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SpaceMonkey · Sep 5, 2008, 05:39 PM

I learned that Bill Gates walks kind of funny.

@pplejaxkz · Sep 5, 2008, 05:43 PM

Originally Posted by Atheist

Never liked Seinfeld... this doesn't really change anything for me.

Right with you, I can't stand him or Gates.

Chuckit · Sep 5, 2008, 05:57 PM

You know, thinking about it, this ad is even more idiotic than I originally imagined. It's trying way too hard to look like it's not trying.

Then again, it really makes me want a churro. So I guess it's kind of a good ad…

analogue SPRINKLES · Sep 5, 2008, 06:00 PM

Jerry is normally funny but Gates is the worst actor ever.

Thorzdad · Sep 5, 2008, 06:09 PM

I saw that ad last night and was honestly embarrassed for them. It just hit me like two old dudes trying to recapture their long-past glory days.

0157988944 · Sep 5, 2008, 10:18 PM

I liked it... as a small, mindless storyline. As an ad for Windows, even as just a part one, it didn't capture my attention at all.

SpaceMonkey · Sep 5, 2008, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by Eug

My favourite bad ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV-GwkjmCs4

I think I'm going to have to whip out this old local standby:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH0lI...eature=related

Kerrigan · Sep 5, 2008, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - -

Love the fact that Bill uses his mugshot on his Shoe Circus card though.

I'm with you on that. That was the only thing that made me chuckle.

Nergol · Sep 6, 2008, 03:44 AM

Seinfeld wasn't bad, but it didn't have anything in it that hadn't been done better twenty years earlier in The Odd Couple.

Eug · Sep 6, 2008, 04:10 AM

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

I think I'm going to have to whip out this old local standby:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH0lI...eature=related

What the hell is he saying? It sounds like something I shouldn't be repeating here.

Roosters? Sofas?

OreoCookie · Sep 6, 2008, 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by Eug

I actually like the squirting music ad campaign better.
...and I hated that ad campaign.

You like that kinky stuff, huh?

... just joking, just joking.

SpaceMonkey · Sep 6, 2008, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Eug

What the hell is he saying? It sounds like something I shouldn't be repeating here.

Roosters? Sofas?

I can make out "couch" and "won't you back that thing up?"

Chuckit · Sep 6, 2008, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by Nergol

Seinfeld wasn't bad, but it didn't have anything in it that hadn't been done better twenty years earlier in The Odd Couple.

I must have missed the episode where Oscar gets arrested for pissing in a garage.

Nergol · Sep 6, 2008, 06:32 PM

I must have missed the episode where Oscar gets arrested for pissing in a garage.

No, he got arrested for ticket scalping instead ^_-

sek929 · Sep 6, 2008, 06:45 PM

I saw this while waiting at the dentist's office yesterday.

Getting my cavity filled was less painful.

<ba-dump-ching!>

BadKosh · Sep 6, 2008, 09:32 PM

Seems the new commercial bombed. You may never have to see it again.

analogue SPRINKLES · Sep 7, 2008, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by BadKosh

Seems the new commercial bombed. You may never have to see it again.

But I bet we will still see the other 5 or so they already made.

Chongo · Sep 7, 2008, 05:22 PM

WTF does shoes have to do with Vista?

cjrivera · Sep 7, 2008, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by Chongo

WTF does shoes have to do with Vista?

They look good at first, but the more you use them, the more they stink.

olePigeon · Sep 7, 2008, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Chongo

WTF does shoes have to do with Vista?

The shoe is called the "Conquistador," and like the Conquistadors, Microsoft will ravage the lands, murdering, pillaging, and raping independent developers who pose any threat to Queen Isabella. That's why the Mexican family had terrified looks on their faces.

Or something like that.

starman · Sep 8, 2008, 01:38 AM

I watched it again today. Nope, still don't get it.

Brien · Sep 8, 2008, 02:50 AM

Originally Posted by freudling

I don't think I have ever laughed at a Seinfeld joke. He is simply snobbish and annoying. But regardless of that, I just had to laugh when I saw that Microshaft is going to use Seinfeld in their ads. Seinfeld is done, last century. To me this shows how out of touch MS is. Seinfeld? In 2008? Many young people likely won't identify with him at all, but I guess they want to go after the older ones, like people 30 and above. Even so, I am sure that many of use, if Seinfeld does the same old stuff, will simply be tired of it.

At any rate, MS may also simply be rolling the dice, knowing that Seinfeld is an antiquated character, but that he may be able to reinvent himself and capture the world's attention once again.

But with other choices, like Will Ferrell?, I can't help but think that MS is simply out of date and out of touch.

I see MS pulling all kinds of moves now, I think they are really hurting, but they just don't want anyone to know about it. They lost $76 million on their search newtork last year, with about a 6% share, where Google has over 63% share. They are paying people to use MSN search (i.e. find ebay links to auctions on MSN and get heavy discounts on items, like 20% or more). I saw Office for close to 90% off if you have an .edu address... this is just unheard of for them, but they know that they are losing out to Apple and open source.

Sure, they have other popular products, like the XBox, but when other areas start failing, the whole company could implode, sooner, rather than later.

It is actually a cause of concern. As much as I hate MS, Google is becoming the new monopoly. I just hope MS sort of cools it jets and realizes it can't do everything, and it should not expect itself to. Just focus on set markets like business, video games, and a few others like specific software titles, and so forth, and give up trying to own everything.

They really are becoming more and more irrelevant each day. Open source has really taken off. Asterisk PBX is a great example, and so is Linux. I think that MS is simply operating off of outdated business models and strategy. The world is going open source and the way of the consumer. The information age has brought all this on. Apple, being a consumer company, is set to take over. Truly amazing, ironic, etc. if Apple ends up with more revenues and/or market share than Microsoft. The ultimate chess game: Jobs vs. Gates.

Google does have their hands in a lot of markets, but they don't seem to be doing it stupidly like MS.

Chuckit · Sep 8, 2008, 03:32 AM

Wait, I get it — it's a commercial about nothing.

- - e r i k - - · Sep 8, 2008, 04:18 AM

It's a buddy commercial - and as such smacks of the Seinfeld / Superman commercials he did earlier.

BadKosh · Sep 8, 2008, 05:39 AM

I guess when you can't say something nice, you don't say anything at all?

Were these commercials approved by "Monkeyboy"?

Andrew Stephens · Sep 8, 2008, 08:09 AM

Originally Posted by Chongo

WTF does shoes have to do with Vista?

I think the ad agency misheard and made an ad for visa. MS saw the result and went "meh, it's not so bad, we'll take it anyway".

Eug · Sep 8, 2008, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by BadKosh

Seems the new commercial bombed. You may never have to see it again.

What do you by "bombed"? As in we all just think it's stupid, or was there an actual PR company consumer poll that confirms this with real numbers?

Anyways, given how bad and strange this one was, I think we'll be seeing it for generations to come in internet forums. Sort of like the monkeyboy video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMU0tzLwhbE

brassplayersrock² · Sep 8, 2008, 06:08 PM

Are the New Microsoft Ads About Kinky Sex? - Scenario - Columns by PC Magazine

Interesting interpretation.

Kerrigan · Sep 11, 2008, 11:05 PM

There is a new one up at Macrumors.com

Frankly, it is very bad. Does Seinfeld write these commercials? It would make complete sense if he did, as we all know it's Larry David who's the funny one.

brassplayersrock² · Sep 11, 2008, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

There is a new one up at Macrumors.com

Frankly, it is very bad. Does Seinfeld write these commercials? It would make complete sense if he did, as we all know it's Larry David who's the funny one.

WTF was that?

Kerrigan · Sep 11, 2008, 11:19 PM

I don't know. It wasn't funny, that's for sure.

Do they shorten these and put them on TV?

brassplayersrock² · Sep 11, 2008, 11:26 PM

I hope so.

rickey939 · Sep 11, 2008, 11:35 PM

Awful.

- - e r i k - - · Sep 12, 2008, 12:06 AM

Eh... I kinda liked it. Doesn't really do anything for Microsoft, but it kept me amused.

Eug · Sep 12, 2008, 12:30 AM

Chinese delivery.
Whoa!

I actually laughed at this.

turtle777 · Sep 12, 2008, 12:30 AM

Second one was mildly amusing.

I agree, they should have had Larry David write those.

But then, who needs R rated commercials

-t

nikstar101 · Sep 12, 2008, 03:58 AM

The first one was better, although that isn't saying much. It seems as if the ads are mini Seinfeld episodes as the shows were about nothing. And they seem to have followed this theory through to these Ads.

They seem to be making less and less sense.

Chuckit · Sep 12, 2008, 12:19 PM

These commercials are such complete and utter fail it's incredible. I get what Microsoft is trying to do, and it's a really good idea, but these commercials aren't doing it.

Dakar V · Sep 16, 2008, 01:44 AM

Bill Gates doing the robot.

I smell dumb gimmick for the commercials.

brassplayersrock² · Sep 16, 2008, 07:54 AM

Now introducing Windows Robot: Butt Wiggle edition.

edit:
after having an oh yeah moment. Isn't there an Apple/PC commercial where the PC dude does the robot? Maybe they're copying that? Wouldn't surprise me since it's micr o soft

Peter · Sep 18, 2008, 04:12 AM

rewatched them all, I still really like them. They're exactly what MSFT needs.

Sherman Homan · Sep 18, 2008, 06:41 AM

It is over, and it is going to get even weirder:

Microsoft's new ads: Seinfeld and Gates out, Hodgman lookalike in

According to a report from in the New York Times, the next phase of Microsoft's latest ad campaign is set to begin -- sans Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. Apparently, the new ads do away with the unusual (and somewhat ill-received) banter and "real life" experiences of the two celebrities, and trade them for an earnest embrace of... Apple's "PC" character.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/17/m...n-lookalike-i/

analogue SPRINKLES · Sep 18, 2008, 09:03 AM

I was starting to like them and was expecting a few more. Strange how they feel like they accomplished anything with just those 2 though.

Dakar V · Sep 18, 2008, 09:40 AM

I'm fascinated by the fact that we get feedback so fast nowadays we're canceling ad campaigns before they complete.

Somewhere in Redmond there a bunch of unaired Jerry/Bill commercials, though, right?

eccentricref · Sep 18, 2008, 09:41 AM

I actually think that Bill is kind of funny. In a really lame way of course. These commercials make little sense to me though.

Chuckit · Sep 18, 2008, 10:52 AM

I don't know who's in charge of Microsoft's advertising, but he must be a fan of The Producers.

Wiskedjak · Sep 18, 2008, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Sherman Homan

It is over, and it is going to get even weirder:

Microsoft's new ads: Seinfeld and Gates out, Hodgman lookalike in

http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/17/m...n-lookalike-i/

Apparently, it's *not* over.
http://gizmodo.com/5051682/microsoft...d-not-canceled

Wiskedjak · Sep 18, 2008, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by eccentricref

I actually think that Bill is kind of funny. In a really lame way of course. These commercials make little sense to me though.

Knowing that most of what Mac says about PC applies to Mac as well, the Mac vs PC ads don't make much sense to me either.

Sep 18, 2008, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by nikstar101

The first one was better, although that isn't saying much. It seems as if the ads are mini Seinfeld episodes as the shows were about nothing. And they seem to have followed this theory through to these Ads.

They seem to be making less and less sense.

I never understood this - "it's a show about nothing". Aren't most sitcoms about "nothing"? Or, at least the same amount of "nothing"? My opinion is that Seinfeld was a horrible show and never understood the draw. But, seeing the awful programming nowadays I think I can safely say that the public really haven't much taste, anyway.

These ads have been stupid. I think to get their point across better (Vista doesn't suck) they should have done more with the Mojave Experiment as an advertising campaign.

Dakar V · Sep 18, 2008, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by screamingFit

I never understood this - "it's a show about nothing". Aren't most sitcoms about "nothing"? Or, at least the same amount of "nothing"? My opinion is that Seinfeld was a horrible show and never understood the draw. But, seeing the awful programming nowadays I think I can safely say that the public really haven't much taste, anyway.

So what were the better sitcoms of the 90s?