MSFT: All Up in Everybody's Business, for Almost No Reason at All.

Remember Clearification, that neurotic but sometimes-funny Vista effort featuring Demetri Martin? Microsoft revisits hipster animation and irreverent anecdota with a JWT ad dubbed "Because it's everybody's business."

According to GM-Advertising Gayle Troberman at Microsoft, the "I'm a PC" campaign was about "creating a 'vibe'" to "define our brand for consumers," whereas this spot is all about "showing business people the real value they can achieve with technology."

Yeah, good luck with that. Quiksilver President/CEO Bob McKnight justifies the ad's papier mache-style surfer imagery with use of his voice; and while nothing he says is truly memorable, I recall him comparing tsunamis to business. Then some rolled-up dollar wads with sheep heads traipsed across my screen.

Does your enterprise software help you navigate a tough economy? we're profoundly asked at end, making way for the mega-money-closer: people_ready enterprise solutions. Nice use of low-caps and underscore! Very tech, very now.

Just not very to-the-point. The piece has a coupla things in common with Crispin's Seinfeld/Bill Gates ads: muddy personality and no clear CTA. Are we supposed to be buying something? Like, a server, or Office ... or something?

Sad. Microsoft -- whose brand identity is becoming increasingly nebulous -- is fast becoming the Sears of software.