First a disclaimer… I am a Mac fan, and before that I used Linux and always avoid using Windows like I avoid rattlesnakes. But even if I was a Windows zealot, I would think this commercial sucks. If this is the best Microsoft can do to get people to buy Vista… they are doomed.
Bill Gates & Jerry Seinfeld – Shoe Circus Commercial
Pathetic isn’t it? Did you have any idea what it was about? Any clear benefits stated? What is showering with your clothes all about? And what the hell does “moist & chewy like cakes” have to do with computers?
Sound on or sound off this one is a head scratcher. It violates every single rule of good Direct Response Marketing, and I’m sure cost a fortune to produce.
If you run your hypnosis advertising like this you will go broke…. fast! But you might win some obscure awards for being ‘creative’.
Want to see a TV ad that got a 600% ROI and $18,000,000 in revenue? Check out the 2nd video in my blog post titled:
It might be horrible or just pattern interrupt – shifting identity from boring, stiff and scary to common, accessible and silly – meaningless. Jerry's show was about nothing, this ad is about nothing. This may not be ad at all, it is PR move.
Who cares? We are in recession, people are dying and Bill Gates sells computers. Actually I sense self – irony in this ad – shoe circus, gadget appliance circus – its all-big joke at the expense of “surviving” Americans.
By the way is this ad by Bill or by Microsoft?
I think.
Yes, it was dumb, but is it that kind of dumb that will get lots of attention, thereby shifting attention to Microsoft. Is it dumb on purpose? Is that a strategy?
Gotta love Jerry's Delivery.
Mac Girl.
Craig, I'm thinking that there is probably going to be a follow-up ad that explains things a bit better – and then when we go back to this ad, it'll make more sense. For their sake, I hope so. Meanwhile, I watched the salesgenie.com ad and I agree that it didn't offer much “Super Bowl Entertainment Value” but it's point was easy to follow, and the action to take was obvious. Also interesting was an another video at the bottom of the screen by a lawn care guru. One of the promos he discussed was bikini-clad lawn care. What a great idea! It makes me want to advertise for young women who'll wear bikinis while cutting lawns–who'll need supervision, of course. And hey, wouldn't that would sell like mad? (on second thought, most men who own homes with lawns have a wife, so maybe it's not such a good idea. D'oh!)–Tom Eagles
What. The. Hell.
?
I wasted 1:30 minutes of my life to watch that…
What was Microsoft thinking?
Typical “Branding” style of ad that sells nothing, gives no benefit, and has no way of proving that it worked. Useless.
I agree. If anyone can figure out what this 'spot' is about they can have a copy of Vista for free — because that's what it's worth. I know, because I have it.
Michael Hawes, BCH
http://www.mindgenics.com
I read somewhere that Microsoft wasted aproximately $3,000,000 on this extraordinarily stupid advertisement… I wonder what kind of ROI they are expecting from this ad?