercials may be, if you're still having problems with your software, you're still going to be plenty pissed at Microsoft.
On a side note, there seems to be some disagreement as to whether Jerry Seinfeld's role in the campaign has come to an abrupt end. Was he originally supposed to be in more commercials? Or was the plan to just have him in the teasers? Either way, seems like a waste of $10 million. With his receding hairline and expanding waistline, Jerry looked bad -- and his acting was even worse.
I am Dr. Remulak.
I am Dr. Remulak.
I am Dr. Remulak.
Posted by: Dr. Remulak | Sep 18, 2008 10:16:43 AM
NYT has an article from yesterday about how much more awesome this new Zune is and how, ironically, when it comes to your portable music player, the people who want to stay safe stick with the iPod, and those who think different get a Zune.
Posted by: Rebecca Cullers | Sep 18, 2008 10:19:20 AM
Hmmm. Well, we liked the commercials. See our post: http://www.songspeak.com/its-a-leather-giraffe-from-cabo-san-lucas/
Posted by: Songspeak | Sep 18, 2008 11:33:12 AM
"NYT has an article from yesterday about how much more awesome this new Zune is and how, ironically, when it comes to your portable music player, the people who want to stay safe stick with the iPod, and those who think different get a Zune"
That's not really what they were saying. But they did like the subscription feature a lot and focused on that.
And then rather to assert that last comparison between iPods and Zunes, at least to me it read like a simple pun to end a lighthearted article.
Posted by: marcus b not loving the spin | Sep 18, 2008 2:33:15 PM
BTW, the affection for Apples products is genuine (!) and not created by marketing or spin, but rather by Apples attention to detail, focus on easy of use and excellence in design.
Apple got the right instincts when it comes to us consumers/human beings and enough of a commitment towards that to fight any feature creep or unnecessary complexity.
It will be exciting to see how Microsoft will frame the PC, Windows and their othre products in these ads. If they focus on the utility, then they might have something.
But any explicit enthusiasm for what specifically Windows or Microsofts products do will just ring false. There is no "wow factor" to Vista, Office or the Zune. Well, possibly for Xbox 360, but then just among core "gamers" (families go for Wii and technophiles for the PS3, as the 360 is technical
Posted by: marcus b not loving the spin | Sep 18, 2008 2:35:07 PM
A reaction:
http://www.adtothebone.com/?p=187
Posted by: Clayton Hove | Sep 19, 2008 11:57:34 AM
