Microsoft Gets 'Seinfeld Vision'

Is Microsoft getting marketing advice from Jack Donaghy?

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the software giant—“weary of being cast as a stodgy oldster by Apple Inc.’s advertising”—has enlisted Jerry Seinfeld for a new ad campaign.

Couldn’t help but be reminded of “Seinfeld Vision,” the brilliant marketing plan hatched by 30 Rock’s vice president of East Coast television and microwave-oven programming. As Alec Baldwin’s Donaghy explains to Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon, NBC—or the fictional version portrayed on 30 Rock—owns hundreds of hours of footage of Seinfeld from the glory days when his sitcom and the network were on top. With the network languishing in 4th place (both on the show and in real life), Donaghy had his team “digitally capture Seinfeld, so now we can make him do or say whatever we want”—such as appear in current NBC shows like Heroes and Deal or No Deal.

A desperate move for a desperate network.

If 30 Rock hadn’t already used Seinfeld to mock its own network’s desperation, maybe Microsoft wouldn’t look so desperate with this new scheme.

By Joel Topcik