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Microsoft's First Seinfeld Ad Airs: Shoe Circus

GrimmPenguin said:
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.
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Right, but that's all in order since they're not selling a product here, they're trying to reshape the brand. I think the mere fact that they're spending $300 million on advertising without trying to push a product is an indication that they're really committed to changing perception of the brand identity. It's good that they took the high road and avoided any jabs at Apple.

The Mac commercials may work, but I'm wondering what they'll do to the brand identity in the long run. It's a relentless smear campaign, probably illegal in some countries, it's been stretching the truth on more than one occasion, it's smug, it's hostile and it brandishes the majority of computer users as idiots for sticking with Windows. And frankly it's getting a little old.

In short: M$ commercial - good for brand, useless for sales.
Apple commercials - good for sales, risky for brand.
 
The commercial was brilliant. The ad agency behind it (Crispin Porter + Bogusky) is one of the top agencies in the country and have really opened the door to a great and memorable ad campaign. Alex Bogusky is a genius in the ad world.

It's comfortable, entertaining, funny, and makes the Microsoft brand seem the "normal guy" instead of a trendy / hip thing (by subtly being trendy and hip in its portrayal of the "normal guy / everyman"). It's the antithesis to Apple's campaign. I love it.

Besides everyone here being apple fanatics, the other reason you don't "get it" or think it's "lame" is because it's not aimed at you. Most people here are apple fanatics and would fall on the sword for the brand. So most discussion will reflect that bias.
 
ggpike said:
The commercial was brilliant. The ad agency behind it (Crispin Porter + Bogusky) is one of the top agencies in the country and have really opened the door to a great and memorable ad campaign. Alex Bogusky is a genius in the ad world.

It's comfortable, entertaining, funny, and makes the Microsoft brand seem the "normal guy" instead of a trendy / hip thing (by subtly being trendy and hip in its portrayal of the "normal guy / everyman"). It's the antithesis to Apple's campaign. I love it.

Besides everyone here being apple fanatics, the other reason you don't "get it" or think it's "lame" is because it's not aimed at you. Most people here are apple fanatics and would fall on the sword for the brand. So most discussion will reflect that bias.
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So Windows and PC's are aimed at Males Over 50 that buy their shoes at a discount store??? :eek:

Makes sense... :D
 
ggpike said:
The commercial was brilliant. The ad agency behind it (Crispin Porter + Bogusky) is one of the top agencies in the country and have really opened the door to a great and memorable ad campaign. Alex Bogusky is a genius in the ad world.

It's comfortable, entertaining, funny, and makes the Microsoft brand seem the "normal guy" instead of a trendy / hip thing (by subtly being trendy and hip in its portrayal of the "normal guy / everyman"). It's the antithesis to Apple's campaign. I love it.

Besides everyone here being apple fanatics, the other reason you don't "get it" or think it's "lame" is because it's not aimed at you. Most people here are apple fanatics and would fall on the sword for the brand. So most discussion will reflect that bias.
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But what does that mean? I frankly don't care about Steve Jobs' personality, but about the products of his company. And... don't we all think that even Bill Gates owns an iPod, secretly? So what does he being a nice guy (which I tend to believe in the end) say about Windows?
Nada.
 
Omfg

Worse Ad Ever!!! im sorry that was a reaction to the get a mac ads it was more like an ad for whatever gates and sienfield were eating, something american probs. it was a car crash during an earthquake nothing more.:eek:
 
Anuba said:
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.
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I use OS X, XP and Vista so I have my own opinion :)
 
ggpike said:
The commercial was brilliant. The ad agency behind it (Crispin Porter + Bogusky) is one of the top agencies in the country and have really opened the door to a great and memorable ad campaign. Alex Bogusky is a genius in the ad world.

It's comfortable, entertaining, funny, and makes the Microsoft brand seem the "normal guy" instead of a trendy / hip thing (by subtly being trendy and hip in its portrayal of the "normal guy / everyman"). It's the antithesis to Apple's campaign. I love it.

Besides everyone here being apple fanatics, the other reason you don't "get it" or think it's "lame" is because it's not aimed at you. Most people here are apple fanatics and would fall on the sword for the brand. So most discussion will reflect that bias.
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I am curious, if you joined in 06 how come you are a newbie? Do you only post when MS really needs you ;)
 
ggpike said:
The commercial was brilliant. The ad agency behind it (Crispin Porter + Bogusky) is one of the top agencies in the country and have really opened the door to a great and memorable ad campaign. Alex Bogusky is a genius in the ad world.

It's comfortable, entertaining, funny, and makes the Microsoft brand seem the "normal guy" instead of a trendy / hip thing (by subtly being trendy and hip in its portrayal of the "normal guy / everyman"). It's the antithesis to Apple's campaign. I love it.

Besides everyone here being apple fanatics, the other reason you don't "get it" or think it's "lame" is because it's not aimed at you. Most people here are apple fanatics and would fall on the sword for the brand. So most discussion will reflect that bias.
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I get the feeling there are MS spies running around on Mac websites posting comments on their forums, with a detailed list of Macs they supposedly own. :confused:
 
ggpike said:
The commercial was brilliant. The ad agency behind it (Crispin Porter + Bogusky) is one of the top agencies in the country and have really opened the door to a great and memorable ad campaign. Alex Bogusky is a genius in the ad world.

It's comfortable, entertaining, funny, and makes the Microsoft brand seem the "normal guy" instead of a trendy / hip thing (by subtly being trendy and hip in its portrayal of the "normal guy / everyman"). It's the antithesis to Apple's campaign. I love it.

Besides everyone here being apple fanatics, the other reason you don't "get it" or think it's "lame" is because it's not aimed at you. Most people here are apple fanatics and would fall on the sword for the brand. So most discussion will reflect that bias.
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I disagree. Seinfeld + Bill does not equal "normal guy / everyman" and their attempt to do so is the antithesis of "comfortable".

Sure I'm biased, or I wouldn't read or post on a apple branded tech forum. But I'm also a long time Seinfeld fan, so I hoped to at least be more than mildly entertained. I do wonder who you think the ad IS aimed at?

I couldn't say whether Alex Bogusky is a genius or not, but I would lump this promo under "portfolio stuffing".
 
They paid Jerry how much?

It's not even a good shoe store ad.

What's the pitch?

Bill: "Hi, I'm Bill Gates, cheap ass bastard, billionaire. Vista is like a comfortable pair of shoes...Sure they will occasionally get hot, and sweaty, step in dog crap, and maybe even step in the gutter.... Ah, Jerry? Are you sure this is going to work?

Jerry: "Oh course, Bill. And the best part, you don't have to restart shoes!"

When does Kramer burst in?
 
pit29 said:
But what does that mean? I frankly don't care about Steve Jobs' personality, but about the products of his company. And... don't we all think that even Bill Gates owns an iPod, secretly? So what does he being a nice guy (which I tend to believe in the end) say about Windows?
Nada.
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You have to understand that this is an ad campaign. The commercial is setting it up. There are going to be many different parts. Think about the perceptions that Microsoft and Bill Gates (just as much a part of Microsoft as the computers, in people's minds) need to address. Humanizing Bill Gates is one of those steps in the process. Not that he's a "nice guy" but that he's "just like me." in terms of the average consumer (or whatever demographic they're targeting). Think of this commercial as more of a grabber / teaser. It's supposed to pique people's interest to what Microsoft has in store and what the ad campaign has in store. It's not just saying "hey here's one commercial, that's it." It's setting it up.

And yea . . . I'm a spy. Got me! All I'm trying to do is give the reasons why this is a great campaign. I have one PC and 3 Mac's. They're tools. I don't value one over the other beyond the fact that I use a Mac exclusively at work.
 
The shoes look like the cheap shoes they sell on the street here in China. I know Gates is frugal but i am pretty sure he isn't that frugal.

Even the top ad agencies have misfires once in a while. Cool to know they did the GTI commercials. Now THOSE I loved. :D
 
I dunno, maybe this ad is a little too, er, "European" in its approach?

What little I've seen of American advertising has been rather product/brand centric and immediate, if perhaps even a little dumbed down and infomercial-esque at times. But here on the other side of the pond, this kind of two stage campaign has been a staple of advertising for ages. Step one, hit'em with an intentionally cryptic and left field ad that leaves them confused and wondering what the hell is going on, hopefully creates a buzz. Then a week or so later you offer the resolution and reveal what it was all about.

So whenever there's a weird ad you don't get, you just file it under To Be Continued and wait for them to fire the second stage of the rocket.
 
ggpike said:
You have to understand that this is an ad campaign. The commercial is setting it up. There are going to be many different parts. Think about the perceptions that Microsoft and Bill Gates (just as much a part of Microsoft as the computers, in people's minds) need to address. Humanizing Bill Gates is one of those steps in the process. Not that he's a "nice guy" but that he's "just like me." in terms of the average consumer (or whatever demographic they're targeting). Think of this commercial as more of a grabber / teaser. It's supposed to pique people's interest to what Microsoft has in store and what the ad campaign has in store. It's not just saying "hey here's one commercial, that's it." It's setting it up.
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Yeah, just like the teasers for the Bee Movie. Turns out the teasers were actually better than the movie itself. Likely, the same scenario unfolding here.
 
DMann said:
Yeah, just like the teasers for the Bee Movie. Turns out the teasers were actually better than the movie itself. Likely, the same scenario unfolding here.
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Agree. The b movie is really bad and boring. Preachy. Only one memorable line that made me laugh: "...I am already a blood sucker, so I might as well be a lawyer!"

This add makes little sense. I still believe that the add is about shoes. In any case, I have had a good expensive pair of shoes for about four years, and they are still going.

Same with the mac. I have about 4 cheap dells collecting dust, and my mac is in used all of the time.

Now waiting for the next mac-pro update for the computer that will be working for the next four+ years. :)
 
Cruel Irony

The cruel irony here is that Jerry Seinfeld's character on the show always had a Mac as his personal computer in his apartment, even though he never actually used it suring the show.
 
ggpike said:
You have to understand that this is an ad campaign. The commercial is setting it up. There are going to be many different parts. Think about the perceptions that Microsoft and Bill Gates (just as much a part of Microsoft as the computers, in people's minds) need to address. Humanizing Bill Gates is one of those steps in the process. Not that he's a "nice guy" but that he's "just like me." in terms of the average consumer (or whatever demographic they're targeting). Think of this commercial as more of a grabber / teaser. It's supposed to pique people's interest to what Microsoft has in store and what the ad campaign has in store. It's not just saying "hey here's one commercial, that's it." It's setting it up.

And yea . . . I'm a spy. Got me! All I'm trying to do is give the reasons why this is a great campaign. I have one PC and 3 Mac's. They're tools. I don't value one over the other beyond the fact that I use a Mac exclusively at work.
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Let me guess, you work for this ad company and they used Macs to make it it ... right? ;)
 
Digitalclips said:
The other irony is Jerry quit while he was ahead and so did Bill.
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Perhaps, this is true of Jerry. But Bill? After seeing the writing on the wall; Longhorn being scrapped after five years of development, his chief OS engineer's commitment to bail out once the new OS was released, the realization that S Ballmer was now at the helm, the ensuing embarrassment of Zune, Google leaving them in the dust, and a rather dim light at the end of the tunnel, Bill bailed out on the ebb of decline. Sure he was ahead when his retirement announcement was made, but he envisioned the future quite clearly.
 
I love the way Jerry chokes down his line when he has to say "Guess what Bill your a ten." It must have been agony. :)
 
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