Jerry Seinfeld for Microsoft

Microsoft Corp. and super comedian Jerry Seinfeld failed to do something, actually anything, to lower public and media expectations when they planned this year’s blockbuster advertising series. Consequently, they got themselves into a New Hampshire primary situation, where it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, it’s whether you meet expectations.

Pay Seinfeld $10 million

It may have been impossible to control expectations when you let it be known that the world’s largest software maker will spend $300 million and pay Seinfeld $10 million to produce some ads. Those expectations grow even wilder when word got out that Billionaire Bill Gates, Mr. Microsoft himself, would star in the commercials with Seinfeld.

It all created visions of super Super Bowl commercials, of audiences laughing themselves right off their couches and dumping their Macs in exchange for those Vista operating systems that came in earlier with unrealistic expectations.

Then, in their first time up to bat, Gates and Seinfeld deliver the equivalent of a single through the infield, a pleasant little chuckler of a commercial. Seinfeld helps Gates buy a pair of discounted shoes. They bend the shoes in unison. Seinfeld recommends wearing them in the shower.

Seinfeld Asks for a Signal

Leaving the store, Seinfeld asks Gates for a signal ("adjust your shorts") if they will ever make computers that are "moist and chewy like a cake so that we can just eat’em while we’re working?" Walking away from the camera, Gates twists his backside a bit, as if adjusting his shorts. Seinfeld is estatic. End of commercial.

At least they lowered expectations for the rest of the series. Maybe the interest and audience generated by the high expectations for the first commercial was worth it. Perhaps we can judge and enjoy the rest in a realistic state of mind. Mac can relax.

Vista? It was never mentioned.