I haven’t seen the ads in question, but thought this InformationWeek commentary was blogworthy.

“Some may wonder what Jerry Seinfeld helping
Bill Gates pick out a new pair of shoes has to do with software,”
Microsoft concedes. No, probably everyone who watched the ad is
wondering what shoes and Seinfeld have to do with software.

The answer, Microsoft says, is nothing. Oh, right — that’s so very Seinfeld.

The deliberate obscurity shows just how sclerotic Microsoft has
become. It’s a form of brand-first advertising that says, “Never mind
our products, hooking up with Microsoft is a gas.” It’s just like
hanging out with Jerry, Elaine, and the rest of the gang at the coffee
shop.

(Apologies to readers under 30 who don’t get these references, but
you can catch reruns on Fox after the nightly news. Sorry, “nightly
news” was a form of broadcast journalism where highly paid anchors once
… never mind.)