Seinfeld Vista ad is out, and it's bizarre

Fri Sep 5, 2008 11:05AM EDT

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The first ad from Microsoft's $300 million campaign to resuscitate Windows Vista via pitchman Jerry Seinfeld (who's pocketing $10 million for his work) debuted last night, and now you can see it on Yahoo! Video and YouTube.

Go watch it, come back here, and start scratching your head.

The ad is so far not winning many fans, with most perplexed over the 90-second spot's exploration of churros, footwear, and showering habits, as Seinfeld and Gates (playing themselves) try on shoes in a shopping mall. Vista is never mentioned explicitly in the ad, and Microsoft only comes up in the last few seconds of the ad.

Naysayers call it a baffling, stupid disaster. Kinder critics say that it cleverly plays on Seinfeld's reputation for observational humor (Seinfeld was famously a show "about nothing"). I'll just say, for now, it's weird: Not as bad as I'd been led to believe but hopefully just a quiet opening volley for a campaign that will actually make me laugh out loud down the road.

In one sense, though, the ad is already having some effect: People are actually talking about Windows Vista.

OK armchair critics, what do you think about the spot?

Comments on Seinfeld Vista ad is out, and it's bizarre

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  • 1 Posted by albloch69 on Fri Sep 5, 2008 11:22AM EDT Report Abuse

    Not nearly as bad as I expected. Nothing to do with Vista (which I certainly still won't be buying any time soon), but it may just be a general positive that has people smiling when they hear "Microsoft." I guess it's similar to the Budweiser frogs, though not as funny.

  • 2 Posted by sd45cc on Fri Sep 5, 2008 11:37AM EDT Report Abuse

    funny low key ad I thought it was just about microsoft not vista till I read the article above. so did it do its job?? HMMM????

  • 3 Posted by dcsoccer25 on Fri Sep 5, 2008 11:45AM EDT Report Abuse

    It did leave me scratching my head, I must say. Mildly humorous though.

  • 4 Posted by wolverinemarky on Fri Sep 5, 2008 11:45AM EDT Report Abuse

    ok i recently bought a computer, and it came with Vista Home Premium and 3gb of RAM. I havent had any problems with the OS so far, all the drivers I needed are available no BSODs. So far it seems pretty stable to me, I am an intermediate user so maybe knowing a little more about computers in general keeps you from having all the problems most people have. As far as the commercial it was slightly funny, but I think they need to go a little bit further with it and maybe mention Vista. cant wait to see the next series of commercials and maybe they will expand on it.

  • 5 Posted by wolverinemarky on Fri Sep 5, 2008 11:45AM EDT Report Abuse

    ok i recently bought a computer, and it came with Vista Home Premium and 3gb of RAM. I havent had any problems with the OS so far, all the drivers I needed are available no BSODs. So far it seems pretty stable to me, I am an intermediate user so maybe knowing a little more about computers in general keeps you from having all the problems most people have. As far as the commercial it was slightly funny, but I think they need to go a little bit further with it and maybe mention Vista. cant wait to see the next series of commercials and maybe they will expand on it.

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