Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Microsoft's First Seinfeld Ad Airs: Shoe Circus

I work in advertising and have seen my share of bad ads...but seriously...wtf@this s**t? When you shoot a commercial, whether directly or overtly you sell your product or brand. I got neither from this.

These are the ads that are supposed to match what's coming out of Chiat/Tequila in L.A? A challenge for Apple? Encourage windows/Vista/XP users to remain faithful and stick with Microsoft.... lmao...right.

Whoever wrote this is pretty bad....who ever approved the boards should never work again...and if someone actually puts this in their portfolio they should only hope to be adopted in a next life...like wtf man...

Again...has to be one of the worse ads I've seen in awhile....maybe ever. This campaign = fail
 
well i though it was great commercial:rolleyes:it really gets the point across, i dont see why yall keep bashing it:confused:

Wait, it was an ad for Windows? Not Shoe Circus?:confused: Ohhhhhh....
:apple::apple::apple:!!!!
 
wow. creative maybe, effective no way.

I am a ex-pc user (3 years ago made the leap) and I have to say as a creative director this ad does absolutely nothing for Microsoft except show that Bill is cheap. On Jerry's side I'd take the 10 million dollars to show up on a commercial with Bill, but don't give up your MacBook Pro Jerry....

Another consistently sad day for PC users.
 
Anuba said:
Har de har. ;)

No, the Zune was marketed by the usual knuckleheads who handled all of Microsoft's marketing in the past. This time M$ decided to go waaaaaay outside their comfort zone and approach CP+Bogusky. Think soccer mom at a Marilyn Manson release party. CP+B is known for making bizarre stuff. Remember the Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit GTI commercials with Peter Stormare ("un-pimp ze auto"), and the other GTI series "My fast"? They made those. If y'all weren't talking about how the Gates/Seinfeld commercial totally weirded you out, CP+B would be firing some people now for failing to hit the weird note.
Click to expand...

Ok, but with all due respect, VW make good cars. They just might have met their match trying to make MS look good.
 
Enjoyed it

I'm surprised by the close to 100% criticism of the ad in here. I actually enjoyed it. It didn't sell me anything, it wasn't in my face, but it was enjoyable to watch, and REALLY makes microsoft more approachable.

Jerry Seinfeld is the perfect guy to do these ads, as he is much loved and respected as a TV personality, and these ads make it look like he is good friends with Bill Gates, which certainly gives Microsoft a more down-to-earth identity.

He also is the perfect person for mainstream computer users to relate to. He is your typical non-tech guy, who enjoys life, but is currently a bit dissatisfied with his computer. He wants better. And his buddy Bill just gave him the signal that the future is going to be better at Microsoft.

I like it.

Edit: Oh and by the way, how much was the last Seinfeld line ("If it's yes, give me a signal") a great Arrested Development moment. "If it's yes, just give me a tap on the toosh"
 
dlichtdotcom said:
I work in advertising and have seen my share of bad ads...but seriously...wtf@this s**t? When you shoot a commercial, whether directly or overtly you sell your product or brand. I got neither from this.
Click to expand...

Do you really work in advertising? Because you forget about brand awareness. That's also an important goal to shoot a commercial. There are lots of commercials, at least here, that don't try to convince you to buy their product because it's better than "Product X". A long time ago, that was the only kind of commercial, I know. Nowadays you'll see lots of ads that have the sole purpose of sticking their name into your head, so you'll remember them when you need something they could provide. Brand awareness. The more people talking about it, the better. The fact that they hired Seinfeld is already a smart move, because I read about it even before the ad was shot. And now it's even showing on a Mac site. Not bad, MS... :p

--Erwin
 
Digitalclips said:
Ok, but with all due respect, VW make good cars. They just might have met their match trying to make MS look good.
Click to expand...
Well, I drive a white Golf GTI just like the one in the Stormare commercial and I've had a lot more problems with it than I've had with Vista. Rattling interior, broken stereo and a weird issue with the DSG gearbox in S mode (it speeds up when I *release* the gas). As a matter of fact I've spent even more time troubleshooting Leopard on my iMac 24". No seriously, it's been a nightmare.

Vista sucks in some ways, but it's nowhere near as bad as its reputation. Sometimes the mass psychosis gets a life of its own and becomes a runaway bandwagon of hate... I'd say out of all the beatings Vista has taken, maybe 25% is valid criticism and 75% is pure FUD. Vista is kind of like the movie "Gigli". For a while there it was the worst movie ever made, according to IMDb voters, many of which gave it a 1 rating without having seen it at all. Yeah, it was a forgettable flick, but to suggest that it was the worst in the history of the planet, and then go on to say that everyone involved should be killed slowly by cutting out little cubes of meat until they bleed to death, has nothing to do with the actual movie. It has more to do with a collective of brains with the autopilot set on hate.
 
J-Squire said:
I'm surprised by the close to 100% criticism of the ad in here.
Click to expand...
I'm not surprised at all. Like I said earlier, it's like showing an Obama ad at the Republican National Convention. You couldn't find a more hostile crowd. If M$ gave all their assets to charity, trust the MacRumors forums to claim that this is somehow an act of evil and spite. I'm a cross-platform dude with 2 Macs and 2 PCs and I try to give credit where credit is due. I guess the term these days is "reaching out across the isle..."

Edit: Oh and by the way, how much was the last Seinfeld line ("If it's yes, give me a signal") a great Arrested Development moment. "If it's yes, just give me a tap on the toosh"
Click to expand...
I actually got more of a 30 Rock vibe, it's full of left field stuff like that, plus Seinfeld guest starred on 30R last season.
 
Slide1.jpg


Came up on my television halfway through the commercial.:p
 
Why does everyone assume this ad is to sell Vista? It seems to me it's not 'selling' anything, but rather promoting the Microsoft brand and giving us a hint that Microsoft has big plans for the future
 
So MS paid millions for Seinfeld to bend a shoe and walk Bill to his car??

I saw it last night as was felt wondering if like Seinfeld, Microsoft was all about the 90's............:D
 
nvbrit said:
Why does everyone assume this ad is to sell Vista? It seems to me it's not 'selling' anything, but rather promoting the Microsoft brand and giving us a hint that Microsoft has big plans for the future
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's not a Vista ad, but it's about the Windows brand, not Microsoft itself (that's a Windows logo at the end, with no mention of M$).
 
I kind of liked it, even though none of it really made sense until the end.

Definitely more enjoyable than the Mac commercials, worse as a commercial.
 
Asu said:
Either I am high or they move like molasses in the clip. In the final segment they look like two old geezers dragging themselves towards the sunset. It was awful to watch how slow they were moving...

... OK, so I'm not high.
Click to expand...

ARE YOU SURE? How's 'bout now? Are we high yet? I'd love to be high with you if you didn't have hooves and were kosher.

I saw a geezer drowning in molasses once, and he showed me the way.
 
I was quite confused by the "message" of the commercial, also. Despite them saying it's supposed to be a "teaser" for a series of commercials, I'm still confused.

BUT. Nevertheless, this commercial is a success.

Why? Because we're all talking about it. Almost 1,000 comments now. People pulling it up on their computers to show work buddies and family and friends. "Look how stupid this ad is!"

Whoever mentioned brand awareness hit it right on the money. This wasn't supposed to make sense or be about Vista, it was to get recognition. There's even stories on Yahoo and local news about it.

Even if you think it sucks, the ad is a huge success, guys and gals. :)
 
Not So Much . . .

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha . . .
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha . . .


Ha Ha Ha . . .
Ha Ha Ha Ha . . .

Oh sorry, Bill, not laughing AT you but laughing WITH you.

(OK, actually -- Not So Much!)
 
The Official Word from Microsoft

Here is the 'answers' you have all been looking for, the link at the bottom has the full article.....


REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 4, 2008 — “This is the Conquistador,” explains Jerry Seinfeld, showing a befuddled Bill Gates a brown loafer. “They run very tight.”
After seeing the new ad from Microsoft, which debuted today, some may wonder what Jerry Seinfeld helping Bill Gates pick out a new pair of shoes has to do with software. The answer, in the classic Seinfeld sense of the word, is nothing. Nevertheless, the spot is the first and most visible sign of an ambitious effort by Microsoft’s Windows business to reconnect with consumers around the globe.
The new campaign will highlight how Windows has become an indispensible part of the lives of a billion people around the globe -- not only on PCs but also now online and via mobile devices. It will illustrate how Windows integrates consumer experiences across PCs, online and on mobile phones through Windows Vista, Windows Live and Windows Mobile. Microsoft is working with retail partners and PC manufacturers to enhance the experience consumers have with Windows at every touch-point:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/...px?story=660dee9e-9606-4e77-843e-ed81d83c0bfe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back