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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  • 6 Posted by uffpet on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    Didn't get it at all, sorry.

  • 7 Posted by enza811 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think Microsoft should ask for a refund...

  • 8 Posted by elmo_also on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    OK. Look, I am actually a happy Vista user (please hold yer comments). I was skeptical when I heard Seinfeld would be doing Vista ads to change the stodgy MS image, but hoped for the best. I'm tired of trying to explain why I like Vista. I hoped that perhaps the new ad campaign would knock a few of my adversaries into repose so I could catch my breath. Well, this first ad is probably more likely to put my adversaries to sleep wondering what all the ad hoopla was about. As was mentioned in the article, I sat there for about 10 seconds after the ad was over with a blank look on my face thinking, "Huh?" There is something about Gates adjusting his shorts that just seems so.....so....so wrong.

  • 9 Posted by javabennett on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    i found it to be the perfect ad for vista, the ad isn't compatible with past and current technology advertising just like vista isn't compatible with past and current technology. it was brilliant, i would like to hire that marketing team...

  • 10 Posted by javabennett on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    it was the perfect ad for vista. The ad is incompatible with past and current technology advertising and vista is incompatible with past and current technology. i mean that is a brilliant ad campaign!

  • 11 Posted by rogueist on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Chewy computers? Okay, it got a laugh out of me, and it was actually a very good comedy skit - but if anything at all it might make a few people RUN from Microsoft after seeing that ad...

  • 12 Posted by raidergreg3079 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    Ya this ad is pretty bad. The apple ads by far beat this. Hopefully they will get better.

  • 13 Posted by dojo921 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    Weird is right, but you have two weird people doing the commercial. What's really weird is paying someone $10 mil. for doing it. I don't think I'll be buying Vista anytime in the future. Now Circus shoes . . . . . .

  • 14 Posted by michael_swaney on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    That had to be the most inane attempt at advertising a product i have ever seen. Was that an ad for Microsoft or to promote Bill Gates? Still scratching my head.

  • 15 Posted by descolada_virus on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:41PM EDT Report Abuse

    Maybe it plays off the fact alot of people like Jerry and they see him in a ad for vista and go HEY I LIKE THAT GUY.

  • 16 Posted by wlcatl on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    The ad itself is a lot like Windows - not clever or well thought out and a complete waste of time.

  • 17 Posted by pthompso_98 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    I thought it was a commercial for Shoe Carnival. I guess Vista is so bad they didn't want to associate it with anything in the computer world. I don't remember what brand the shoes were, but I don't think I would buy them. I give the ad an F

  • 19 Posted by john.potocki on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    Just thought it was great. A little long but creative, loved the last line lots of laughs. You got to think outside of the box.

  • 20 Posted by vgriswold@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    I thought the ad was funny, but you kind’a know that something is not going to good when God “Bill Gates” himself has to show up to put in work on behalf of a failing system. Record numbers of loyal PC users are switching to mac and I put the blame squarely on the wobbly shoulders of Vista.

  • 21 Posted by ka7aok831 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    The ad- it needs another signal. I've had Vista Home Premium for a year now on my Lenovo laptop, I've added SP 1 and have had no problems whatsoever. My son has a newer Gateway desktop and it crashed when he tried to add SP 1. He had to return (with difficulty) to a prior saved config.

  • 22 Posted by emv425 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    The 10 million Microsoft paid Seinfeld would have been better spent used to improve the product. God knows it could use some improvemet.

  • 23 Posted by lsflint on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    Saw it on TV last night and couldn't figure out what it was for. I thought at first my channel had gotten accidentally changed. It struck me as bizarre and pretty pointless, but then I'm not a Seinfeld fan. It certainly wouldn't influence me to buy Vista -- rather the opposite, in fact.

  • 24 Posted by makehope1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:04PM EDT Report Abuse

    I know some people who defend, yes standup for using windows v. MAC -- after that I guess anything is possible. From the AD -- looks like next target market for MS Vista is the Hispanic community? It really lost me? And frankly adjusting Bill's shorts not very appealing to me.

  • 25 Posted by amcafeworker on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have had Vista for over 1 year, and have never had 1 problem with it. I don't know if it is people that have lowend computers that are at the bottem end of the specs that have all this trouble. All my drivers work fine, i can play any game i have tried and i do all my work on it.

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