Bill Gates: please forget about your sitcom career
Now that you have retired, it seems you are looking for a new career, as we can see you in these $300mio advertising video series from Microsoft:
The shoe shop:
Although you show affection for shoes, there is no role available as the shoe salesman Al Bundy, because there is no remake or continuation of “Married with children” planned. (Although Peggy would love you for your money).
Remark the similarities with the shoe shop of Al Bundy in “Married with children”:
- Both shoe shops are in a mall
- Both shoe shops walls have the same horizontal wooden planks
- Both shoe shops have a grey carpet
- The shoe salesman is completely ignored by the customers – just like Al Bundy (Microsoft cares about you?)
New family: (the second installment)
This one is about a family that is almost as strange as the Bundy’s, for instance:
- The remarks of the old grandma
- The strange conversations at night in the hallway
- The importance of the plastic giraffe.
To be shown in the rest of world? No!
In this series of advertising sitcom type videos, the issues addressed are probably typical and recognizable for Americans; however they aren’t appealing and relating to an audience outside the US.
Moreover the language and the words used spoken are hard to understand for foreigners as the articulation is bad.
So how can these expensive sitcoms be shown in other parts of the world?
The supporting actor Seinfeld is hardly known in the rest of the world.
Ed O’Neill, well known as Al Bundy, is probably more recognized than Seinfeld and way funnier.
Pointless ads
Even the Americans seem to find these sitcom advertisements pointless and utterly pointless. About nothing.
Seinfeld had a “show about nothing” before! So he sold the idea again to Bill Gates? (The Emperor’s new clothes?)
Just retire quietly
Thus M. Bill Gates please go retire quietly and forget about getting famous in a sitcom.
You can’t have everything and beware of your share holders.
Engage consumers and spark conversation
Microsoft has invested heavily in these series with Bill Gates and Seinfeld for probably multiple good reasons for them, unclear reasons for many people.
Maybe the message behind the ad series is to make clear that Microsoft is a people company and cares about people and how people connect as suggested by Kiltak or to “Engage consumers and spark conversation”
The business problem of Microsoft: upgrades only
There is no more market share to conquer.
Microsoft can only sell upgrades to the current users.
They have to convince you to upgrade to Vista.
Will you upgrade to Vista after viewing these videos?
Will you trust Microsoft more after the sitcoms?
Customers will know that the actor Seinfeld got $10mio for his acting (appearance).
This $10mio or the $300mio, needs to be paid by many upgrades at $156 (Vista Home Premium upgrade). Many upgrades. And they all will run slower afterwards.
Al Bundy and the computer – that nobody uses
This is from another era when MS-DOS was ruling.
However is it about how Al Bundy as a consumer is engaged and sparks the conversation in his way (with the speaking computer):
Watch it until the end when he slams the computer with a hammer and is satisfied as he says: “Now I’m truly King!”.
[...] has dumped the career of Bill Gates in sitcoms and has changed to address Apple with their Mac advertising campaign: “I’m a PC – [...]
[...] has dumped the career of Bill Gates in sitcoms and has changed to address Apple with their Mac advertising campaign: “I’m a PC – [...]