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September 4th, 2008

First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?

Posted by Mary Jo Foley @ 5:55 pm

Categories: Vista, Windows client, Corporate strategy, Windows XP, Windows 7, Advertising

Tags: Advertisement, Microsoft Corp., Mary Jo Foley

During the NFL season opener on September 4, Microsoft aired the first of the ads that it paid agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky $300 million-plus  to create to help make over the company’s image.

Here it is, courtesy of YouTube:

No mentions or even thinly veiled references to Apple. And there is only an indirect reference to Windows.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not yearning for the “Wow Starts Now.” But I’m not wowed by the first in what is expected to be a series of star-studded ads designed to reshape Microsoft’s consumer image.

Isn’t there a happy medium between a speeds-and-feeds spot and one that doesn’t say anything about Microsoft or its products?

What do you think of Ad #1 in Microsoft’s make-over campaign?

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 20 years. Don't miss a single post. Subscribe via Email or RSS. Got a tip? Send Mary Jo your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. For disclosure on Mary Jo's industry affiliations, click here.
  • Talkback
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Posted by: 0ld_phaart Posted on: 09/05/08  (Edited: 09/21/2008 @ 09:50) You are currently: Logged In | Log out
Hmmm .... Adrian Kingsley-Hughes  ZDNet | 09/04/08
This ad needs some digging into celeriun@...   | 09/04/08
Good explanation!! MS should buy it from you!! ricso@...   | 09/05/08
This ad does not need digging in to HollywoodDog   | 09/05/08
When people have a choice boomchuck1   | 09/05/08
Message has been deleted. 0ld_phaart   | 09/05/08
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain....<nt> DigitalFrog   | 09/05/08
This Episode is a very nice pilot aharef   | 09/06/08
That's One Place I Don't Want To Dig Deeper Cardhu   | 09/21/08
Plow King HollywoodDog   | 09/05/08
Maybe... MGP2   | 09/04/08
Indeed unimpressed nizuse   | 09/04/08
Well... AndyCee   | 09/04/08
And it took MS... Richard Flude   | 09/04/08
But of course if that was GuidingLight   | 09/04/08
Link please Richard Flude   | 09/04/08
Re: Link please tick tock   | 09/04/08
The message is ... dgerard   | 09/05/08
Cretins, all of you iconoclastic   | 09/05/08
Amen Brother! zulubuck   | 09/06/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? garyrusso@...   | 09/04/08
I have to agree, but.... professordnm   | 09/05/08
A pathetic ad for a pathetic company Richard Flude   | 09/04/08
Priceless? GuidingLight   | 09/04/08
Ah the MS fanboy Richard Flude   | 09/04/08
Ah, the jealous wannabe Papa_papa   | 09/05/08
If MS is pathetic then what do we call your existence? transposeIT   | 09/05/08
Most of us have ethics MacCanuck   | 09/05/08
Mac ads... dracolich_prgrm   | 09/05/08
re: Ethics Badgered   | 09/08/08
Hope it gets better. TripleII   | 09/04/08
Did anyone notice. kozmcrae   | 09/04/08
Yes but it was Albuquerque NM ZwFlushKey   | 09/05/08
And let's not forget Lizzie_B   | 09/06/08
Get a Grip SuperSean   | 09/04/08
Um frgough   | 09/04/08
Is Balcony One of Those Trademarked Terms Like T*umbs? DannyO_0x98   | 09/04/08
Really? Richard Flude   | 09/04/08
And you being a millionaire from your ad business Pliny the Elder   | 09/04/08
Bar set a little high? Richard Flude   | 09/04/08
Lame ad hominem is lame bmerc   | 09/05/08
Agree bob_vance_kazaa@...   | 09/07/08
Not what I expected... Alber1690   | 09/04/08
300 Million? I'm available and probably better than Bill... FMiller5   | 09/04/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? dprozzo   | 09/04/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? andysowards   | 09/04/08
That will make people buy Vista (NOT!) Randalllind   | 09/04/08
Seems to be a teaser/intro rjohn05   | 09/04/08
Help me out with the story Richard Flude   | 09/04/08
Don't know about him, but I definitely got the impression bmerc   | 09/05/08
The second ad is obvious David Spencer   | 09/05/08
Maybe bring in Al Bundy... Arm A. Geddon   | 09/05/08
Like the Tasters Choice series? IT_User   | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? MC1171611   | 09/04/08
My opinion reposted from the Sam Diaz article. Arm A. Geddon   | 09/04/08
Good money after bad johnfenjackson@...   | 09/05/08
The commercial really does reflect Windows Chad_z   | 09/05/08
Sir... Jim Blaine - Bellingham WA.   | 09/05/08
Unintentional consequences Ole Man   | 09/05/08
Well, Ole Man - Once You've CAUGHT Vista drprod@...   | 09/06/08
I'm not chasing Vista.... they/you? are..... Ole Man   | 09/07/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? william.pieros@...   | 09/05/08
And yet, everyone is talking about it. Jandler   | 09/05/08
You mistake any talk as good. scoobyJ   | 09/05/08
Talk IS good. bigsibling   | 09/05/08
Not always true... bmerc   | 09/05/08
Only Reason "Everybody" - Meaning a Handful of Partisan Tech Geeks Like Us drprod@...   | 09/06/08
"If it weren't M$, do you think anybody would even care?" Ole Man   | 09/07/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? lawryll@...   | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? JimmyChoo   | 09/05/08
Was humorous but pointless.... dunn@...   | 09/05/08
Absolutely awful. MS needs to get a reund. scoobyJ   | 09/05/08
man Microsoft needs to fire the whole pr department that sucked SO.CAL Guy   | 09/05/08
Their other client viztor   | 09/05/08
Hmm, I really LIKED this commercial. I think it's clever and amusing. bmerc   | 09/05/08
So Clever, Too Clever? myother   | 09/07/08
A great ad for normal people shm135   | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? dgerard   | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? pikeman666   | 09/05/08
Mission MS:WTF successful, but boring wheatberry   | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? rmacleod@...   | 09/05/08
How about just going with the truth? DigitalFrog   | 09/05/08
Hey, if it's Seinfeld involved ... zoroaster   | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? author20@...   | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? author20@...   | 09/05/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? RoyWagner   | 09/06/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? el_condor_1@...   | 09/06/08
RE: First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? BigE123   | 09/07/08
???? beta3   | 09/07/08
WOW!! What genius! RS9   | 09/08/08

What do you think?

19 Trackbacks

The URI to TrackBack this entry is:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/wp-trackback.php?p=1569

  • The First Microsoft and Seinfeld Advertisement
    Mary Jo Foley posted a summary of the first Microsoft advertisement that played during tonight's NFL game. Her full blog posting can be found at http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1569#comments. For those of you that want to see the ...

    Trackback by Jason N. Gaylord's Blog — September 5, 2008 @ 1:34 am

  • Don’t Give Up Your Day Job, Bill
    During the NFL season opener on September 4, Microsoft aired the first of the ads that it paid agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky $300 million-plus to create to help make over the company’s image. Here it is, courtesy of YouTube ...

    Trackback by technudge — September 5, 2008 @ 2:01 am

  • First Microsoft makeover ad verdict? A flop
    Via Mary Jo-Foley blog, I saw the first of a series of ads that Microsoft spent a huge fortune on. My verdict? Not interesting at all. I am not a Seinfeld fan, and while I respect Bill Gates, he is just another CEO to me and I don’t ...

    Trackback by cybertech Rambler — September 5, 2008 @ 9:50 am

  • The Adventures of Jerry and Bill: Shoe Circus
    http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1569. "During the NFL season opener on September 4, Microsoft aired the first of the ads that it paid agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky $300 million-plus to create to help make over the company’s image. ...

    Trackback by [softratty] tag: blogs — September 5, 2008 @ 10:31 am

  • Watch the First Seinfield and Gates Ad!
    Yesterday Microsoft showed off its first ad that it payed $300 Million to ad-agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky to create, it was shown during the NFL seasons opener in the US. Here it is: ...

    Trackback by joejoe.org News Break — September 5, 2008 @ 11:26 am

  • Microsoft ad- let them eat cake
    I saw the new TV ad that Microsoft produced with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates. It made me want to buy a new pair of shoes. And eat some cake.

    Trackback by jkontherun — September 5, 2008 @ 12:38 pm

  • Gates, Seinfeld and Ad #1
    Mary Jo Foley had a post on ZDNet.com entitled “First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?”. I missed seeing the ad during the NFL Season Opener so given the opportunity to watch it via YouTube the next day was pretty ...

    Trackback by Mobility Site — September 5, 2008 @ 2:34 pm

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    Trackback by Dana Gardner's briefingsdirect — September 5, 2008 @ 2:45 pm

  • An ad about nothing
    TechMeme , PC World and ZDNet all scratch their heads and turn their noses at the “Bill & Jerry show” (as I’ve affectionately named the new Microsoft ad.) Meanwhile, I grin and bow a low bow. I think it’s brilliant. Why? ...

    Trackback by wootheweb.com — September 5, 2008 @ 9:52 pm

  • First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? | All ...
    First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent? All about Microsoft ZDNet.com: "First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?" All things Intelligence...

    Trackback by Learn, Build, Grow...the future of BI — September 5, 2008 @ 9:56 pm

  • Microsoft’s new ad campaign: off to a bad start?
    The first ad in Microsoft’s new $300 million campaign was launched yesterday during the NFL season opener. My first impression? What a horribly bizarre ad. Featuring the legendary Jerry Seinfeld, the commercial appears to be an ad about ...

    Trackback by mastermaq's Blog — September 6, 2008 @ 5:23 am

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  • Forget Seinfeld. Can Windows gurus help the Windows brand?
    The day after it launched the first ad in its $300 consumer-focused make-over campaign, Microsoft is going public with some of the other planned Windows-branding fixes it has in the pipeline. Microsoft isn’t opening brick-and-mortar ...

    Trackback by activewin.com Headlines — September 7, 2008 @ 12:16 pm

  • The Adventures of Jerry and Bill: Shoe Circus
    18:31 05.09.2008 The Adventures of Jerry and Bill: Shoe Circus. http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1569. "During the NFL season opener on September 4, Microsoft aired the first of the ads that it paid agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky ...

    Trackback by PDA RSS News — September 7, 2008 @ 8:22 pm

  • The ad everybody is talking about
    Mary Jo Foley had the following to say;. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not yearning for the “Wow Starts Now.” But I’m not wowed by the first in what is expected to be a series of star-studded ads designed to reshape Microsoft’s consumer image ...

    Trackback by Oliver Bell's Weblog — September 8, 2008 @ 3:58 am

  • Keep the faith: More Windows-specific consumer ads coming soon
    If you liked the first Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld ad for Microsoft, you’ll probably love the second. If you didn’t, there’s hope: A more Windows-centric one will air in a matter of days, according to Microsoft officials. ...

    Trackback by Zone PC - PC, Windows and Microsoft News and Updates — September 12, 2008 @ 12:22 am

  • New Family - Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWPf1BWtkw I must admit, I am kind of liking this now. Quote -. from All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com by Mary Jo FoleyIf you liked the first Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld ad for Microsoft, you’ll probably love ...

    Trackback by Neowin Back Page News — September 12, 2008 @ 2:17 am

  • The Adventures of Jerry and Bill: Shoe Circus
    http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1569 "During the NFL season opener on September 4, Microsoft aired the first of the ads that it paid agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky $300 million-plus to create to help make over the company’s image. No mentions or even thinly veiled references to

    Trackback by Anonymous — September 17, 2008 @ 3:08 am

  • The First Microsoft and Seinfeld Commercial
    Her full blog posting can be found at http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=156...

    Trackback by Anonymous — September 18, 2008 @ 3:09 am

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