Bill and Jerry vs. Mac and PC

Microsoft is spending close to $300 million to promote its brand and products through a collaboration with old-school comic Jerry Seinfeld.  Seinfeld is being paid $10 million dollars to add some ‘comedy’ to the Microsoft brand.  Given that the Mac verses PC campaign has just that, comedy; it seems a bit desperate for Microsoft to be trying to ‘own’ the same space in the consumers’ mind that Apple already owns.  To be honest, the worst part about the campaign is I am not really sure what they are trying to accomplish.  They don’t really talk about the brand, what product they are pushing or why any of us should actually watch their spots.  When spending that kind of money, you’d think that there would be more strategy, or at least relevance, behind the campaign. And if there is, you’d think that there would be a strategy that would resonate with the masses.  However professionals and consumers alike are left scratching their heads.  When marketing your brand, you want to own your own real estate in the mind of the consumer – not try and ‘buy’ someone else’s.  If you haven’t seen the ‘cheap shoes’ or ‘dumb family’ spots, “enjoy!”