jerry seinfeld
Software
Retromodo: Old Microsoft Ads Were Just As Weird As New Ones
10:00PM Kit Eaton | digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_bgcolor = '#f1f8fa'; digg_url = 'http://digg.com/microsoft/Old_Microsoft_Ads_Were_Just_As_Odd_As_New_Ones_VIDEOS'; Do a quick trawl through Microsoft advertising history and you find something interesting: as weird as the Gates/Seinfeld comedy duo Microsoft ads are—weird enough to get them set aside for the “I’m a PC” campaign—they’re just following in the footsteps of earlier ads. Check out this one, dubbed “Soar,” for Windows XP: what does it tell you about the software’s capability? Not much. But the Madonna sound track isn’t too shabby, and apparently using Windows can make you fly. Hmmm, that’s pretty odd… but then there are even more obscure ones. More »
Software
Microsoft’s ‘I’m A PC’ Ad Beats Seinfeld (But Not Hodgman)
11:14AM Wilson Rothman | Phase 2 of Microsoft’s Windows ad campaign debuted tonight during The Office, and the latest work by ad agency Crispin, Porter + Bogusky definitely beats the crap out of those (ill-fated?) Gates/Seinfeld ads when it comes to making a point. The point is simple: Not all PC users look like John Hodgman. Some are even sexy beasts. It’s easy to spot Deepak Chopra and Bill Gates affirming their PC-ness, but I think I also saw A-Rod Tony Parker and Eva Longoria too. You guys have a look and fill in the gaps, because there are a lot of celebs and specialists showing PC pride here. I only wish it didn’t open with that poor bastard Hodgman lookalike—the message is damn loud and clear anyhow. Update: Windows’ 15-second “I Wear a Suit” video below…
Software
Microsoft Ads Featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld Not Cancelled
12:15AM Mark Wilson | digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_bgcolor = '#f1f8fa'; digg_url = 'http://digg.com/microsoft/Gates_and_Seinfeld_Ads_NOT_Canceled'; From a trusted Crispin Porter source, we’ve learned that the internet has jumped the gun and that the Microsoft Gates/Seinfeld ads have not been axed. It’s true, Microsoft apparently asked the agency to focus on the new “I’m a PC” spots. And it’s true, the agency has gotten plenty of “I don’t know what this means” response in their measured statistics of the Gates/Seinfeld ads. But no one has pulled the plug on the dynamic duo just yet. More »
Software
Seinfeld and Gates Are Out, ‘I’m a Mac’ Counterattack Ads Are In
1:00PM Gizmodo US Edition | Alas, the Abbott and Costello-esque partnership between funny man Jerry Seinfeld and billionaire nerd Bill Gates is now officially over, after Microsoft decided to go with a slightly less ambiguous advertising campaign. In their place is a direct shot at those Apple “I’m a Mac” ads, where a Microsoft engineer resembling John Hodgman’s character greets you, “Hello, I’m a PC, and I’ve been made into a stereotype.”
Entertainment
Second Bill Gates + Jerry Seinfeld Windows Ad Reminds Us That They’re Very Rich, Not Like Us
11:18AM Gizmodo US Edition | Remember that first Seinfeld-and-Gates adventure into Shoe Circus, which alluded to something about Windows being “soft and chewy and delicious?” Well, the new Laural and Hardy of ambiguous advertising have a new spot out and it’s… making fun of your average scalloped potato-eating, leather giraffe from Cabo-buying, grumpy Grandma-having Suburban family. The incredibly rich duo try to connect on a “normal people” level and kind of fail utterly. Like Windows Vista. I think. More »
Entertainment
New Windows Ad Just an ‘Icebreaker’
3:15AM Mark Wilson | Confession: I actually very much enjoyed the new Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft ad. Yes, I found it funny and entertaining—the moment when Gates grins like a conspiratorial child revealing that his budget shoes were actual “leather” cracked me up. No, there wasn’t much any substance, but who cares? If nothing else, it’s positive branding and a fun way to kill commercial time otherwise filled with ads for new citrus-scented patio cleaners. More »
Online
The First Bill Gates + Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft Ad Makes No Sense
10:43AM Jason Chen | Besides the slick and probably expensive editing designed to make Jerry Seinfeld look like the more awkward of the pair, there’s not a whole lot of special effects in this clip. In fact, there’s not really a whole lot of anything, including laughs, information or pimping of Vista. It’s kinda like Seinfeld’s really long, really rambling Superman ad for Amex he did a few years back. We hope the rest of the campaign is better. More »
Software
