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Vista's pitchmen: Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld?

Microsoft has hired comedian Jerry Seinfeld to star, with Bill Gates, in its long-awaited Windows advertising campaign, according to a Wall Street Journal report this morning. The $300 million campaign is the centerpiece of Microsoft's effort to repair Windows Vista's battered reputation and, at least implictly, respond to Apple's popular Mac vs. PC television ads.

The hiring of Seinfeld is getting lots of attention this morning, but it's also interesting that the company would continue to lean on Gates even as he shifts away from day-to-day Microsoft life. At some point, Microsoft may need to grab the attention of the masses on its own merits, without the iconic status of its chairman, but apparently that moment has yet to arrive.

The Journal, citing anonymous sources, says Seinfeld will receive $10 million for his work in the ads, which are slated to debut Sept. 4. The Journal says the campaign "will use some variation of the slogan, 'Windows, Not Walls.' "

Microsoft isn't yet commenting.

Update, 10:45 a.m.: A person familiar with the situation tells me that "Windows, Not Walls" isn't exactly the phrase that will be used as the slogan, but I haven't been able to confirm the precise wording.

Follow-up: Seinfeld and Microsoft: Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Posted by at August 21, 2008 8:56 a.m.
Categories: Bill Gates, Windows, Windows Vista at 1 Year

Comments

#168178

Posted by unregistered user at 8/21/08 10:14 a.m.

"The Journal says the campaign "will use some variation of the slogan, 'Windows, Not Walls.' ""

This is getting embarrassing now.

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#168180

Posted by unregistered user at 8/21/08 10:16 a.m.

Oh, the irony!

On his series, didn't Seinfeld always have the latest Macintosh system on his desk in the apartment!

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#168203

Posted by genericman at 8/21/08 10:50 a.m.

Seinfeld (the character) always had a Mac desktop, but I remember seeing a boxed copy of Windows 95 placed on his desk in the later seasons. Perhaps he had a Gateway 2000 laptop stashed somewhere. :)

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#168209

Posted by Mr. J at 8/21/08 11:00 a.m.

The best way to spend $10M for MSFT is to fix Vista. It's horrible.

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#168230

Posted by unregistered user at 8/21/08 11:21 a.m.

They shot the TV spots at The Everett Mall last month.
No, really I'm not kidding, Gates & Seinfeld at the Everett Mall caused quite a stir. At least we now know why they were there.

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#168261

Posted by unregistered user at 8/21/08 12:27 p.m.

Wow - using an old, washed-up, un-hip actor to tout an old, washed-up, un-hip company. Now that's good thinking...

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#168360

Posted by unregistered user at 8/21/08 2:46 p.m.

Microsoft? Out of touch? Nevar!!

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#168391

Posted by Sibil at 8/21/08 3:32 p.m.

"The best way to spend $10M for MSFT is to fix Vista. It's horrible"

Vista runs just fine and dandy on my Duo Core..... And DirectX 10 is truly awesome. I guess the Vista haters arent happy with thier 6 % market share that Apple now enjoys..

LMAO!!!

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#173023

Posted by unregistered user at 8/31/08 4:01 p.m.

wow..bill gates has so much time to waste that he decided to use his money for a stupid ad instead of fixing vista....it seems he has so much money he just doesnt know what to do with it

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