Micro-soft-on-humor

By now, you may have seen the new Microsoft Windows ad featuring former CEO Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. And I'm sure you still can't control yourself from not laughing, tending to that stitch that's not in your side, laughing out soft -- Microsoft. Wow, I would have expected something much better from Jerry Seinfeld. He's a really funny guy. And Gates could have played the ultimate straight man. While the spot, part of a (gulp) $300 million Windows campaign, did have it's moments (the best being Gates's mug shot on his shopper card), it lacked the real humor and something-from-nothing comedy that was "Seinfeld." Even the direction and editing had pregnant pauses that left the viewers with that uncomfortable feeling like when you see a comedian dying on-stage. From a marketing standpoint, it didn't even mention Windows. All Mac loyalty aside, this first spot pales in comparison to the long-running Mac ads that have delighted us for years. The spot seemed to have less input from Jerry and more from Microsoft. This could best be summed up in this Microsoft Entourage dialog box I was presented with this morning. Enjoy.   [caption id="attachment_42" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Microsoft mentality"][/caption]

Comments

[Dave Kawalec]

I think they both think it's 1998.

[mattsnod]

That's when Windows 95 came out, right?