Last night, while watching the first NFL game of the season with my husband, I got super excited when I saw Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates in a shoe store together! But, this commercial isn’t about shoes at all – it’s about telling the story of Microsoft.
Techcrunch.com published an article about the ad which included a copy of the memo sent to Microsoft employees from SVP, Bill Veghte.
“…Today, we are kicking off a highly visible advertising campaign. The first phase of this campaign is designed to engage consumers and spark a new conversation about Windows – a conversation that will evolve as the campaign progresses, but will always be marked by humor and humanity. The first in this series of television ads airs initially in the U.S., and it aims to re-ignite consumer excitement about the broader value of Windows. …
Think of these ads as an icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context. Later this month, as the campaign moves into its next phase, we’ll go much deeper in telling the Windows story and celebrating what it can do for consumers at work, at play and on-the-go. At that time, I’ll be back to share more information about our plans to further strengthen the bond between consumers and Windows – one of the most amazing products, businesses and brands of all time, and, with the right tenacity, passion and agility from all of us, a story that has many great chapters to come.”
The first thing I said after seeing it was, “I think it could have been a lot funnier.” I didn’t really get it. But, I guess things don’t have to be good anymore, they just have to create buzz?
Shoes & Cocktails 