The Adventures of Jerry and Bill: Normal People

[Rocco Augusto]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://gizmodo.com/5048776/second-bill-gates-+-jerry-seinfeld-windows-ad-reminds-us-that-theyre-very-rich-not-like-us' target='_blank'>http://gizmodo.com/5048776/second-b...ich-not-like-us</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Remember that first Seinfeld-and-Gates adventure into Shoe Circus, which alluded to something about Windows being 'soft and chewy and delicious?' Well, the new Laural and Hardy of ambiguous advertising have a new spot out and it's... making fun of your average scalloped potato-eating, leather giraffe from Cabo-buying, grumpy Grandma-having Suburban family. The incredibly rich duo try to connect on a 'normal people' level and kind of fail utterly. Like Windows Vista. I think."</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="344" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gBWPf1BWtkw&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gBWPf1BWtkw&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If you hated the first commercial, chances are you're most likely going to hate this one as well... mostly because it's over four minutes long! After watching it a couple times I noticed Bill looking a little less awkward then he did in the first one and he totally breaks out in the robot! Whether you love the new commercials or hate them one thing is perfectly clear. By the time this campaign has run its course a lot of people are not even going to remember, or care about, the Apple advertisements that brought life to the weirdest odd couple since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_Strangers_(sitcom)" target="_blank">Larry and Balki</a>. On top of all of this wacky goodness, the Conquistador makes yet another appearance! You have to wonder if the Conquistador is an ongoing joke or maybe the codename to this new delicious product they have hinted at. I guess we'll find out soon when the third commercial hits!</p>

[tnels!]

It looks like Bill had a little extra coin from his online investments. . . . so he spent it on a clown. However, I think he really underestimated the creapiness?

[randalllewis]

As a regular complainer about marketing (and lack thereof) of tech products, I have to applaud Microsoft for trying something very different. I can't yet tell where this campaign is going but some of the criticism is just more of the same Apple fanboy crap. This web spot has some amusing moments and advances the theme of the first TV spot. One thing that is clear is that the campaign is designed to discuss "big things" ie, the potential of software in an accessible way. Everyone knew Microsoft had decided to spend a ton of money on a new ad campaign and had hired one of the most innovative agencies around to design it. What most then expected was a direct response to the Apple ads, but what Crispin is doing is a far more wholistic effort. This isn't a political campaign where Microsoft has to do a response ad to an attack. Instead, the agency can take time to lay a foundation and build a case. That is what is happening here. It is way too early to be judging this effort.

[mwfielder]

I for one, like it. I think its interesting, and its causing a buzz--just like it was intended to do....

[Rocco Augusto]

Did anyone else notice that besides doing a pretty awesome robot for an old nerdy guy that Bill is now also a pirate!? He total pirated that secret computer game that was coming out and told the kid not to say anything. :D

[Gerard]

I'm all for goofy ads. They can be quite a fun time-killer, and since I haven't watched TV in ages (okay, the Olympics... but mostly on streaming CBC) don't get to see many. But this wasn't really funny. More sort of forced, like Bill & Jerry know they can't be 'normal people' (whatever those are) but want to be seen to be trying to be like them, and failing at it... maybe the punch line commercial will make that funny, somehow. For now, these two commercials just seem a bit lame, if well produced. Grandma does all the work; hilarious. Leftover dinner; what a hoot. Toenail clipping in the girls pink bedroom; wow, what will they think of next. Sorry guys, but this brand of comedy isn't really all that funny. Especially considering the amount they probably spent on it, compared to any old Seinfeld episode. M$ is getting hosed here, that's the biggest joke.

[Phronetix]

On top of all of this wacky goodness, the Conquistador makes yet another appearance! You have to wonder if the Conquistador is an ongoing joke or maybe the codename to this new delicious product they have hinted at. I guess we'll find out soon when the third commercial hits!</p>

And the Apple bashers on the thoughts sites complain about our reality distortion field. Hehe, the kool-aid flows well on both sides, doesn't it?

I like how Slashdot (http://entertainment.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/12/1328211&from=rss) presented their view:
Although the ad does not mention Microsoft's operating system directly, it does mirror the real world experience of the company's products — appearing where not wanted, hard to remove, causing administration headaches, and finally being forced out in hopes of getting one's living space back.

On a personal level, my copy of Vista Home Premium edition just arrived. I am going to install it this weekend on my Macbook. I need it to better view Xrays at work. I really haven't used Windows since 98, except for the casual use of XP because that's what most PC's have installed. Should be fun.



-----------------------------------------------------------
I mean all of the above in good fun. I respect the lot of you.

Dennis

[Rocco Augusto]

And the Apple bashers on the thoughts sites complain about our reality distortion field. Hehe, the kool-aid flows well on both sides, doesn't it?

It has nothing to do with Kool-Aid. This is only the second commercial and since last night it has spread to the front all of the big tech news sites and I even heard it being talked about on the morning news here in town while I was making coffee this morning. You don't see this kind of activity at all when it comes to any of Apple's smear commercials. ;)

[Phronetix]

It has nothing to do with Kool-Aid. This is only the second commercial and since last night it has spread to the front all of the big tech news sites and I even heard it being talked about on the morning news here in town while I was making coffee this morning. You don't see this kind of activity at all when it comes to any of Apple's smear commercials. ;)

Hehe, well at first it did, yes.

Honestly, while I find those ads funny because they reflect the feelings of a Mac user in a Windows world, I know that they will never convince people who know their tech stuff. As a persuasive medium, they work only for the lower of the tech savvy Windows users, and for those who just want a new experience. Mac users have tech headaches too. I mean, read the Mac support forums. :-)

So, maybe just the talking about it among radio DJ's and water cooler riffraff will be worth the investment? Dunno. They are unusual in their genre and delivery and production and length... is that enough?

[Rocco Augusto]

So, maybe just the talking about it among radio DJ's and water cooler riffraff will be worth the investment? Dunno...

I never thought of the water cooler aspect of it before. It would make sense to target these people and get them talking about it and possibly buying Microsoft products since it is a safe bet if they're near a water cooler they have a job. One of my friends that use to work in television called it the water cooler effect since the water cooler was the universal meeting place for small talk that could make or break a series.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, the same thing can happen here. If enough people don't find these commercials funny it could have the exact opposite effect. The water cooler people don't spend money on Microsoft products.

[asims]

Is there another place I can find this commercial? Clicking on the front page link brings up a "We're sorry. This video is no longer available" message.

[Jason Dunn]

The water cooler people don't spend money on Microsoft products.

What, the water cooler people don't buy computers? Sure they do! :) A big part of this campaign is changing public perception of Windows Vista, and Microsoft as a whole. The Mac attack ads have done significant damage to Microsoft's brand image over the past year and a half (or so) that they've been running, and the net effect is that many people "hate" Vista because of what they've heard...not because of what they've actually experienced.

These are the people who might buy a new computer every 3-4 years, and they're scared to buy a new Vista-based computer because of all the "bad" things they've heard about it. These are the Joe Average consumers that Microsoft is trying to reach with these ads. In the same way that Apple's attack ads wouldn't sway people reading these forums, Microsoft's ads aren't aimed at people sophisticated enough to be here either.

As for the ads themselves, I thought that the 4.5 minute version dragged a bit too much, but the 90 second versions were quite amusing. They're creating a narrative, and while it's still a bit too early to see exactly where they're going with this, I like the overall direction and tone.

Someone said earlier in this thread that some people were expecting anti-Apple attack ads, something in direct response to what Apple is doing. Some of the most vocal critics are Microsoft fans who desperately wanted Microsoft to shoot back at Apple and blow them out of the water. But market leaders can't do attack ads, or it looks like bullying. Apple can do those ads because they're so far behind in desktop marketshare (though I conceed they're gaining!).

Just like it's a lot easier to destroy than create, it's easier to attack another product or company than it is to explain why your product or company is better than theirs. Politicians do it all the time - they attack other politicians more than they explain what they're going to do for people if elected. It's a cheap-shot, and it's the easy thing to do. Which is why Apple did it.

[Jason Dunn]

Is there another place I can find this commercial? Clicking on the front page link brings up a "We're sorry. This video is no longer available" message.

The official place to find the videos is here:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/windows/

[unxmully]

http://valleywag.com/5051455/microsoft-to-announce-jerry-seinfeld-ads-cancelled-tomorrow

Interesting. It seems that those of us who thought it was a junk campaign weren't that far wrong.

[Jason Dunn]

Interesting. It seems that those of us who thought it was a junk campaign weren't that far wrong.

It's hard to know what's true here...because I've read Microsoft people stating that they had planned all along to shift to this second phase of the campaign - and certainly if they already have the videos ready to go, they must have always been in the pipeline. On the other hand, it's very odd that the Gates/Seinfeld ads would start to build a narrative and end after only two or three commercials.

The truth is probably somewhere in between. I liked the ads myself. :)

[unxmully]

And now we know http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi1se9rH7S8

Better, as in it actually has the product in it, but it's nothing new or interesting. So loads of people use Windows in all works of life. Tell me something I don't know.

I think one problem is that Microsoft don't have anything new to tell the man in the street. Vista is so damaged in the eyes of most PC users that there's no point in advertising it and none of their other products either need or make sense to advertise.

The other problem is that they've never really needed to advertise. You buy a PC, it has windows on it. No brainer. And probably an office trial. Why would you look elsewhere? Now Apple are resurgent and have a, potentially annoying depending on who you are, ad campaign that is getting attention, Microsoft have to advertise. And they don't know how because they've never had to make people aware of what they are.

Just IMHO of course.