Microsoft has decided to dump Jerry Seinfeld in its $300 million dollar ad campaign, with Microsoft saying it was the plan all along. In it's place? A new "I'm a PC" response to the now famous "I'm a Mac" ads from Apple.

Reaction to the first set of ads has been mixed. Some industry analysts have said that Microsoft was basically throwing away their money and that the company should be directly attacking Apple and the Mac. Others have been more positive saying that the ads were humorous and that their purpose was less about showing off Windows and more about laying the groundwork for humanizing the company and its chairman.

The new campaign, set to start today, will still carry the "Windows, Life without Walls" idea that Microsoft has been talking about for a while. One of the new spots will feature a company engineer who closely resembles John Hodgman, the comedian who plays the PC in Apple's campaign. “Hello, I’m a PC,” the engineer says, echoing Mr. Hodgman’s recurring line, “and I’ve been made into a stereotype.”

Updated: Gizmodo is reporting that a source at Crispin Porter, the ad firm behind Microsoft's latest blitz, has said that the Seinfield-Gates ads are not cancelled, however, Microsoft did request that the "I'm a PC" spots become the new focus. They're saying "Crispin Porter has another completed spot featuring the lovable, affluent couple in the can, ready to air (even though it won't quite yet).

Posted: Sep 19, 2008 3:06 pm