“ But it’s a remarkable, 90-second second encapsulation of why Microsoft is going to have a tough time thriving in the Web 2.0 world, where consumers—not agencies and marketers—decide what’s in. For starters, what does the decision to use a 54-year-old, white, multimillionaire comedian, whose show went off the air ten years ago, as the centerpiece of a campaign that’s supposed to give Windows a hip new image and help Microsoft reconnect with younger buyers, tell us about the company? Mostly that it’s dominated by middle aged white guys who made their own millions more than a decade ago and who are woefully out of touch with America’s changing demographics and any generation that doesn’t go by the initials BB. These guys probably still think the Fonz is cool. The ad is also a good metaphor for Windows Vista itself. Despite the hype surrounding its launch (Dan Lyons, aka “Fake Steve”, thinks Microsoft deliberately leaked Seinfeld’s involvement to generate some buzz), the first spot is being greeted with a resounding, “Huh?
