Seinfeld and Microsoft Co-Brand: Not That There is Anything Wrong with That

A couple of days ago I wrote about the challenges/opportunities of brands that are closely aligned with CEOs and other leaders. I cited Microsoft as an interesting case study of how their brand image could change due to Bill Gates moving onto his philanthropic work full-time. Now, I read that Jerry Seinfeld is going to be a spokesperson for Microsoft's upcoming advertising campaign. At a reported cost of $10 million to Seinfeld.

I have heard several opinions about the upcoming campaign, including many thinking Microsoft has taken some lumps from the "hip" Apple ads, and that Microsoft needs to be more hip too. Let's face it, Apple is probably always going to have a hip reputation, and Microsoft is not. I assume that is why Microsoft hired Seinfeld. He is great comedian, but probably not viewed as a hipster. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

But, does Microsoft need to pay out $10 million to hire someone to reinforce their image?