A Commercial About Nothing

What are people saying?

1. PlanetAndrea said on September 5th, 2008 at 10:56 am

   lol @ cheezburger

   Reply
2. Rae said on September 5th, 2008 at 10:59 am

   If I were Microsoft, I’d hire Drew Barrymore’s next boyfriend, make him the PC Guy and say “See? They may go Mac, but they always come back.” … but I have the sense of humor that would find that funny as all hell. Mainstream media, maybe not so much

   Reply
3. Leigh said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:00 am

   Got that Seinfeld was about nothing and the ad was about nothing. And if this were about marketing Seinfeld, i’d say, CP+B did a great job. But in the words of my friend Jted

   “New MS Ad tries too hard, says too little— except maybe that Bill Gates is a cheap SOB working on a computer made out of cake”

   Reply
4. Loren Feldman said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:02 am

   Leigh,

   Your friends an idiot.

   Reply
5. Noah David Simon said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:06 am

   You are wrong. Apple is the big fish in money these days and Microsoft knows it. Apple is making more money then Google. The whole think with iPHONE is the future in profit (even with the problems the new iPHONE had… we all want one. myself I can’t afford it) MS knows they have to be on the defensive right now. If someone were to make an alternative OS for PCs right now they could be vulnerable. MS is the advantage because it is cheaper and if they have to compete on the same hardware platform with something besides Unix-ish… they could be in some very troubled waters. PC is finally going to die… but isn’t MAC that will kill it… but rather it is the internet. People don’t mind spending more money for something that is less compatible if they have portable access to the web. MS isn’t so much concerned about share as they are concerned about profit. Being a nerd means not being seen in public Loren. I know you have a hot fiance and all, so you can’t relate. BTW… tell Michelle to stop blocking me on friendfeed. I miss her; ;-p

   Reply
6. zx said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:07 am

   Larry David!

   Reply
7. DaveN said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:10 am

   I thought both videos had there moments, btw not all MAC users are cool I’ve shit cooler than Calacanis

   Reply
8. Matt said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:11 am

   Apple is gaining momentum where MS is not.. so it IS a contest, and MS is NOT winning (they are ahead, but Apple is catching up where people have said for years they never would… furthermore every Apple success that MS tries to latch on to (ipod/zune) MS falls flat on their face and eats shit while Apple comes out looking even better for MS failure… so it’s not all peachy on the MS front as you would like to paint it.)

   also, about the commerical, you are wrong… nice try though… here is the real “message”:

   http://twitter.com/mattshaulis/statuses/910754270

   I say:

   ‘I “get” the MS ads: Despite having options, Microsoft will take the cheap route… even if it means discomfort, and you should too. Moronic.’

   Reply
9. Art Lindsey III said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:14 am

   Says you, buddy. I use Microsoft products and I’m super fucking cool.

   Reply
10. Andre said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:18 am

    So, here’s a company who’s crushing the competition, rolling in profits, spending $300 bar on an ad-campaign, they lead with an ad that’s so painfully piss-poor that the puppeteer needs to explain it to the masses….

    And we’re the morons?

    Reply
11. Loren Feldman said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:30 am

    Andre, Good point. I never said I liked it. I love that Im now known as “The Puppeteer”.

    Reply
12. Stuart said on September 5th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

    I agree - Microsoft shouldn’t be trying for “cool” with their marketing, they should go for the joe everyman computer angle like you said. Regular, familiar, dependable. A hard to understand commercial doesn’t suggest those things.

    Seinfeld’s American Express commercials were a lot better.

    Reply
13. MILE said on September 5th, 2008 at 1:12 pm

    Loren, I think you’re wearing your shirt inside out…!?

    Anyway, I get your “analysis” but I still think the ad sucks and they could have done much better…! It has its moments, it makes Gates likable, it keeps you watching til the end — it just doesn’t communicate the message (whatever that may be) too well…! And that’s what good advertising should be doing…

    Reply
14. Justine said on September 5th, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    Did someone say ” Cheeseburger”?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jEoGWIOuy8

    Reply
15. Andrew Eglinton said on September 5th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

    The ‘curb your enthusiasm’ dead-pan comedy approach is just not working here. All Seinfeld ever seems to do is talk. Bill Gates is not a media figure, never has been and he just comes across as awkward and uninspired in a TV commercial. The whole thing lacks energy and vision. Waste of time, waste of cash.

    Reply
16. Andrew Eglinton said on September 5th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

    @Justine: remove the lip gloss, mascara and cleavage and you might well end up serving cheeseburgers…

    Reply
17. Loren Feldman said on September 5th, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    Andrew,

    I guess she thinks my audience would give a shit about her and that crap.

    Reply
18. Leigh said on September 5th, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    Loren,

    Great point. My friends an idiot. Why didn’t I see this before now?

    Leigh

    Reply
19. Loren Feldman said on September 5th, 2008 at 2:41 pm

    Leigh,

    Are you new around here? I always know my shit. Most people might hate me, but I always know my shit.

    LF

    Reply
20. Fred Grott said on September 5th, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    Noah you are incorrect Google has ore revenue but Apple has higher stock valuation..big difference.

    Reply
21. Icepick said on September 5th, 2008 at 4:10 pm

    I had to laugh a bit at this commercial when I saw the picture on the Platinium Club member card of Bill Gates, it is the same photo as on his popular mugshot : http://tinyurl.com/billmug

    But you’re right, it’s a commercial about nothing and the problem (for M$) is most people won’t understand it because, unlike you, most people won’t think about it after they saw it and try to understand what it was about (unless they are already interested in the product). When Apple’s ads were just nailling it each time. And don’t take me wrong, I may not be cool and I am certinaly nerdy, but I don’t like Apple’s products (mostly for the reasons you say you love them). But they fucking know how to sell them, gotta give them that one

    Reply
22. Loren Feldman said on September 5th, 2008 at 4:14 pm

    Yeah the Mugshot was a nice touch and I agree with your assessment.

    Reply
23. sean percival said on September 5th, 2008 at 4:24 pm

    Well said, save the money on ads and build some cool shit. Give me a surface table in my house and trust me, it’ll be much cooler than any apple shit. I’m a PC user, always have been. Apple is great too but that doesn’t dictate the work I do or my coolness. I’m im pretty fucking cool.

    Modest too.

    Reply
24. Loren Feldman said on September 5th, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    And tall and good-looking Sean

    Reply
25. Anonymous said on September 5th, 2008 at 5:30 pm

    I like your concept better - “It’s okay to be normal and use Windows”

    However, I think the commercial was meant to change people’s perception of Bill Gates. Everyone loves Steve Jobs, nobody loves Bill Gates. Up until now, he’s been this mystical figure that people assume is either 1) a complete asshole, 2) an egotistical maniac, 3) something else.

    The commercial really helps to bring Bill back to planet Earth, making him more human like (i.e. shopping like a normal person, getting along with people, a sense of humor, etc).

    Thoughts?

    Reply
26. loic said on September 5th, 2008 at 8:58 pm

    apple products are gay.

    Reply
27. Luc said on September 6th, 2008 at 12:51 pm

    That’s odd, Anonymous. I always thought that Steve Jobs was 1) a complete asshole, 2) an egotistical maniac, 3) all of the above plus something else.

    Reply
28. Aryeh said on September 7th, 2008 at 8:44 am

    Ok you can explain the commercial which is great but now justify the 300 million dollar budget.

    Reply
29. thesportsgirl said on September 7th, 2008 at 12:21 pm

    Moist chewy and fun. LOL, thanks.

    Reply
30. New Microsoft Seinfeld Commercial Causes Confusion | Inside the Secret Life of a Super Affiliate - Zac Johnson dot Com said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:30 am

    [...] viewers were probably left scratching their heads and saying “WTF was that!“… others have their own opinions. For those not interested in reading into it all too much, this [...]

31. There’s Something In All That Nothing said on September 5th, 2008 at 11:50 pm

    [...] it was the beginning of the ad that was important it was as Loren Feldman said the last part of the ad that was the important part. While I may not agree with Loren on his sage [...]

32. There’s Something In All That Nothing  »TechAddress said on September 6th, 2008 at 12:34 am

    [...] it was the beginning of the ad that was important it was as Loren Feldman said the last part of the ad that was the important part. While I may not agree with Loren on his sage [...]

33. New Microsoft Seinfeld Commercial Causes Confusion | Work at Home Money Making Tips said on September 7th, 2008 at 5:25 pm

    [...] While many viewers were probably left scratching their heads and saying “WTF was that!“… others have their own opinions. For those not interested in reading into it all too much, this commercial [...]

What do you think?