Microsoft decided it was time for some serious image revamp in order to neutralize Apple Inc.’s growing popularity, and hired non other than Jerry Seinfeld to act as a key figure in its $300 million advertising campaign, the Wall Street Journal reported.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Seinfeld will earn $10 million for starring in a series of ads that will also feature Microsoft’s central figure, Bill Gates. Some other names are expected to be added on the list, together with some freshly squeezed slogans.

Speculating who else is going to be in the campaign, or what the slogans will be, is pointless, since on September 4 Microsoft will show us what it can really do in terms of reaching out to consumers and biting some of Apple’s overconfidence.

What Microsoft needs to do now is overcome the negative effects that Apple’s “Mac vs. PC” ads have had over its most valuable asset, the Microsoft Windows operating system. Furthermore, Microsoft will also make an attempt at changing the perceptions people now have of Windows Vista, which isn’t exactly considered to be the best of its creations.

Behind all this marketing campaign is none other than Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer, who wrote in an email sent to the company’s employees in July: “Now it’s time to tell our story,” adding that “in the weeks ahead, we’ll launch a campaign to address any lingering doubts our customers may have about Windows Vista.” Furthermore, he added that this year, the company will come up with “a more comprehensive effort to redefine the meaning and value of Windows for our customers.”

Supporting Ballmer’s ideas will be Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the Miami-based ad shop that has given a helping hand to brands such as Burger King, WSJ reports. Crispin Porter + Bogusky is a member of MDC Partners and has gained notoriety thanks to a list of famous clients, such as BMW, Volkswagen, American Express, and now Microsoft.

Despite the fact that Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy stopped airing in 1998, the comedian seems to have captured the public’s attention for good. Although his appearances on screen have been very limited, Seinfeld continues to be among the celebrities that most appeal to the public.

It will be rather hard for Microsoft to make people forget about Apple commercials, so the objective they must focus on right now is to make people remember the Microsoft commercials, a field in which the Redmond-based company has been quite sloppy.

Of course, Bill Gates’ appearance in the advertising campaign is not a surprising one, since he’s been the man and the image behind Microsoft since…forever. His most recent appearance in a video, picturing him on his last day at the office before his retirement, was hilarious and appealing.

However, we still lack many details on the advertising campaign, the actors and the slogans, since both Microsoft and Jerry Seinfeld’s representative declined to make comments on the rumors.

Update: According to various reports several ads would be directed by Michel Gondry, the innovative director of films, music videos and numerous TV commercials. He is also known for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), The Science of Sleep (2006)or Be Kind Rewind (2008).