No. This is like Burger King hiring the sound-effects guy from the "Police Academy" movies to sell more Whoppers. Even Seinfeld can't single-handedly rescue Microsoft. As priceless as his sitcom is, his brand of comedy does NOT age well. You don't see comedians today asking snarkily, "WHAT is the DEAL with Twitter? How does it tweet? And what does a tweet sound like?" Seinfeld's last commercial venture, the phenomenally annoying "Bee Movie," buzzed its way to box-office bomb territory, making the man surprisingly unreliable for good returns.
About as well as Project Mojave. What microsoft needs isn't another advertising campaign. What it needs is a sense of unification, a central core from which all wells spring. Everything about Microsoft is a fragmented mess, their ideas, their os (all 5 of it), their advertising campaigns, everything. Actually what Microsoft needs is to fire Steve Balmer, gut their entire board of directors senior management, and start over. Short of that, they're just another GM, raping their customers to stay afloat.
I'm sure everyone is very excited to see what Crispin Porter+ Bogusky comes up with. Given the problems Microsoft has had over the last few years Seinfeld may be just the right person to turn things around and inspire a sense of fun, but at the end of the day, your product must work. Advertising cannot fix a poor product. This is a design problem if ever there was one. I would have considered hiring Philippe Starck or Ideo.
Living in the Seattle area, I have known my share of Microsoft employees. One thing is clear, there is a big disconnect between the people RUNNING Microsoft and the people that MAKE Microsoft.
Everything they do is fragmented. Their OS, their products, their advertising, their management. What Microsoft needs to do is get rid of Steve Balmer and get someone that has his/her eye on how to connect with their customers, rather than a guy that still believes that he can control them.
I think this is a great move by a company that needs some cool point but can't afford to alienate their present fan/customer base in the process. Remember that the perception of cool is about overdoing it and going over the top for it. When you do that you come off as fake. Seinfeld's delivery will be conversational and easy that it will flow and before we know it people are thinking about MS products in a new light.
Look we are talking about the mind that gave us "yada yada yada," "close talker," "master of your domain,"anti dentite" and more as new additions to the pop culture langauge. Cut him loose on MS products and i think we will see some really creative stuff. And that's what MS is missing, some creativity and zaniness that will add some glint to their image.
In the end, I think this is a great pick up and I expect good things all around.
I Think Microsoft has got to do a lot more than marketing to guarantee it's relevance in the future. It has to rethink it's business model, and understand it more as an ever evolving and ever becoming thing that adapts to the times, than a fixed model that is quickly becoming outdated. So I would first redefine my business then I would put on a show! Borrowing equity from celebrities works only as a temporary thing, then people realize the truth. They will not get their money's worth.
Bringing on big names to endorse your product is a fossil ad tactic. Especially when its done to mask product flaws. I like Ray Hrynkow's suggestion to hire Ideo. Acquiring Ubuntu wouldn't be a bad idea either. MS should really manage their dollars more wisely and embrace the fact that people are informed and connected nowadays.
I have this sneaky suspicion that Apple execs have secretly infiltrated top management at Microsoft and are steering MS right over the falls. How else could you explain their blundering performance? They've proven that they can't build good products (i.e. Windows Me, Windows Vista, Office 2007). They proven that they don't understand their customers. And now their proving that they don't understand marketing either.
I was a loyal Microsoft customer, from Windows 3.0 till Vista. I've spent thousands of dollars buying their wares. And I'm happy to say that my current 7 computers are no longer Windows systems. Macs are performing so much better for my business and personal needs. I run a small internet supply company and our business runs smoother than ever on Macs. No more frustration! :-) Microsoft can market all they want. It's simply a weak attempt to save face. And it doesn't change the fact that they've regrettably lost their way.
Microsoft needs to find someone who is famous NOW...preferably someone their target audience relates too. And that is NOT Jerry Seinfeld.
This is going to be as big a disconnect as XEROX using images of Charlie Chaplin. Iconic, but it couldn't cover the stench of a bad business decision or in Microsoft's case, an annoying operating system.
Using Seinfeld is a risky gamble considering his show has been off the air for years, (although in reruns). Boomers love Seinfeld... but that ignores another 90 million Gen X and Y users familiar with Microsofts operating system and XBOX.
You might as well use Alf while you are trying to make a comeback.
Here's a better idea: How about making a better product and let it sell itself?
I think if Jerry Seinfeld can buy Apple, ruin Google, and humble MySpace, they're on to something. Otherwise, they should instead hire someone WHO DID NOT HAVE A MAC IN THE BACKGROUND OF EVERY SCENE OF HIS TV SHOW FOR TEN YEARS! HELLO?!
Have a look at Jerry's apartment in most every episode of 'Seinfeld'. There sits a Mac, whether a Classic, a 20th Anniversary, or a later desktop model, and even a PowerBook Duo (that laptop dock thing) at one period, if I recall.
So, chalk up another one in the lose column for Microsoft. Jerry is looking a bit like a bit of - dare I? - an advertising whore with this deal. Apple throughout his program's run, now Microsoft in some other sense of unreality.
So this makes Jerry out to be a has-been, too, in one interpretation. In that interpretation, they are made for each other. But will they be able to sell the world on MS items? Game consoles and MS Office, sure. Vista? Oh, whatever.
I guess the world loves empty publicity whores, so this might just work after all. And remember, those wacky duded at CP + B ad agency might have some really good stuff to arm Seinfeld with. Or, not.
Well Its amusing to see the tone of all the non MS supporters in their responses here.
I would not be so quick to say MS is done. MS is still the dominate force in business computing and though others have done well in computing candy ( Ipod ect ) when it comes to serious computing and using a platform to build on Microsoft has no competitors. I think Jerry is cool enough and beloved by the age group that is hiring and buying for business today. Apple is cool but with out Office for Mac its just cool.
Jerry will not hurt and considering where Microsoft is entrenched he may be great.
Gena Jackson. You seem to conclude that everyone who liked Seinfeld the show will also like a dinky product simply because Seinfeld endorses it. Fortunately, the world doesn't think like you. Comedians cannot save tragedies as colossal as Microsoft is in 2008.
Microsoft's advertising has about as much impact, at this point, as the advertising done by the local power company (It's nice to deliver that warn-and-fuzzy messages about how diligent their repair crews are in responding to storm damage isn't it?) But does that lead you using more electricity? I think not. Mostly they do this image advertising to soften the blow of writing $200 a month checks for service we give little thought to.
So Microsoft has become the power company. They don't need to seel their brand or products to consumers -- most of their revenue is from OEMS -- the Dells, HPs, and Lenovos of the world -- who install MS software on their systems and pass along the costs to consumers. At best Microsoft is countering the PC-guy/Mac-guy model by providing some cover for their primary customers. Because in any consumer market in which they complete (e.g., input devices, game systems) they're in a super-competitive market where price equals marginal cost. No, they are doing the same kind of advertising that monopolists do. Somewhat to assuage the stockholders (Granny holds Microsoft, so she's happy to see they're getting their name out there) and somewhat to assuage the OEM customer base which has had no benefit from the association with Microsoft for a long time.
I believe hiring Newman and Kramer as Microsoft's competitors and George and Elaine as whining and lamenting customers who purchased cheap or free operating systems because they were quick, accessible for easy gratification would work better. Seinfeld's magic was the ensemble, not Jerry by himself.
I will only be impressed when I see this commercial:
(Wide shot of Jerry Seinfeld onstage at comedy club)
Jerry: Ya know what I can't stand? No, not airline food, because they don't serve food on airlines now. Not that they ever did.
(Audience laughter)
No, I can't stand people who think Vista is a awful program.
(Audience boos)
Whoa...don't shoot me, (looks directly at camera)I'm only the highly paid pitchman. No, really, I mean what's the deal? For instance, there's like, 10 different versions of Vista. Home, Home Premium, Business, Home Business Premium, Premium Ultimate Business Smackdown. Choice is good, right? So, lets say you want to do something that should be simple, like, connect to your office via VPN. All you have to do is check Microsoft's handy (uncovers a wheel behind him) dandy Vista's Wheel of Versions!!!
Spin the wheel and see where it lands!!!
Look, you landed on Ultimate Business Premium Edition!!! Now, for a mere $300 bucks you can upgrade from the Home version that shipped with your computer that does nothing useful except connect to your Facebook page to the Ultimate Business Premium Business version that allows you to actually get some work done. Heck, I spend $300 bucks a day just to dry clean my jeans. So I don't want to hear any more yada yada yada from naysayers. I don't say nay, I say yay!!
(audience starts throwing empty Vista boxes at him)
Jerry: What, you don't like choice. What are you...a bunch of Commies???
Announcer: Microsoft Vista--Buy it or you're a Commie.
David Mullings hit the nail squarely on the thumb with his comment. Quality speaks for itself & advertising can't overcome that. Looong ago, I was married to a man who is an electronics genius. We developed an electronic Timer for the horse industry. We ran a 1-column-inch ad with a tiny (clear) photo & the copy, "Think of a Timer that does everything you want, & nothing you don't. The EVENTimer." We designed the Timer by going to my customers & asking them what they liked & didn't like about timing equipment available then, AND what they would like to see if they could have anything they wanted. I wrote the ad - it AND the quality of our Timer - put every other electronic Timer manufacturer in North America out of business for 26 months - and we only ran the ad for 13 months & in one magazine. Quality produced those results - not gadjillion dollars in advertising hype. That hasn't changed in the past 30 years & I believe it's less likely to now that the Internet exists to enable users to dispense their opinions & observations so quickly & so widely.
Rainn Wilson would have been a better choice. They are targeting the wrong generation with Seinfeld. College aged consumers and young professionals are driving sales of computers. Microsoft needs to move from a "breakthrough" multi year strategy, where products (such as the OS) are updated every 5-8 years...into a short improvement type of strategy, like apple, where products are updated every 6-8 months or so. Its the only way they can compete in a fast paced industry.
An Ad with Good old comfortable Jerry Seinfeld will remind people about Good old comfortable Windows
But Apple has something that Microsoft cant beat .. Momentum ! They are doing very well and will continue to gain market share. .. They'll lose in the end .. But will do very well. . Apple will die without Steve
Unfortunately not. Microsoft marketing department doesn't seem to be able to infiltrate the entire organisation (as apple's has been able to) and they are left behind while customers and other businesses move forward, leaving them into obsolescence.
Interestingly enough, though a massive technology / software firm, Microsoft has always been "slow" to innovate. Instead they seem to watch, wait, then destroy the competition with a better product. Re-branding themselves won't change this, and mostly Microsoft needs to be a pioneer in new technologies that people actually want and can access (think Surface, interesting but more industry related vs retail).
39 Total
August 21, 2008 at 3:51pm by Brendan Collins
No. This is like Burger King hiring the sound-effects guy from the "Police Academy" movies to sell more Whoppers. Even Seinfeld can't single-handedly rescue Microsoft. As priceless as his sitcom is, his brand of comedy does NOT age well. You don't see comedians today asking snarkily, "WHAT is the DEAL with Twitter? How does it tweet? And what does a tweet sound like?" Seinfeld's last commercial venture, the phenomenally annoying "Bee Movie," buzzed its way to box-office bomb territory, making the man surprisingly unreliable for good returns.
August 21, 2008 at 4:29pm by David Mullings
No. The spokesperson can't cover up shoddy products.
Better to spend that $300m fixing what is wrong with the products. They could start by listening to their customers for a change.
August 21, 2008 at 5:38pm by Yvette Webster
I doubt it. Seinfeld was over ten + years ago. So they're missing their main target market (well, one of them) - college kids.
August 21, 2008 at 5:42pm by Vance Dubberly
About as well as Project Mojave. What microsoft needs isn't another advertising campaign. What it needs is a sense of unification, a central core from which all wells spring. Everything about Microsoft is a fragmented mess, their ideas, their os (all 5 of it), their advertising campaigns, everything. Actually what Microsoft needs is to fire Steve Balmer, gut their entire board of directors senior management, and start over. Short of that, they're just another GM, raping their customers to stay afloat.
August 21, 2008 at 6:12pm by Eric Cunningham
Apple gets the kid from "Accepted" to be their spokesman and Microsoft shells out $300 million for what will surely be a Zune-esque hyped-up failure.
August 21, 2008 at 6:14pm by Ray Hrynkow
I'm sure everyone is very excited to see what Crispin Porter+ Bogusky comes up with. Given the problems Microsoft has had over the last few years Seinfeld may be just the right person to turn things around and inspire a sense of fun, but at the end of the day, your product must work. Advertising cannot fix a poor product. This is a design problem if ever there was one. I would have considered hiring Philippe Starck or Ideo.
August 21, 2008 at 7:15pm by Gary Mason
Living in the Seattle area, I have known my share of Microsoft employees. One thing is clear, there is a big disconnect between the people RUNNING Microsoft and the people that MAKE Microsoft.
Everything they do is fragmented. Their OS, their products, their advertising, their management. What Microsoft needs to do is get rid of Steve Balmer and get someone that has his/her eye on how to connect with their customers, rather than a guy that still believes that he can control them.
The 90's are over Steve!
August 21, 2008 at 8:49pm by Shashank Tripathi
No. Even a comedian can't save this tragedy.
August 22, 2008 at 5:35am by Amod Munga
Only if they can prove Jerry actually uses MS Products daily without any real problems. Celebrity endorsements are dead.
August 22, 2008 at 10:09am by Douglas Paul
I think this is a great move by a company that needs some cool point but can't afford to alienate their present fan/customer base in the process. Remember that the perception of cool is about overdoing it and going over the top for it. When you do that you come off as fake. Seinfeld's delivery will be conversational and easy that it will flow and before we know it people are thinking about MS products in a new light.
Look we are talking about the mind that gave us "yada yada yada," "close talker," "master of your domain,"anti dentite" and more as new additions to the pop culture langauge. Cut him loose on MS products and i think we will see some really creative stuff. And that's what MS is missing, some creativity and zaniness that will add some glint to their image.
In the end, I think this is a great pick up and I expect good things all around.
August 22, 2008 at 10:11am by John Agno
Smart move...both for Microsoft to show it's cool, too and for Jerry Seinfeld to add $10 million to his kids' college fund.
August 22, 2008 at 10:50am by Michael Garcia Novak
I Think Microsoft has got to do a lot more than marketing to guarantee it's relevance in the future. It has to rethink it's business model, and understand it more as an ever evolving and ever becoming thing that adapts to the times, than a fixed model that is quickly becoming outdated. So I would first redefine my business then I would put on a show! Borrowing equity from celebrities works only as a temporary thing, then people realize the truth. They will not get their money's worth.
August 22, 2008 at 11:09am by Michael McGrath-Sing
Bringing on big names to endorse your product is a fossil ad tactic. Especially when its done to mask product flaws. I like Ray Hrynkow's suggestion to hire Ideo. Acquiring Ubuntu wouldn't be a bad idea either. MS should really manage their dollars more wisely and embrace the fact that people are informed and connected nowadays.
August 22, 2008 at 11:27am by Kevin Ohannessian
It will make headlines, but I don't believe it will change the image of Microsoft.
August 22, 2008 at 12:27pm by Gene Lu
Do we take comedians seriously?
August 22, 2008 at 3:59pm by Ben Murphy
C'mon. Isn't this whole thing like the uncool kid in school trying to show that he really is cool... which actually just makes him more uncool?
Microsoft is not cool. It's utilitarian.
August 22, 2008 at 4:54pm by Zia Khan
nada chance
August 22, 2008 at 6:02pm by Rick Gelinas
I have this sneaky suspicion that Apple execs have secretly infiltrated top management at Microsoft and are steering MS right over the falls. How else could you explain their blundering performance? They've proven that they can't build good products (i.e. Windows Me, Windows Vista, Office 2007). They proven that they don't understand their customers. And now their proving that they don't understand marketing either.
I was a loyal Microsoft customer, from Windows 3.0 till Vista. I've spent thousands of dollars buying their wares. And I'm happy to say that my current 7 computers are no longer Windows systems. Macs are performing so much better for my business and personal needs. I run a small internet supply company and our business runs smoother than ever on Macs. No more frustration! :-) Microsoft can market all they want. It's simply a weak attempt to save face. And it doesn't change the fact that they've regrettably lost their way.
August 22, 2008 at 9:03pm by Anderson MarkZ
Of course not. Nowadays advertising is not relevant for intelligent consumers.
August 22, 2008 at 9:15pm by Bradley Szollose
Microsoft needs to find someone who is famous NOW...preferably someone their target audience relates too. And that is NOT Jerry Seinfeld.
This is going to be as big a disconnect as XEROX using images of Charlie Chaplin. Iconic, but it couldn't cover the stench of a bad business decision or in Microsoft's case, an annoying operating system.
Using Seinfeld is a risky gamble considering his show has been off the air for years, (although in reruns). Boomers love Seinfeld... but that ignores another 90 million Gen X and Y users familiar with Microsofts operating system and XBOX.
You might as well use Alf while you are trying to make a comeback.
Here's a better idea: How about making a better product and let it sell itself?
August 22, 2008 at 9:53pm by Ellis McCasland
It will help but it's the product that counts in the end.
August 23, 2008 at 3:05am by Jon Osterholm
I think if Jerry Seinfeld can buy Apple, ruin Google, and humble MySpace, they're on to something. Otherwise, they should instead hire someone WHO DID NOT HAVE A MAC IN THE BACKGROUND OF EVERY SCENE OF HIS TV SHOW FOR TEN YEARS! HELLO?!
Have a look at Jerry's apartment in most every episode of 'Seinfeld'. There sits a Mac, whether a Classic, a 20th Anniversary, or a later desktop model, and even a PowerBook Duo (that laptop dock thing) at one period, if I recall.
So, chalk up another one in the lose column for Microsoft. Jerry is looking a bit like a bit of - dare I? - an advertising whore with this deal. Apple throughout his program's run, now Microsoft in some other sense of unreality.
So this makes Jerry out to be a has-been, too, in one interpretation. In that interpretation, they are made for each other. But will they be able to sell the world on MS items? Game consoles and MS Office, sure. Vista? Oh, whatever.
I guess the world loves empty publicity whores, so this might just work after all. And remember, those wacky duded at CP + B ad agency might have some really good stuff to arm Seinfeld with. Or, not.
August 23, 2008 at 10:03am by Gena Jackson
I beg to differ. Jerry Seinfeld will do wonders for this marketing campaign, and his fans will purchase the product in mass quantities.
August 23, 2008 at 10:03am by Gena Jackson
I beg to differ. Jerry Seinfeld will do wonders for this marketing campaign, and his fans will purchase the product in mass quantities.
August 23, 2008 at 10:33am by john weller
Well Its amusing to see the tone of all the non MS supporters in their responses here.
I would not be so quick to say MS is done. MS is still the dominate force in business computing and though others have done well in computing candy ( Ipod ect ) when it comes to serious computing and using a platform to build on Microsoft has no competitors. I think Jerry is cool enough and beloved by the age group that is hiring and buying for business today. Apple is cool but with out Office for Mac its just cool.
Jerry will not hurt and considering where Microsoft is entrenched he may be great.
August 24, 2008 at 8:02am by Shashank Tripathi
Gena Jackson. You seem to conclude that everyone who liked Seinfeld the show will also like a dinky product simply because Seinfeld endorses it. Fortunately, the world doesn't think like you. Comedians cannot save tragedies as colossal as Microsoft is in 2008.
August 24, 2008 at 9:42am by Joe Raimondo
Microsoft's advertising has about as much impact, at this point, as the advertising done by the local power company (It's nice to deliver that warn-and-fuzzy messages about how diligent their repair crews are in responding to storm damage isn't it?) But does that lead you using more electricity? I think not. Mostly they do this image advertising to soften the blow of writing $200 a month checks for service we give little thought to.
So Microsoft has become the power company. They don't need to seel their brand or products to consumers -- most of their revenue is from OEMS -- the Dells, HPs, and Lenovos of the world -- who install MS software on their systems and pass along the costs to consumers. At best Microsoft is countering the PC-guy/Mac-guy model by providing some cover for their primary customers. Because in any consumer market in which they complete (e.g., input devices, game systems) they're in a super-competitive market where price equals marginal cost. No, they are doing the same kind of advertising that monopolists do. Somewhat to assuage the stockholders (Granny holds Microsoft, so she's happy to see they're getting their name out there) and somewhat to assuage the OEM customer base which has had no benefit from the association with Microsoft for a long time.
August 24, 2008 at 12:40pm by Gregg Lebovitz
no, but it sure will start alienating Jerry's fan base.
August 24, 2008 at 3:48pm by Jimbolaya Delmen
Jerry Seinfeld? Why not Andy Griffith, Aunt Bea or Gomez Adams?
August 24, 2008 at 3:54pm by Jimbolaya Delmen
I believe hiring Newman and Kramer as Microsoft's competitors and George and Elaine as whining and lamenting customers who purchased cheap or free operating systems because they were quick, accessible for easy gratification would work better. Seinfeld's magic was the ensemble, not Jerry by himself.
August 24, 2008 at 4:57pm by Rich Pasenow
I will only be impressed when I see this commercial:
(Wide shot of Jerry Seinfeld onstage at comedy club)
Jerry: Ya know what I can't stand? No, not airline food, because they don't serve food on airlines now. Not that they ever did.
(Audience laughter)
No, I can't stand people who think Vista is a awful program.
(Audience boos)
Whoa...don't shoot me, (looks directly at camera)I'm only the highly paid pitchman. No, really, I mean what's the deal? For instance, there's like, 10 different versions of Vista. Home, Home Premium, Business, Home Business Premium, Premium Ultimate Business Smackdown. Choice is good, right? So, lets say you want to do something that should be simple, like, connect to your office via VPN. All you have to do is check Microsoft's handy (uncovers a wheel behind him) dandy Vista's Wheel of Versions!!!
Spin the wheel and see where it lands!!!
Look, you landed on Ultimate Business Premium Edition!!! Now, for a mere $300 bucks you can upgrade from the Home version that shipped with your computer that does nothing useful except connect to your Facebook page to the Ultimate Business Premium Business version that allows you to actually get some work done. Heck, I spend $300 bucks a day just to dry clean my jeans. So I don't want to hear any more yada yada yada from naysayers. I don't say nay, I say yay!!
(audience starts throwing empty Vista boxes at him)
Jerry: What, you don't like choice. What are you...a bunch of Commies???
Announcer: Microsoft Vista--Buy it or you're a Commie.
August 24, 2008 at 5:21pm by Carel Two-Eagle
David Mullings hit the nail squarely on the thumb with his comment. Quality speaks for itself & advertising can't overcome that. Looong ago, I was married to a man who is an electronics genius. We developed an electronic Timer for the horse industry. We ran a 1-column-inch ad with a tiny (clear) photo & the copy, "Think of a Timer that does everything you want, & nothing you don't. The EVENTimer." We designed the Timer by going to my customers & asking them what they liked & didn't like about timing equipment available then, AND what they would like to see if they could have anything they wanted. I wrote the ad - it AND the quality of our Timer - put every other electronic Timer manufacturer in North America out of business for 26 months - and we only ran the ad for 13 months & in one magazine. Quality produced those results - not gadjillion dollars in advertising hype. That hasn't changed in the past 30 years & I believe it's less likely to now that the Internet exists to enable users to dispense their opinions & observations so quickly & so widely.
August 24, 2008 at 9:55pm by Clinton Stephens
Rainn Wilson would have been a better choice. They are targeting the wrong generation with Seinfeld. College aged consumers and young professionals are driving sales of computers. Microsoft needs to move from a "breakthrough" multi year strategy, where products (such as the OS) are updated every 5-8 years...into a short improvement type of strategy, like apple, where products are updated every 6-8 months or so. Its the only way they can compete in a fast paced industry.
August 25, 2008 at 8:28am by mithun mahesh
hai iam mahesh i want start bpo
August 26, 2008 at 11:32am by Tom Foster
For more insight, check out the fascinating June Fast Company cover story about Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the ad agency behind this deal... here
August 29, 2008 at 2:23pm by Paul McGowan
Just who is this character at the end of this brilliant little clip?
August 31, 2008 at 3:01pm by Diggiti Diggiti
An Ad with Good old comfortable Jerry Seinfeld will remind people about Good old comfortable Windows
But Apple has something that Microsoft cant beat .. Momentum ! They are doing very well and will continue to gain market share. .. They'll lose in the end .. But will do very well. . Apple will die without Steve
September 2, 2008 at 12:23am by Sebastian Graham
Unfortunately not. Microsoft marketing department doesn't seem to be able to infiltrate the entire organisation (as apple's has been able to) and they are left behind while customers and other businesses move forward, leaving them into obsolescence.
I think Seth Godin said it best about Microsoft's marketing team. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/01/wow.html
It's quite sad, Microsoft has the cash, people and power to change the world, but it seems as though they've lost the connect to be able to do it.
September 3, 2008 at 1:51pm by Salem Honey
Interestingly enough, though a massive technology / software firm, Microsoft has always been "slow" to innovate. Instead they seem to watch, wait, then destroy the competition with a better product. Re-branding themselves won't change this, and mostly Microsoft needs to be a pioneer in new technologies that people actually want and can access (think Surface, interesting but more industry related vs retail).