News Bits: Microsoft Unveils Ads, Minus Seinfeld

Written by Erin Barker

Friday, September 19. 2008 at 11:00 AM EDT Post a comment

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Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) reclaims the word "PC" in its new series of ads, which debuted last night during The Office. Jerry Seinfeld may be absent, after the dismal reception of his ads released in the last several weeks, but Bill Gates -- or "BG" as he is called by Pharrell Williams in the second of the three ads -- is back and geekier than ever.

All three ads feature a variety of PC users who, seemingly offended by Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)'s uptight Jon Hodgman-based stereotype, declare their PC pride. In addition to Gates and Williams, Deepak Chopra, Eva Longoria, and her husband NBA star Tony Parker make appearances.

Each is introduced by Sean Siler, a Microsoft program manager and Hodgman lookalike.  "Hello, I'm a PC. And I've been made into a stereotype," he says in the opening of the first ad. [Ed. note: His email -- sean@windows.com -- is shown on the screen during the ad, and if you email him, you'll receive back an unnecessarily lengthy autoresponse explaining that he's not an actor -- he's a REAL person.]

It seems the geeks have been, at least momentarily, subdued: VentureBeat, for example, declares it "10,000 times better than any of the Seinfeld/Gates ads." The first ad, below:

In other (hi-larious) news: