Buh Bye

Conde Nast Portfolio.com is reporting that Microsoft is going to pull those new, lameass ads featuring Jerry Seinfeld and founder Bill Gates...check it out here: http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/09/17/microsoft-copping-to-10-million-mistake

I guess I'm not the only one who didn't understand the purpose of those ads. Why would you hire Seinfeld, a comedian who was a hot commodity 10 years ago, and feature your aging and now retired founder to try and rebrand your company and product as something contemporary and vital and current? An ad featuring two men in their 50's, iconic to be sure, but past their date of freshness is not going to jumpstart your image or convince 20somethings that your product is cool and rush out to use it. Those ads were nostalgic in tone; looking backward and not forward.

Also, except for the use of Bill Gates' actual mugshot from his 70's arrest, it wasn't at all funny, only tired and belabored.

UPDATE: Gizmodo is now reporting that this rumor is not true; Microsoft is still going to continue the series of ads. Apparently, they don't want to waste the $10million bucks they spent to make them.
http://gizmodo.com/5051682/microsoft-ads-featuring-bill-gates-and-jerry-seinfeld-not-canceled