Black Raven Dragoons

[Zancarius]

Okay, this is probably one of the more disturbing things I've seen. Admittedly, the commercial is pretty funny (even if Seinfeld is REALLY annoying in the process, which is the point). But, you, too, can see Bill Gates shake his arse. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. Being as it was funny, I might do both.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImyK29QLs_A

[Grimblast]

[Snobal]

LOL

[Tarlas]

ouch

nuff said

[Zancarius]

Fine, I'll come clean. I found it funny.

MS pays Seinfeld $10 million to watch Bill Gates shakes his bum. That's funny.

[Tirian]

Like... 90%!... of that made no sense.

[Haiku]

Like... 90%!... of that made no sense.

I guess you've never seen Seinfeld.

[Zancarius]

Like... 90%!... of that made no sense.

Seinfeld irritates me. I guess that's why I never liked the show when it was on (and I never enjoyed television much, anyway).

However, this commercial does make perfect sense if you view it not as an ad for a product but for a company. Microsoft knows they blew it with Windows Vista--a terrible operating system--and I think they're looking at correcting that issue. The best review I have read thusfar of this commercial is that it paints Bill Gates as a normal, average guy, which is most definitely a perception most people are unlikely to have of someone in such a position of wealth and commercial power. Microsoft with its somewhat draconian licensing issues that have plagued ordinary law-abiding consumers has been seen as a corporate entity worthy of the title "evil." That is more or less how I see it. The commercial doesn't make any sense when viewed from a product or service standpoint, but when you consider that it is a means of clearing up a tarnished corporate image, it's almost perfect.

I think it connects well with the target audience for a variety of reasons and is a pretty clever ploy. Bill Gates is shown as someone who actually goes and buys his own shoes, eats churros, and even has to tolerate wacky personalities like Seinfeld. Of course, for anyone who isn't exactly inside the target audience, first impressions might lend viewers to believe it's an advertisement for food or shoes (take your pick). There are a lot of things Microsoft has done badly wrong in the last few years, but I think it wouldn't be fair to qualify this commercial as one of those things.

[Tirian]

Best part of your post: you linked churros.

Mmm, I'm hungry.

[Snobal]

LOL, I remember learning what churros were in spanish one last year. There were puns involved.

[Zancarius]

Actually, it's because I thought it was a commercial for churros when I first saw it.

[Killemal]

I forgot I was supposed to watch this. Now I'm going to the mall for a haircut and churros!