By Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --No soup for Microsoft?
The software giant’s new ad starring Jerry Seinfeld has draw largely negative reviews online after premiering Thursday night during NBC’s broadcast of the National Football League’s season kickoff game.
The ad was the start of a highly anticipated $300 million advertising campaign that Microsoft is launching in attempt to rebuff Apple’s popular TV commercials, which have portrayed Microsoft and PCs as uncool.
In the commercial – which can be found at Microsoft.com and on video sharing sites – Seinfeld is walking through a mall when he spots Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates at a “Shoe Circus” store. The comedian than helps Gates pick out a new pair of shoes while the jokes come quick: showering with clothes on, Gates being a “10,” platinum credit cards for a fictional shoe store.
It’s a zany ad that packs a lot of quirkiness into 90 seconds. With no direct mention of Microsoft or its operating system, Vista, the commercial concludes with the slogan: “The future, delicious.”
The ad was created by Crispin Porter & Bogusky – a firm with a reputation for oddness. Many technology and advertising blogs have turned to Seinfeld’s trademark comedy description – “nothing” – to describe the ad.
“Huh?” wrote Abbey Klaassen for Ad Age. “You could be forgiven for not knowing what the heck Microsoft’s new TV ad … was about.”
Dan Frommer, writing for the Silicon Alley Insider, pronounced the ad “not funny” and added that the mall shoe store setting “is not going to help Microsoft look any cooler.”
For the blog Techcrunch.com, Michael Arrington noted that the “tech and geek crowd is a little underwhelmed” by the ad, which he said is “a far cry from the brilliant Microsoft v. Mac ads.”
Brad Brooks, vice president of Windows consumer product marketing, said in a video posted on the Windows press Web site, that the ad is a “teaser” meant to “engage customers in a conversation … to get the conversation going again about what Windows means in people’s everyday lives.”
Even if the reaction was mostly negative, Microsoft’s ad has clearly succeeded in getting people talking.
AICP Awards Tour To Conclude With Stops In Dallas and Chicago
The 2024 AICP Awards Tour concludes with stops in Dallas and Chicago this month as it wraps up its tour of cities across the U.S. The National Tour brought presentations, panels and screenings to marketers, advertising agencies, production and postproduction companies.
The AICP Awards will be in Dallas on Thursday, November 14, at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, followed by the Chicago event, set for Thursday, November 21, at The Old Post Office. Tickets are available now for both events here.
In Dallas, the program kicks off at 6:45 pm with a happy hour, followed by the screening and panel discussion at 7:30. The evening ends with a networking reception from 8:30 to 11:30.
Appearing in Dallas will be Abe Garcia, chief creative officer, Dieste; Julia Melle, director of brand and content, Southwest Airlines; and Isaac Pagán Muñoz, VP, executive creative director of PepsiCo Foods. The panel will review selected winners from the suite of the AICP Awards programs, offering insights into what made them rise to the top of their respective categories and share their viewpoints on key trends in the industry.
The Chicago stop starts at 6 pm with a happy hour, followed by the presentation and screening at 7 pm. A reception caps the event, starting at 8 pm and concluding at 11:30 pm.
The panel there will feature 2024 AICP Awards curators and winners from the marketer, agency, production and postproduction sectors who’ll highlight this year’s winners. The conversation will include a discussion about the winning work, including insights into what makes a project stand out, as well as industry trends and insights.
Panelists include Brian Billow, director, O Positive, AICP Show curator and... Read More