That's the real problem. You start off wondering what is this all about and by the end you're still wondering. Even for Sienfeld, who I've never found amusing much less funny, it's bad.
I'll agree with Marc that Gates needs to come across as more human than he has in the last 25 years or so, if ever.
Goofy fits in the sense that people who know him have said that he has that side to his personality.
Still the ad doesn't do much to bring that out when, at the end of 90 seconds you're still scratching your head saying.."WTF?"
Sadly, it can get worse.
If Microsoft and it's ad company choose to answer Apple's ads on Apple's terms and using Apple's style then they've lost the PR war already.
It'll be hard enough to do something about Vista's well deserved black eyes. I'd suggest, to be honest, that it can't be done at this late date.
MS would be far better off starting to pump Windows 7 in a way that doesn't get people's expectations up but simply states that it works and works well and smoothly.
If it doesn't then sooner rather than later they'll lose the shrinking desktop wars to Apple and Linux (see KDE 4.1) much sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile the they need to cast Gates in his own terms rather than in others.
MS don't need no stinkin' celebrities they already have one. His name is Bill Gates. Humanizing him, as Marc suggests, rather than pairing him with celebs and playing off the strength makes much more sense than what seems like an ad agency determines to rescue the PC world's New Coke. (Vista).
ttfn
John
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