Monday, September 15, 2008

Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates' horrible SECOND Microsoft commercial

Ok. It's not as bad as the first one.

It's actually a bit funny too.

But I still don't see how Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld trying to get a "Simple Life" as a middle-aged Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie can help Microsoft sell more software. Or be perceived to be thought leader in software, the Internet or whatever.

If any, the only thing I'm getting out of this is .... hey, Bill Gates looks like the PC guy in the Mac commercials, doesn't he? He's a goofy, nerdy, even a bit loveable kind of a dork.

Waittaminit, is this supposed to be about refurbishing Bill Gates' image?

But okay, it's funny -- so watch it to get a laugh (it'll try your patience because it's long at 4 minutes 30 seconds) but I don't expect you to change your opinion about Microsoft just yet.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah-ha! So they did get you to admit it's a little funny. I think Crispin's plan is working as much as we all hate to admit it.

Microsoft is up against a mountain. There is a whole community of bloggers and techlovers out there that loooooooathe them. They've tried over many years to appear more human and approachable, at least to the developer community with efforts by Scoble and Channel 9, but they haven't done much to appear human to us.

In fact, you could say they have continued their perception as an out of touch big bully with their efforts to take over Yahoo!

These new commercials... waste of money, moronic, huge mistake... only time will tell. But I think that they are causing exactly what Microsoft was going for... conversation.

reyl said...

Hi Marta:

Yup -- they've certainly got us all talking.

Question -- and I know that this is all very Cluetrainish and so that should be good -- what happens if the conversation is opened in directions which you didn't want it to go?

In your blog -- and in several others that I've read which have been discussing the same topic -- there have been comments about the software / OS issues not being addressed.

Wouldn't it be more prudent for Microsoft to actually center the discussion on THAT by trying to make better software?

In a sense, Crispin's plan is working ... but I feel it's the wrong plan.

Wouldn't Microsoft be better served by having happy users and their experiences be highlighted -- to combat the very vocal gripes of the presumably more techie / more adept disenchanted Microsoft users and Mac switchers?

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