Jerry Seinfeld + Microsoft = Apple Killer?

Microsoft Corp. certainly isn’t amused by all of the Vista slamming Apple has up its sleeve, in response the Redmond giant is launching its own advertising campaign… With a $300 million dollar budget.

The star pitchmen of the new Windows Vista commercials? Who better then comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates himself. The newly hired ad agency has the details about the new commercials closely guarded however what we do know is the new advertisement efforts are expected to use some variation of the slogan “Windows, Not Walls,” — according to several people familiar with the matter. The same people say the point behind the new advertisements is to stress breaking down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting.

Seinfeld may not be the only celebrity involved in the new Windows Vista campaign, The Wall Street Journal stated that Seinfeld is simply “one of the key celebrity pitchmen” that will make an appearance alongside Bill Gates to discuss Vista’s merits. According to some sources, the company has also considered Will Ferrell and Chris Rock among a multitude of other personalities, although there’s no confirmation as to whether they had also been hired as part of the new campaign.

$300 million might be insignificant for a company like Microsoft, but it’s the company’s largest single investment into advertising to date. Now the big question for Microsoft is “Will $300 million be enough to save Vista’s dying reputation?”