• The Wall Street Journal, Thursday, August 21, 2008 11:15 AM

In a $300 million campaign that is said to be the largest in its history, comedian and proven pitchman Jerry Seinfeld will appear with Bill Gates in Microsoft ads with an immediate goal of reversing negative public perception of Windows Vista. He reportedly will receive about $10 million;. The ads will break Sept. 4.

Microsoft is weary of being cast as a stodgy oldster by Apple's advertising. The new ad effort is expected to use some variation of the slogan "Windows, Not Walls," according to sources. They say the point is to stress breaking down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting.

Seinfeld is just one piece of the makeover. The campaign will likely include videos of recent consumer focus groups that Microsoft held. In the studies, participants -- who said they had negative impressions of Vista -- were shown a version of Windows called "Mojave." After trying Mojave and liking it, the participants were told that the software was actually Windows Vista.

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