Newsvine - Microsoft reboots Seinfeld, Gates ad plans

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Enough is enough! Political correctness only goes so far. If you put your finger on the pulse of mainstream America, you will find weak interest in being politically correct, these days. Who is Michelle Malkin, anyway? Judging by the effect, she must be McCarthy's granddaughter. I stopped watching Fox News a long time ago. The fact is, you can't really trust Fox. It has been known for years as the most biased and slanted news of all the networks. I, for one, am very tired of all this political correctness and when someone draws a link between Rachael Ray and Yasser Arafat, that is stretching the paranoid imagination just a little too far. As a psychotherapist, the ability to link a simple scarf with terrorism, as if Rachael Ray were sending secret signals to Muslim extremists, is a real red flag. We can ill afford to have anyone with paranoid delusions influencing any segment of American society.
ARS Silver City, NM

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More proof that America has turned being Fat & Stupid into an art form.
If ignorance is bliss, then the U.S. is currently in the throes of a years-long sustained orgasm.
Funny how the only "terror" America experiences as of late comes from Washington and the media. Maybe Al Qaeda(sp?) no longer tries anything here because it is so obvious their mission has already been accomplished.
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{"commentId":2991806,"authorDomain":"rob-neill"}

rob-neill

What did you think of the ads?

{"commentId":2991806,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"rob-neill"}

#1 - Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:49 PM EDT

{"commentId":3000316,"authorDomain":"ShawnC30"}

ShawnC30

There is a GOD. Worst commercial ever. I am so happy it is going to be over.

{"commentId":3000316,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"ShawnC30"}

1 vote

#1.1 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:42 AM EDT

{"commentId":3000457,"authorDomain":"momofadj"}

Teresa-537087

LOVED the "adjusting the shorts" spot. the ad with the regular family was not so hot, BUT it got your attention.

{"commentId":3000457,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"momofadj"}

#1.2 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:51 AM EDT

{"commentId":3001069,"authorDomain":"dakjoy"}

Dakjoy

I enjoyed the commercials. It was nice to see a giant icon like Gates being human. Sorry to see them go! Quirky, ya, odd, yes, but enjoyable and far better than most commercials I have to sit through.

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#1.3 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:27 AM EDT

{"commentId":2992619,"authorDomain":"JimEZ"}

JimEZ

First Vista, and now this!? I don't know which is the bigger failure for Monsieur Gates. The whole thing is confusing. Bewildering. Tedious. Laughable in its poor execution. Suffers by comparison to Apple. No where near worth the money spent on it.

And then there were those commercials .....

Microsurfs .... Be very afraid!

{"commentId":2992619,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"JimEZ"}

#2 - Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:45 PM EDT

{"commentId":3052791,"authorDomain":"jsalminen"}

CorpManager

It is unfortunate that the uneducated have perpetuated such a mass delusion about a solid product from Microsoft. It would not surprize me that Apple orchestrated the weapon of mass FUD.

Microsoft has nothing to fear from Apple. I manage an multinational enterprise IT infrastructure which is 100% Apple-free and it's going to stay that way as long as I am managing the budget.

{"commentId":3052791,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"jsalminen"}

#2.1 - Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:39 AM EDT

{"commentId":2993527,"authorDomain":"leftcoastblue"}

leftcoastblue

The ads were beyond boring -- but to Microsoft's advantage, they were so obtuse and utterly pointless that the average viewer might have been unable to connect them to anything like the fatally flawed Vista OS.

The OTHER MS ads -- the ones hawking the 'Mojave Experiment' -- are the ones that offend the most: Their whole 'Gee, maybe Vista is kinda cool after all' message depends upon unseen manipulations of the consumer testing sessions. The most likely scenario is that we're only seeing rigged video of some MS marketing wonks running their tragically unhip OS on brand new, high-powered and ideally configured PC hardware that bears little resemblance to the machines 'Joe Average' has at home.

By the way, I am running the latest Mac OS (10.5.4) on a 3-year-old 1.6GHz G5.

{"commentId":2993527,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"leftcoastblue"}

#3 - Thu Sep 18, 2008 7:03 PM EDT

{"commentId":2997173,"authorDomain":"kissyboot"}

battle on

I saw just one ad -- embarassingly awful -- so much so that it was hard to keep watching.

{"commentId":2997173,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"kissyboot"}

#4 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:09 AM EDT

{"commentId":2997274,"authorDomain":"eda104"}

torrent29

I thought they were quite fine and quite clever. They are considerable more watchable, then the now absurd Apple ads that have become both repetitive and just plain full of lies.

The Gates/Seinfeld ads were quirky, and hardly awful or terrible. They did what they were designed to do, catch the attention of the people, and it did that in spades.

{"commentId":2997274,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"eda104"}

#5 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:19 AM EDT

{"commentId":2997738,"authorDomain":"samsfishnchipssamsfishnchips"}

chulerico

wow,

found the commercial neat, and also saw a actual detail description of the ad, which every part of the ad has a meaning, which most would not connect unless they see the other ones, which haven't been made

if person is able to view the ad without any prejudice, they would actually enjoy it,

and think its about time that microsoft get into heave windows adverticing, want to make sure you keep controlling over 90% of the market...

oh and last time I check a 1.6GHz G5 was about $2000 new at its time, any machine at that price would run great any operating system within 5yrs or even more,

sam

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#6 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:12 AM EDT

{"commentId":2997837,"authorDomain":"skeptic67"}

skeptic67

Jerry Seinfeld jumped the shark with this crap. (Gates jumped the shark about 10 years ago.) Seinfeld made the right call in ending his show when everyone was clamoring for more. But why was this campaign necessary? Not enough money? Regrets about civilian life? You watch this mess and keep asking yourself, after the brilliance of his show and its enduring appeal, why? My God, man, why???

{"commentId":2997837,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"skeptic67"}

#7 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:20 AM EDT

{"commentId":3000188,"authorDomain":"info-248"}

Rick Chattanooga

The ad was baaaaad! I actually watched it every time it came on so that I could just understand it. I am a commercial advertising buff. Love the good and hate the bad. I'm sure average Joe just flipped the channel when it came on. It appeared to me that it was done by non-creative people trying to be creative.

{"commentId":3000188,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"info-248"}

#8 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:35 AM EDT

{"commentId":3000287,"authorDomain":"byrdbrainchild"}

Judy-473746

I just didn't really get it. I thought it was just me, but apparently not.

{"commentId":3000287,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"byrdbrainchild"}

#9 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:40 AM EDT

{"commentId":3000360,"authorDomain":"ufs"}

Usefull

I don't know which was worse, the ads or the MS vice-president trying to explain away their wasted money. Why can't we have executives that are at least honest enough to say - "they didn't work, they were bad, and we pulled them after two weeks to stop the bleeding". Why do of all people MS execs feel the need to 'spin' their comments. "You can fool some of the people......and all the people.......etc."

{"commentId":3000360,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"ufs"}

#10 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:45 AM EDT

{"commentId":3000362,"authorDomain":"rbarryc"}

Rich Cronin

Gates/Seinfeld

Bad
Long and Bad
Boring, long and bad
Embarassing, boring, long and bad.

What a waste of money. I was actually embarrassed for Gates while watching it, and it kept going on and on and on. Those ads were just laughingly awful with no particular point. The first one I saw astonished me, I could not believe Bill Gates would be dumb enough to do something that truly odd.

Ugh.

{"commentId":3000362,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"rbarryc"}

#11 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:45 AM EDT

{"commentId":3000394,"authorDomain":"lorenahargis"}

lhargis

I know I am in the minority on this but I actually liked the ads, they were cute and so much more fun that most commercials for other products. Life is so depresing now and this commercial made me smile for at least a few minutes

{"commentId":3000394,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"lorenahargis"}

#12 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:47 AM EDT

{"commentId":3000697,"authorDomain":"dasdasdas"}

DAS-537138

The ads were amusing, quirky, and clever, and did exactly what they were intended to do - draw attention to Microsoft.

{"commentId":3000697,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"dasdasdas"}

#13 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:04 AM EDT

{"commentId":3002700,"authorDomain":"theantichick"}

theantichick

I thought they were hilarious. Gates has a dry sense of humor that I love seeing on the screen. Seinfeld I can take or leave, but I thought the commercials were quirky and they definitely did the job by catching my attention, and apparently everyone else's.

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#14 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:46 AM EDT

{"commentId":3004694,"authorDomain":"mmorgan42"}

Mitch Morgan

Silly and pointless. When Seinfeld asked Gates what the next computers would be like, it reminded me of the Will Farrell skit where he asked someone from NASA: "If the moon was made of green cheese, would you eat it? I know I would!" Except that Will was funny.

{"commentId":3004694,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"mmorgan42"}

#15 - Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:19 PM EDT

{"commentId":3016391,"authorDomain":"tywht63"}

tywht63

They all suck! Jerry and Gates are two people that are too old and the ads are pointless, cheap, and just retarded!

{"commentId":3016391,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"tywht63"}

#16 - Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:46 AM EDT

{"commentId":3039384,"authorDomain":"tvernon"}

vrnnknt

I don't think Jerry Seinfeld is or was very funny. Bill Gates is not respected in the general public or even in his industry at large. The idea he actually buys his own shoes let alone in a mall discount store without some security is ridiculous, not funny. The dialog is just stupid, and in the end it didn't tell me anything about the product or the company. Well, maybe it did. The Apple/Mac ads are enormously better; more creative; and more informative; and clever.

{"commentId":3039384,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"tvernon"}

#17 - Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:01 AM EDT

{"commentId":3052737,"authorDomain":"jsalminen"}

Your opinion reeks of being an Apple fanboy therefore is completely biased and irrelevant.

{"commentId":3052737,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"jsalminen"}

#17.1 - Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:27 AM EDT

{"commentId":3199304,"authorDomain":"dasdasdas"}

Although certainly not the funniest member of the "Seinfeld" cast, Jerry Seinfeld is widely regarded as a very humorous person, delivering highly creative (and mostly G-rated) content in a uniquely dry fashion. Bill Gates is highly respected by both the public and by his peers, for both his genius and his foresight, and more recently for his unprecedented and ongoing philanthropic contributions to society.
As for the statement that the idea of him buying shoes at a discount mall shoestore is ridiculous - that's true, but it's a commercial. By design, commercials (like most movies) are not always based on reality and the amusing brilliance is quite often found in the absurdity itself. (Has anyone out there ever really seen a talking cat or a talking dog?) I would guess that the commercial wasn't intended to tell us anything about either the product or the company. There aren't many out there who don't already know who Microsoft is, and by now, most people have a pretty good idea what Vista is as well. The commercial was intended to draw attention to Microsoft, which it did quite well. Unfortunately Microsoft will probably have to pull this commercial and not make any more like it, because of the simple fact that there are obviously many out there that don't get it. Instead, they'll be forced into devising some other sort of mind-numbingly generic campaign geared to the intelligence level of the masses.
A good case in point is the Apple ads previously mentioned - they started out being clever as well, and have since devolved into the dull, trite cliches that they are now. As for being informative (?) - they aren't now and never really have been.

{"commentId":3199304,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"dasdasdas"}

#17.2 - Mon Sep 29, 2008 10:38 AM EDT

{"commentId":3997626,"authorDomain":"lorhutton"}

Always Amazed-579095

The Gates/Seinfeld ads were pathetic and very amateurish. The current "I'm a PC" ad campaign is just plain annoying and pointless, and embodies the "Duh" factor to the umpteenth degree.

Millions of people have "PC's" ...that is a known fact. All too many also dislike them....which is why Apple has made so many inroads into the market.

I don't have a Mac...but I am so tired of constant updates and patches necessary to tighten security, and ward off and/or fix problems that my next system WILL be a Mac.

As the Apple spots point out, the money would be far better spent on fixing the problems that cause folks to opt for Mac's, then spending it on ad campaigns that do nothing whatsoever to tout the product other than to state the obvious using varied people in a format that is also very amateurish. One is left at the end of the commercial saying ..OK people, what is your point...other tuna to make it seem that you have deluded yourself into thinking that you ARE a PC???

If this is the best Microsoft can do in advertising their product which they (hopefully) believe in, one does wonder why they have nothing definitive to say about their product, in terms of features, benefits, or, Windows 7 for that matter.

IMO, they need a new ad agency.

{"commentId":3997626,"threadId":"361742","contentId":"1882920","authorDomain":"lorhutton"}

#18 - Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:02 AM EST

You cannot redistribute wealth that is never created

Microsoft reboots Seinfeld, Gates ad plans

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Microsoft reboots Seinfeld, Gates ad plans

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