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Seinfeld-Windows TV Ad Anything But 'Delicious'
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Fri Sep 05, 2008 04:07 PM
from the a-whole-lotta-meh dept.
from the a-whole-lotta-meh dept.
CWmike writes "Microsoft's $300-million ad campaign for Windows starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld launched Thursday with a long TV commercial almost entirely devoid of any talk of Windows, Microsoft or anything, really. With co-star Bill Gates, the scene is set in a shopping mall. Seinfeld, who did most of the talking, helps Gates buy a pair of shoes called the Conquistador. The commercial ends with Seinfeld asking Gates if Microsoft will "come out with something that makes our computers moist and chewy like cake so we can just eat them while we're working." Gates wiggles his rear to answer in the affirmative. The commercial ends (see video inside the story) with the Windows logo and the phrase 'Delicious.' Preston Gralla writes, 'I just saw Microsoft's much ballyhooed Jerry Seinfeld ad, and can say without equivocation it's one of the worst, most pointless ads in history. If this is Microsoft's response to the 'I'm a Mac' ads, it should fold up its tent and tell the world to switch to Apple."
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What Are You Talking About? (Score:5, Funny)
Seinfeld-Windows TV Ad Anything But 'Delicious'
Are you crazy? I found that ad effective & informative.
... starring a Microsoft shill & a racist.
I can't wait to get down to my local shoe store to try out a pair of "The Conquistador" although everyone knows they 'run tight.' I can't wait to finally have shoes I can wear in my shower!
Well, there goes my ability to watch any reruns of Seinfeld
I caught this ad on TV with my non-technical retail employed roommate. And, acknowledging my predisposition to the big evil, I turned and atonally inquired what he thought of the commercial. "What?" he replied, "I don't think when I watch commercials, I just watch them." My god, it's worse than I thought, normal people just might digest this!
Re:What Are You Talking About? (Score:5, Funny)
I think it is actually an ad for churros. I anticipate huge churro sales spike following this campaign.
Parent
Re:What Are You Talking About? (Score:5, Funny)
dammit now im hungry. thanks ass.
Parent
Re:What Are You Talking About? (Score:5, Insightful)
You only need look as far as what passes for entertainment on television in the USA to figure out that you should be considered special if you have an 8th grade education!
Have you ever watched TV in other countries? If it's not reruns of old stuff from the US, It's knock-offs like [insert country here] Idol. Entertainment is bad on a global scale.
The bulk of stuff you will find in basic programming is going to suck everywhere for a long time to come, because, well, it has to cater to the 50% of us who are under average.
Parent
Re:What Are You Talking About? (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
I thought... (Score:5, Insightful)
... that it was kind of hilarious in a post-modern "we're Microsoft, what the fuck are we gonna do?" sort of way.
Re:I thought... (Score:5, Funny)
... that it was kind of hilarious in a post-modern "we're Microsoft, what the fuck are we gonna do?" sort of way.
You mean, "Where do we want to go today?" sort of way?
Sounds like Microsoft with Alzheimer's.
Parent
Re:I thought... (Score:5, Insightful)
The add made little sense. It didn't mention computers at all until the last 10 seconds.
It was kinda funny, but not even typical Seinfeld humor.
I think Microsoft should get a refund from the ad agency.
Parent
Re:I thought... (Score:5, Interesting)
But the end... the end... that setup, the punch line/butt wiggle and Jerry's response? Uhhh, just non funny, dumb and baffling. There are many things about Bill Gates that are not funny. The body he inhabits and all parts contained within qualify under that designation.
Just. Bad.
Parent
And my impression was... I thought that... (Score:5, Funny)
I thought that Seinfeld was acting like he just smoked a whole bag full of weed and Gates was just annoyed with him.
Parent
Re:I thought... (Score:5, Interesting)
I should specify that I was watching it with some buddies of mine and had (up until this point) been quite raucous throughout the football game. But this commercial confused the hell out of us.
"Is it for charity?"
"Is it for shoes?"
"Is it for some sort of policy initiative?"
Nope. Windows. ...delicious.
Parent
Re:I thought... (Score:5, Insightful)
I saw it as, "We took the money we got from every computer you ever bought, and used it to make this crappy commercial!"
Bill Gates can wiggle his flabby ass all he wants -- I will never forgive them for Internet Explorer.
Parent
Its Marketing ... no information required (Score:5, Interesting)
Clearly the OP does not really understand what advertising is usually about. Most mass market advertising does not try to provide information, it is providing associations. It presents something enjoyable (here it is assumed that Seinfeld+Gates==Enjoyable) and then presents the branding that they want to be associated with that enjoyable feeling. The crazy part is that this works, and in a weird way can be suggested as actually improving the product. Since the next time the subject of the advertising uses/sees the product, they will subconsiously access that association with enjoyment ... therefore the product is more enjoyable as a result of the advertising.
I am not saying that this is a good thing, but it is how things work in the real world.
Now you can argue either way as to whether Seinfeld+Gates=Delicious ... I didn't actually watch the comercial myself ... but they might be reaching as far a transitive association all the way back to the Seinfeld show, which almost everyone agrees was enjoyable. In any case I don't think there was ever any intent to have actual informative content in the comercial ... they are just "building the brand".
See Seth Godin's book "All Marketers Are Liars"
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/all_marketers_are_liars/ [typepad.com]
or a quick review of it here:
http://www.businesspundit.com/lying-marketing-and-perception/ [businesspundit.com]
Re:Its Marketing ... no information required (Score:5, Insightful)
Having seen the ad, and thinking of others that have been defended in this way, I've come to suspect that this in fact doesn't work at all, and that what you're repeating actually originated as marketing for marketing. "Don't worry. It's supposed to be horrible!"
I mean, it ended with Bill Gates coyly wiggling his ass for chrissake!
Parent
Re:Its Marketing ... no information required (Score:5, Insightful)
Seinfeld was a HORRIBLE show!
Sorry but I have to disagree. Seinfeld was brilliant: it was like a modern theatre of the absurd. It didn't play to people's desire for a warm fuzzy feeling, it acted on the cold reality of what its creators portray as futile, cyclical, absurd modern life. And it does it in a way that makes people laugh.
Its comedy is so incredibly clever. I still find it hard to not have my mind blown when I watch it.
Parent
Mug shot (Score:5, Funny)
"Gates wiggles his rear." (Score:5, Funny)
Congratulations (Score:5, Insightful)
Slashdot ... you win first prize. You just fell for, and greatly aided, Microsoft's viral marketing campaign.
Shamelessly crossposed from my journal (Score:5, Funny)
Bill Gates (for it is he): Now, I've been thinking about our advertising, how we get the message out that Vista is the best operating system ever written, and I was watching TV last night.
Steve Ballmer: Oh, excellent my master! Excellent!
Steve chortles uncontrollably
Bill Gates: Shut up number 2. Now, I noticed two things. First of all, there is a hilarious comedian on the television called Jerry Seinfeld.
Various flunkies nod.
Number 8: Oh yes, he's very funny
Number 9: I agree my master. We were all talking about his hilarious show around our water cooler earlier today.
Number 5: Indeed. In my department, I couldn't get to the water cooler because of the number of people talking about his show. It is the funniest show on television. You are so right number one, you are...
Bill Gates sighs
Gates: Silence! Now, the other thing I noticed was a theme to many of the advertisements. Let me show you.
The table turns around, with the chairs parting to form a straight line parallel to and facing a giant unfolding screen. The lights dim, and an image appears on screen.
McCain: I'm John McCain, and I approve this message. Barack Obama says he's for the common man. But he's actually just a typical liberal elitist.
Obama: Poor people suck. I'm a big dofus. Look at me with my big car and fancy house.
McCain: Do you really want this person becoming President, or would you rather that a real American be in the White House?
The screen changes to show a new ad. This time the word "Hope" appears in big letters on the screen.
Obama: I know what it's like to be at the bottom. I grew up in a family so poor we used to have to live in a paper bag. Every morning, we used to have to get up before we went to bed, lick road clean, and every night our parents would beat us, bury us, and dance on our graves. But my opponent John McCain was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, listen to his real world experience:
McCain: Look at me, I'm an old person who doesn't even know how to use an Interweb. I have sixteen houses because I keep forgetting where they all are and so have to keep buying new ones to live in.
Obama: Do you really think that guy can relate to us? Do you really want him to become President? Vote for me, change you can believe in. I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message.
The lights come back on and the table and chairs go back into position.
Gates: You see, I'm noticing a common theme. What the common people want is to know their leaders aren't elitist, whatever that means.
Number 17: Er, Mr Gates. I don't want to talk out of turn, but those are election ads, they're not trying to sell computer operating systems.
There is a deathly hush. Gates motions to Balmer:
Gates: Number 2...
Balmer picks up a chair. Number 17 gets up and starts to back away.
Number 17: Please! I meant no disrespect! I was just trying to help! No! Please!
Balmer coldly follows 17 and carefully aims the chair. Finally, with a single thrust of the arms, the chair is thrown. All four legblades hit 17 together. He staggers backwards, bleeding profusely, and falls off of the platform into the shark tank, screaming as he goes.
Gates: As I was saying. The people want to know that their leaders are not elitists, that we can relate to the comm
Let me be one of the first to say (Score:5, Funny)
I want my damn minute back!
I get it! (Score:5, Funny)
It's an "Ad about Nothing"!
It already succeeded (Score:5, Insightful)
The ad was a complete success. Can you believe that, after reading about it on Google News, I actually sought out and watched the commercial? Can you believe that right this very moment you are reading some unimportant commentary by someone whose opinion doesn't matter whatsoever about a TV commercial?
Score one for Microsoft.
What "delicious" means (Score:5, Insightful)
Look at your common PHB. Likes "delicious food" as opposed to what the Mac guy eats, probably raw food or wheat grass or something. Thinks butt-wagging and slapstick are funny. Probably laughs at Seinfeld re-runs. Is glad he doesn't shop at the cheap shoe store for athletic shoes, but probably gets his dress shoes there, because who can tell. Has Mexican neighbors, is uncomfortable knowing he's in the same class they are.
This ad is brilliantly tarteted as a sort of subconscious reminder that PHB doesn't have to be a Mac guy, darnit, and he's good enough. Microsoft is here to shove more Applebees cake down his throat.
Re:It did exactly what it was supposed to do. (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:It did exactly what it was supposed to do. (Score:5, Funny)
Parent