Finally, after the hilarious Windows Vista Sales Team video and various other marketing stunts Microsoft is at it again:
They hired Jerry Seinfeld and had their founder and former CEO / Chief Software Architect Bill Gates return from retirement for two ads (with more to follow):
These ads gave rise to quite some discussion and confusion in the blogosphere.
As confusing as these ads might seem at the first glimpse, I sense some brilliant piece of marketing. According to Bill Veghte, SVP at Microsoft, the ads are supposed to spark conversation and they definitely achieve this.
Unlike the Apple Mac vs PC ads for example, this campaign obviously is not meant to sell more copies of Windows Vista or Microsoft Office in the first place, but to generate buzz about the Windows brand.
Interestingly, Bill Gates to me makes a much funnier impression than ‘funny man’ Jerry Seinfeld. Maybe, he should start a second career as stand-up comedian?
[...] don’t want to always pick on Microsoft’s marketing. However, they really have a wonderful track record of awkward marketing efforts. Here’s to their latest and greatest [...]
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