Microsoft cancels Seinfeld ads

Microsoft is cancelling its much-hyped Jerry Seinfeld/Bill Gates advertising campaign.

The company said that it would be ending the campaign in favor of two new advertising strategies designed to tout the benefits of Windows Vista and strike back at Apple's "Get a Mac" advertising campaign.

The first campaign will be titled "life without walls" and will be designed to showcase Windows' reach across multiple devices. The advertisements will highlight the ability to move between handheld, desktop, notebook and entertainment devices seamlessly.

"At the core, Windows is about enabling each one of us, as individuals, to live our lives without walls," explained Bill Veghte, senior vice president of Mcirosoft's online services and Windows business group.

"I want to work when I want to work, I want to play when I want to play. I want to communicate and share with friends and family and co-workers."

The second advertising campaign will be a not so subtle jab at rival Apple and its popular "I'm a Mac" campaign in which actors Justin Long and John Hodgman portray the personifications of the Mac and PC computers.

The campaign will attempt to dispel Apple's portrayal of PC's as stuffy and out of touch by featuring celebrities such as Eva Longoria and Deepak Chopra declaring "I'm a PC."

According to Microsoft, the Seinfeld ads were only the first step in the campaign and intended as a "teaser" for the two latest efforts.

Announced last month, the Seinfeld ads were touted by Microsoft as "a new chapter" in the history of Windows. However, the ads were poorly received within the industry as many questioned the relevance of the TV spots, which harkened back to the theme of the Seinfeld "show about nothing" sitcom.