Jerry and Bill sitting in a tree
Thursday, August 21st, 2008There is a new splash this week in the ever murky waters of “the company spokesman”. Apparently, working on the heels of the newest Apple campaigns, Microsoft the big daddy of them all is hiring Jerry Seinfeld as their man. And Bill is the man behind the man so to speak.
It always amazes me how huge brand’s pick their company mascots. Sometimes the choice hits the mark like Subway’s Jared or the legendary Jordan for Nike. Choices like that seem to resonate with the brand’s mission and somehow fills in another piece of the puzzle for where the brand is headed. Jared works because he lost weight eating only fresh Subway sandwiches….thus Subway = Healthy and Jared serves as proof. The Michael Jordan Nike marriage is one made in heaven. Jordan is a champion and he wears Nike….thus Nike = Performance.
I can’t seem to make the same positive correlation with the latest Microsoft choice. This latest move seems to be a forced play to battle Apple’s growing image as being the hippest and coolest. Brand’s of all sizes should always be aware of their competition, but this latest move seems like a reaction and not an inspiration. What does Jerry have to do with Windows? What’s the message? Jerry has an apartment with Windows and he is funny….thus Windows = Funny. Weak move Bill. With 1 trillion dollars to spend you could have done better.
The Wall Street Journal:
Microsoft Corp., weary of being cast as a stodgy oldster by Apple Inc.’s advertising, is turning for help to Jerry Seinfeld.
The software giant’s new $300 million advertising campaign, devised by a newly hired ad agency, has been closely guarded. But Mr. Seinfeld will be one of the key celebrity pitchmen, say people close to the situation. He will appear with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates in ads and receive about $10 million for the work, they say.
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The new ad effort is expected to use some variation of the slogan “Windows, Not Walls,” according to several people familiar with the matter. Those people say the point is to stress breaking down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting. The campaign, said to debut Sept. 4, is one of the largest in the company’s history.
