Microsoft's US$300 million advertising campaign for Windows starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld launched last week night with an extra-long television commercial almost entirely devoid of any talk of Windows, Microsoft, or anything, really.
That was oddly appropriate, considering Seinfeld's eponymous hit 90s comedy was described by both admirers and detractors as a "show about nothing."
The minute-and-a-half commercial (available on YouTube here and here and elsewhere) and can also be viewed on Microsoft's Web site.
It co-starred Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and was set in a shopping mall. Seinfeld, who did most of the talking, helps Gates buy a pair of shoes called the Conquistador. He also asks if Gates ever wears his clothes in the shower. The commercial ends with Seinfeld asking Gates if Microsoft will "come out with something that makes our computers moist and chewy like cake so we can just eat them while we're working." Gates wiggles his rear to answer in the affirmative.
The commercial ends with the Windows logo and the phrase "Delicious."
It was aired early during the broadcast of the first National Football League game of the season.
Immediate reaction online was almost uniformly negative, with bloggers calling the commercial baffling and unfunny.
The part that bloggers liked the most was when Gates showed off his "Shoe Circus Clown Card." The picture was of Gates' notorious mugshot when he was caught speeding by New Mexico police in 1977 at the age of 21.
The commercial lacked the flashy camerawork that is considered the trademark of French director, Michel Gondry. Gondry reportedly shot a Microsoft commercial earlier this summer.