Pitchfork. Architecture. Online Database of Social Media Policies. The 50 Best London Websites. Mental_floss Blog » 5 Ad Campaigns that Failed Quickly (or Spectacularly) Microsoft announced it was moving away from its commercials featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld just two weeks after unveiling the baffling teaser ads.
Although the Seinfeld spots were so short-lived that they might be dubbed a failure—particularly since Seinfeld's deal with Microsoft is rumored to be worth $10 million—Microsoft and ad agency Crispin Porter claimed that the teasers did what they set out to do. The tale of Gates and Seinfeld traipsing around with the common man wasn't the first ad campaign to struggle to find its audience.
If Microsoft execs need a boost, they can console themselves that it could have been worse. They could have run one of these campaigns: 1.