It hasn't been cool to like Microsoft in a long time, though, so the level of distaste for the ads would have made you think that Bill and Jerry came out as supporters of Governor Palin, the way they were so universally panned.
Rather than push forward and enjoy the fact that literally everyone in the world is talking about their ad campaign, Microsoft has decided to raise the white flag and pull the campaign. I first caught the news over at Valleywag a couple of hours ago:
In a phone call, Waggener Edstrom flack Frank Shaw confirms that Microsoft is not going on with Seinfeld, and echoes his underlings' spin that the move was planned. There is the "potential to do other things" with Seinfeld, which Shaw says is still "possible." He adds: "People would have been happier if everyone loved the ads, but this was not unexpected."
There were a few people in the A-List that enjoyed the ads, myself included. Most bloggers admitted they just didn't get it which, as Steven said, is a sign that the ads hit their mark - they were meant to make Bill Gates and by proxy Microsoft seem more human, likable and intriguing to the general public, not the tech elite.
Now we're all stuck with the Mojave experiment ads. I hope you're happy, blogosphere. Instead of an ad that skirts the boundaries of marketing and creative content, we've got this now.