Funny TV Adverts for Microsoft?
Written by Simon Barker on September 18, 2008 · Filed under Internet, Software, Tech
Microsoft have recently released some new adverts in the form of some funny TV commercials featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. Now anyone would think they are really trying to capture the spirit of the Seinfeld show, they seem as though they are “ads about nothing”, even stranger given that Microsoft have historically done very little in terms of advertising, so actually spending money for very little is rather odd.
Microsoft are paying approximately $300 million for this funny TV commercial ad campaign (supposedly around $20million of that is going to Jerry Seinfeld himself), so they presumably hope that they will do something to hit back at the Apple ads over recent years that compare PC and Macs and the ‘trouncing’ they have received because of them.
In the first two ads, there is very little in terms of a marketing message, but I suppose they couldn’t just come back against the Apple ads doing the same thing as people would have just complained about that. There’s been no actual Microsoft or Windows marketing other than the logos at the end of the ads, no products dropped into shots at all, they are almost skirting around the issue of being ads for Microsoft!
Microsoft have apparently said that the initial TV commercials are just introductory ads, with a larger message to be conveyed in the upcoming ads, I expect that it will be then that the ads move from being rather vague potential symbols that these situations represent to more directed sales messages. No doubt they will end up focussing on Windows Vista given its relatively poor image it would seem to have with many people, I’m interested to see how they can try and turn that public opinion with this series of adverts.
Perhaps given the length of the initial ads, they are designed to be viral ads for the Internet to get people talking and get publicity on thousands of websites, particularly the big-name ones which advertising would be expensive on – like this one for instance!
What do you think to these new Microsoft ads? Do they make for funny TV commercials? Will these change how you think about Microsoft and Windows? Are they making you think and talk about them at all? If so, then perhaps they will have achieved their purpose?
Microsoft Funny TV Commercial 1 – “Shoe Circus”
Microsoft Funny TV Commercial 2 – “New Family”
