Content Marketing Today

Bill Gates & Jerry Seinfeld: Could It Be the Worst Big Bucks Ad Campaign Ever?

1990s icons talk about nothing in a meaningless way.

If you’re old enough, you may remember the deeply flawed introduction of the Infinity luxury car from Nissan which was all about flowers and trees and nothing about a high performance high-end car.  Since the new brand entered the market at the same time as Toyota’s Lexus, goofing up at the beginning was pretty unfortunate.

The Bill Gates–Jerry Seinfeld adver-tale is equally oblique.  The first in the series also misfires in its effort to lay the groundwork for positioning Microsoft as a leader once more. The campaign launch pairs a retired Microsoft CEO and a rarely seen Seinfeld both of whom flourished in the 90s and have floundered in more recent years (apologies to fans of Windows Vista and the lamentable Bee Movie).

If you haven’t seen it, all you need to know is that it involves completely meaningless blather about Bill Gates buying probably very expensive shoes with the help of Jerry who just happened to be wandering by the store.  At the end, there is an odd allusion to revolutionary things that might be in store.  But, as Jerry describes his fantastical vision of what he wants–and what Microsoft might deliver…hint…hint–venture Microsoft user likely sense that disappointment is sure to follow.  Of course, if you didn’t sit through the whole thing, you would not have known even that much. You can watch it here: Gates-Seinfeld Shoe Story

Most experts and users agree that Windows Vista is a major disappointment.  Most of us would gladly go back to XP.  One assumes that Gates and former company are going to try to knock our socks off with something amazing, wonderful, and reliable that is just around the corner. One can always hope. But, if this commercial is a prelude to what’s ahead, I think we are all in for a disappointment.

Lessons you can take away from this misguided marketing effort:

• Don’t be oblique.  Nobody has time for that.
• If you are trying to be cool, don’t use outdated icons.
• Don’t use expensive shoes to intrigue potential technology buyers.
• If you make an implied promise, you had better deliver in spades.
• If you have $300 million to spend on advertising, don’t take this approach. 
• If you have $30,000 to spend, most definitely don’t take this approach.

Of course, if it turns out that I’m wrong, I will be happy to admit to a failure to recognize advertising brilliance when I saw it.