Microsoft: Lost in the Mall

This weekend viewers got their first look at a series of Microsoft commercials featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. It's part of a rebranding strategy by the software giant, designed to combat some of the negative PR that's some from Apple's Mac vs. PC series of ads.

I'm scratching my head that this commercial. Much as I may enjoy Gates and Seinfeld holding court in a discount shoe store, there wasn't much of a takeaway from the spot. Indeed, you almost felt that you might have missed something or not cracked a code.

The commercial doesn't talk about the brand, emerging technology (other than edible computers), or make you feel excited about the next innovation. Some ad experts say the commercial is a success because we're talking about it but in my mind it does little to change the public perception of Microsoft being a heartless corporation that puts out poor operating systems which make your life more difficult.

I expect to see a parody on Saturday Night Live very soon.