I think it's meant to be quirky, make people notice, (shower scene was off the wall, which is the point), the drawn out intentional pauses (Leather), it draws you in questioning it's motives, you try to process it using normal reasoning and stumble, and that's the point of that style – to be noticed, to stand out, to be talked about.

That's marketing done well – even if it doesn't resound exactly positively with everyone right off the bat, that's ok.

(Only large campaigns can pull it off in this way, it takes lots of time, dozens of ads, and tons of money.)

Remember, think of this particular ad as just a small quirky intro into the entire campaign that will follow… I guarantee a multi-million campaign wasn't given a greenlight if the campaign as a whole doesn't make sense, and over time, I think it will. Initially with this one ad, it simply gets people to notice that Microsoft is advertising, finally, and that the stuff to come is going to be funny, different, and obviously unexpected.

The main issue – if you're spending hundreds of thousands of dollars that this one ad costs to run as often as it is… this is the type of ad that you'd run? Probably not… But as part of a campaign, telling a story over dozens of ads to come, this is more of an introduction… a beginning… and definitely not to be judged by itself.

If it were a normal ad, you wouldn't have blogged about it – that's the point perhaps.

From: Bill Veghte
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 5:37 PM
To: Microsoft – All Employees (QBDG)
Subject: Telling the story of Windows

<Initial paragraphs removed, to get to the point regarding this ad campaign…>

“This first set of ads features Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Think of these ads as an icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context. Later this month, as the campaign moves into its next phase, we’ll go much deeper in telling the Windows story and celebrating what it can do for consumers at work, at play and on-the-go. At that time, I’ll be back to share more information about our plans to further strengthen the bond between consumers and Windows – one of the most amazing products, businesses and brands of all time, and, with the right tenacity, passion and agility from all of us, a story that has many great chapters to come.”

Don't be surprised if near the end they are showing off Unified Messaging, Jerry is listening to his emails and scheduling appointments on his cell phone, etc.

In the end, it's a mini-series of spots that grab people's attention, is completely unexpected, but ends up promoting Microsoft solutions to non-technical people – stuff that is way beyond listening to music or selling shiny computers – it's the future of technology in everyday life.

The Future. Delicious.