Just teasing: Bill + Jerry as warmup acts

Like warming up the crowd before the headliner takes the stage, Microsoft says today that the first two ads in its $300 million campaign were just...um, warm ups. As previously posted here and here, we--like many--weren't sure if it was slow-reveal brilliance or a quick spew of head scratching incompetence.

Either way, the idea promoted by Microsoft's Brand Manager that the new campaign illustrates a strong desire among Microsoft managers to...“have a conversation about the real PC.” is kind of laughable in the context of a talk-at-me advert.

Several professional opinions are offered at the NYtimes and AP (not that getting paid makes an opinion any more right)

Paying Sienfeld $10 mil for two spots sure seems like an expensive way to do a warm up act for the soon to bne aired 'real' spots. Then again, with the way the Federal Reserve, er, I mean Microsoft is printing money, a $300 million ad campaign may not be that big of a deal.

See the new Pride ad here:

It kind of makes those Apple ads seem not so funny anymore.