Seinfeld Hired in Microsoft's $300 Million Ad Campaign

The software giant has enlisted Jerry Seinfeld for a new $300 million fall advertising campaign. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates will reportedly join Seinfeld in ads that are intended to give Microsoft a cooler image with the new slogan, "Windows not Walls."

Microsoft is reportedly paying Seinfeld $10 million for the ads that are set to debut September 4th and is set to be one of the largest advertising blitzes in the company's history.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft also considered hiring Will Ferrell or Chris Rock before choosing Seinfeld.

Microsoft is trying to reboot the negative perception around its flagship operating system, Microsoft Vista. While sales of Vista are strong, Infoworld reports that is largely because Vista is preinstalled on new computers and that 35 percent of new PC owners downgraded to Windows XP. Microsoft stopped selling the seven-year-old Windows XP operating system to mainstream sales outlets last June. Microsoft considers Vista's problems more image than technical.

Microsoft had announced in July that it was preparing a massive new advertising campaign.

"We're drawing a line right here on this stage," said Brad Brooks, a vice president in charge of Windows marketing, speaking at a Microsoft conference, according to a transcript. "You thought the sleeping giant was still sleeping? Well, we've woken up and it's time to take our message forward," he added.

In an email to Microsoft employees in July, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer wrote, "Now it's time to tell our story."

He added: "In the weeks ahead, we'll launch a campaign to address any lingering doubts our customers may have about Windows Vista." He said that later in the year the company will roll out "a more comprehensive effort to redefine the meaning and value of Windows for our customers."

The campaign featuring comedians follows a path set by Apple Inc. with its popular "I'm a Mac and I'm a PC" ads that feature comedians Justin Long and John Hodgman. Many of Apple's ads portray Vista as a failure and full of problems.

Many computer fans are already pointing out that a Macintosh computer was prominently displayed in the background of the Seinfeld sitcom set for eight seasons.

In order to change perceptions about Windows Vista, Microsoft has already launched a website called The Mojave Experiment where people are shown a demo of Microsoft's new secret operating system which turns out to be Vista in disguise. "What do people think of Windows Vista when they don't know it's Windows Vista," the website tagline reads.