Microsoft’s Seinfeld campaign launched Thursday night. The $300 million campaign starring the well-known comedian Jerry Seinfeld, however, didn’t say anything about Windows.
The ad shows Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates picking out a new pair of shoes at a discount store. Seinfeld notices him and helps Gates test several pairs of shoes before finally selecting the perfect fit.
What does buying shoes have to do with Windows? Microsoft is calling it an effort to reconnect with consumers around the globe.
Future commercials will highlight how Windows has become part and parcel of the lives of consumers everywhere on PCs, online and through mobile devices. The first ads seek to start a conversation about the Windows brand using Seinfeld’s offbeat humor, Microsoft said.
A New Chapter in Windows History
“Windows is entering a new chapter in our history,” said Bill Veghte, a Microsoft senior vice president, said in a feature article Microsoft published to explain the campaign. “We’re renewing our commitment to consumers and working with our partners to deliver quality and value on the PC, across devices, and across the Web.”
According to Brad Brooks, corporate vice president for Windows consumer product marketing, the effort stems largely from the fact that Microsoft’s brand and products, and the way people use technology in general, are vastly different now than they were even a decade ago. Microsoft’s historic relationship with consumers has become insufficient in this new world, he said, and that’s a situation that has led the company to fundamentally rebuild the customer experience.
“When you think of more than a billion people using Windows across the globe, each person with a unique set of circumstances, and then factor in three Windows platforms and what they can do, it’s hard to even comprehend the number of unique scenarios Windows can potentially address,” Brooks said. “So how can…