“Have you seen the new Apple ads? Excellent. I had had a conversation yesterday with someone who pointed out that Apple has really become a lifestyle company. The new ad campaign clearly captures this with the depiction of the “Mac” vs. “PC.” There’s no doubt that here that Apple’s looking to capitalize on things like the Vista delay and the reinforcing the overall negative perception of the PC,” Michael Gartenberg blogs for Jupiter Research.
“Will it work? I suspect it already is, although I don’t have the data to prove that hypothesis,” Gartenberg writes. “I’ve already seen anecdotally friends who are computer literate who would have NEVER bought a Macintosh already plunk down cash for a new iMac or Mini with the advent of Boot Camp and things like Parallels Virtualization. I suspect this new clever (but not arrogant) marketing campaign is going to do well for them going forward.”
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Related article:
Apple debuts ‘Get a Mac’ TV ads, new section of website replaces ‘Switch’ (link to watch ads online) – May 01, 2006
It’s definitely going to be far more effective than the notorious Switch campaign of 3-4 years ago. Times are a changin’…
I’m pleasantly surprised that the Get A Mac section and the commercials so directly attack the virus problem with Windows. Pretty bold – not because it’s not true, but because it implies Apple knows how secure their OS is. Rather than being silent about it, this says more about OS X’s security than it does the lack of security in Windows.
I like Gartenberg, but come onnnnnn . . .
“There’s no doubt that here that Apple’s looking … “
” … and the reinforcing the overall negative perception … “
“I’ve already seen anecdotally friends … “
Who the f*ck is teaching these people English nowadays?
Giggity giggity goo!
They sure beat the crap out of the Lemmings ad. Ironic with the Steve, Pixar, Apple Disney connection that a Disney documentary made up the myth about lemmings.
I want to know how big the campaign really is? I want to see them run ads everywhere and stop just short of getting overplayed. They’ve got the cash so they might as well use it.
Curious as to why they chose these 2 guys. Why not 2 women? Or a guy and a girl?
and more effective than nothing…
“Curious as to why they chose these 2 guys. Why not 2 women? Or a guy and a girl?”
Because The PC guy is Bill Gates and the Mac Guy is Steve Jobs
better than the switch campaign-
Because they look like Bill now thatr he’s older and Steve when he was younger.
It’s also a bit of political correctness. A guy and a girl would just be a sexist statement, and people would argue about that instead of what the commercial was saying. Also, it is safe to insult white men, they have no power as a group, anything else will get the lawyers called in.
better than switch campaign,
Because they wanted the PC person to look like Bill Gates. And *no one* wants to see Bill Gates interacting with a female.
“Curious as to why they chose these 2 guys. Why not 2 women? Or a guy and a girl?”
Wrong demographic
It’s very nice and rather refreshing to see Apple take this bold step. It created the validation that their followers were starving for. Everyone knew that Macs didn’t have viruses or were much less troublesome, but when the company comes out and says it, then these facts have substance. The Mac users can now go to their naysayers and be able to states these attributes as facts. It is, now, up to Microsoft to disprove these facts.
Microsoft’s only defense will be more of their generic diatribe, using nebulous fictional features not to be seen by the general public for at least another year. By that time, Apple would have seen a new school year blossom and another holiday season come and go with a new, always impressive, version of OS X. Microsoft will be left dying on the vine; holding up an ancient history of past glories and regurgitated old promises as their only replies
There is a tremendously huge user base of IT professionals, both of my brothers are such, that have no interest in learning something new, even if it is to merely take a cursory glance at a Mac. They feel that Macs would be about as troublesome as Windows so why bother. They live by the saying, “It is better to live with the Devil you know than the Devil you don’t know.”
The avalanche has barley begun. Only after businesses change over to Macs and it becomes noticeable industry wide, it becomes news, that IT department heads will actually consider Macs as the company’s primary platform. Until then, I know the change will happen, people will eventually release their addiction to MS Windows, and I merely buy more AAPL stock.
Replying to – “Curious as to why they chose these 2 guys. Why not 2 women? Or a guy and a girl?”
Isn’t that obvious?? Would you really want one sex to represent what’s better and one sex represent what’s worse?
But by the way… Do you people actually think those new mac commercials are NOT arrogant? Are you kidding me? Arrogant is exactly how I describe them. First of all, PC is represented by a fat looking office guy. When comparing the applications that come with the operating systems the mac proudly says it has stuff like itunes, imovie .. etc…. and like a little baby the PC says it also has cool apps like the calculator and a clock…. PLEASE don’t tell me you think Apple is being modest.
These ads are better than previous attempts. But, I do not like the “Next year’s OS today” statement. It makes it sound like Vista will be just as good when it is introduced.
“Curious as to why they chose these 2 guys. Why not 2 women? Or a guy and a girl?”
I was hoping for an aardvark and a nebulous alien from a distant galaxy. Or Ann Coulter and a talking can of Spam. Or Antoine Lavoisier and a really cute pig in a prom dress. So many untapped markets.
Steve, are you listening?
Well I know that Apple can do no wrong in the eyes of most people on this board, but the ads are frankly pretty lame. They are shallow in content, and represent comparative advertising at its most boring. And using “nerd versus grunge” characters in the ads don’t really make either side appealing. Not exactly what everyone predicted in recent weeks as the rumours flew thick and fast.
It’s good that they have finally decided to do more advertising, but Apple has done much better than this in the past. The ones for the old G4 Mac were far better than this set.
MAgic word cause, as in “the ads suck ’cause we know they can do better than this”.
“And *no one* wants to see Bill Gates interacting with a female.”
Especially Melinda.
Take a look at Apple’s new “Get a Mac” section of their website. They are aiming squarely at Mafiasoft with their hardcore rhetoric. It is very similar to their Boot Camp page. Go Apple! It’s about freakin’ time!
Quagmire,
Best post in a long time! Haven’t seen you here before. Welcome aboard. Make sure you bring enough Roofie-coladas for everyone!
They should make another one when Vista comes out where the PC is dressed exactly like the Mac, and saying how cool he is now that he looks just like the Mac.
Curious as to why they chose these 2 guys. Why not 2 women? Or a guy and a girl?
because
Most of the people online are guys who like Rock and Alternative. 1 out of 2 admit to surfing for porn.
So technically Apple should sell porn and watch their market share increase.
“Hi I’m a PC on porn”
“And I’m a Mac on porn”
“I’m trying too see the naked girls but something is happening to meeeeee…”*crash*
“I’m watching porn and something is happening to me weeeeeeee!!! Oh god, uhhhhh fdgfdtttttttttttttt *falls asleep*
Coming next: Bill and Steve in drag.
Cubert: re: Welcome to Quagmire
As long we never have to hear the details of the spider monkey reach around while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Wonder how many Windozers will choose the red pill and awaken from their pods?
>The avalanche has barley begun.>
These are not beer ads.
This should go down as one of the great duels of all time. Rooster Teath’s Red vs. Blue, Mad Magazine’s Black vs. White, and now, “Mac” vs. “PC.”
I wonder what Caboose would say.
Steves Job,
Sorry, but you don’t understand marketing if you think these ads suck. Apple needs to get to the average person and these ads to just that. My whole family watched a new ad (the virus one) on TV last night (and rewatched it twice on TiVo rewinds) because it was that good.
These ads connect with real people. Geeks get off on zooming and scooting windows on the screen (guilty as charged), but most people don’t.
These ads are great. Keep them coming Apple!
how about adding a switcher ad to the group? like the networking, the switcher is holding the apple guys hand and the pc guy is asking why did you switch? that would open a can of “worms”
and, have actual switchers in the commercial to make it more realistic to the average person
They should make another one when Vista comes out where the PC is dressed exactly like the Mac, and saying how cool he is now that he looks just like the Mac.
</pre>
GOOD ONE! 😀
“>The avalanche has barley begun.>
These are not beer ads.”
I can’t take that any lager either without aleing.
Pabst he better spell check first? Sure it won’t make Mike smarter Budweiser. Of Coors, I’m sure he’ll hops to it just not in public.
(a mug)
Okay, anyone else see the analogy of using Justin Long as the “mac guy?”
Justin has always played the nerdy good guy in the past but now he’s all grown up and is now the cool hip guy who has all the answers. You want to be him, not the other guy in the suit who’s always making excuses for his decisions.
I’d rather wear jeans and sneakers.
These ads are INCREDIBLY arrogant, in fact they’re snide and condescending. A lot of great information in them is going to be ignored because they insult PC users as nerds and, worse, make Mac users out to be snickering kids. If I had seen one of these ads before I switched, I would probably still be on a Windows PC.
MW: “hope”–I hope Apple can do better than this, but based on their track record, probably not.
and have the mac and vista guy doing exactly the same thing, except the vista guy is abou a half second behind the mac guy to show MS ‘copying’
I think that Apple really does have to make an ad for the “soccer moms” with a couple of women, maybe to emphasize things you can do on the Mac that you can’t on the PC, like parental controls (PC woman keeps her kid on a leash because they can’t set Parental Controls on IE, while Mac woman lets her kid run around and play), iWeb, etc.
And for those of you who say, “Wrong demographic”, women share in the household spending decisions, and it’s time society wakes up and realizes that computers aren’t just for folks with a penis…
Ad Idea:
Or a Bill Gates lookalike nervously working on a MacBook Pro at the bottom of a dark closet with the sound of Ballmer cursing and breaking furniture outside.
These adverts are brilliant and most of all they are laugh out loud funny.
The look on PC’s face when meeting “that new digital camera from Japan” reminds me of a 50 year old virgin in a strip club. Classic.
The Mac guy looks like the usual prototype – a loser with no future, playing with his beloved toys. Buggy, unsupported iLife is a joke.
i thought having a penis was a prerequisite to typing on a keyboard……..
Jake, you tool: They’re FACTUAL. Look it up, dimwit.
Besides, the guy on the left is a PC, and the guy on the right is a Mac. They’re not people, they’re machines.
One that’s outstanding. And one that sucks.
If the truth hurts, maybe that’s what PC users need to hear.
Now stop whining. I don’t want to have to call the WHAMMMMMMMMbulance for you.
“. . . a prerequisite to typing on a keyboard”
Only if you find the need to type with one hand.
Bad time to defend Windows.
This Bill & Stevie ad show is hilarious.
And kudos to the man above who suggested dressing Bill as Steve when Vista ships.. lol!
“. . . a prerequisite to typing on a keyboard”
Only if you find the need to type with one hand.
——————-
I just turn on speech recognition when I visit sites that require “hands-free” operation!
‘Typical’ Oops looks like we have already found one who is insulted. Interesting mind that he behaves just like the pc guy in the ad or is it Steve Ballmer I just can’t decide. Either way talks crap.
Also, it is safe to insult white men, they have no power as a group
I agree it’s safe to insult white men, but I think it’s more because they’re in a widely acknowledged and deeply understood position of power, rather than because they’re powerless as you claim.
These ads are better than previous attempts. But, I do not like the “Next year’s OS today” statement. It makes it sound like Vista will be just as good when it is introduced.
Agreed. That statement also makes it sound like Vista will be released sometime in the next 12 months. I hope we all know that’s not true.
Jooop: (re: Vista release)
If ever!
“These ads are INCREDIBLY arrogant, in fact they’re snide and condescending. A lot of great information in them is going to be ignored because they insult PC users as nerds and, worse, make Mac users out to be snickering kids. If I had seen one of these ads before I switched, I would probably still be on a Windows PC.”
You would have a point except that PC users typically don’t entangle their ego/identity with their use of Windows. You attack Macs we take it really personally but the overwhelming majority of PC users couldn’t care less that you are attacking their PC because they didn’t consciously decide to use a PC – it was just what was available. More than likely they are fed up with the very issues the ads address – restarting, viruses, compatibility, etc. That’s what they will be paying attention to.
I have done the impossible. I personally coverted my brother and sister to Macs this year, a lot due to their (perceived) need for some support in Windows (and not using shitty Virtual PC).
Only one sister left. This is huge.
PC Guy: But you can´t play the newest computer games on a Mac.
Mac Guy: Can to, because I can install Windows on my Mac.
PC Guy: Bill Gates says “Thank You”.
How about Brooke Burke as the Mac and Rosie O’Donnell as the PC…
In reply to:
“….attack Macs we take it really personally but the overwhelming majority of PC users couldn’t care less that you are attacking their PC because they didn’t consciously decide to use a PC – it was just what was available. More than likely they are fed up with the very issues the ads address – restarting, viruses, compatibility, etc. That’s what they will be paying attention to.”
I would just like to say that I think what you are saying is beyond crap. First of all those commercials are really cheap and unoriginal. They’re simply glowing with arrogance. Sure, take itunes, imovie and compare them with the windows calculator and clock … It makes no sense. In fact it’s rediculous and it only annoys PC users. If Apple would simply do a commercial introducing mac’s possibilities instead of making a stupid “mac vs. pc” campaign once again, I think a lot more people would give it a chance. To top it all those commercial simply aren’t funny. They are maybe funny to apple geeks who think they are true (which they obviously aren’t). For example, what the hell is that about networking. Connectiong a camera to a PC is now a problem all of the sudden? It takes about 5 seconds. It’s just plug and play.
If Apple has to sink so low to do another VS campaign they should at least use real comparison.
“Sure, take itunes, imovie and compare them with the windows calculator and clock … It makes no sense.”
Sure it does. They’re talking about the fact that iLife is bundled with every new Mac. What comes bundled with every new PC? Not much beyond a calculator and a clock.
“Connectiong a camera to a PC is now a problem all of the sudden? It takes about 5 seconds. It’s just plug and play.”
Yeah? I just got off the phone with my wife who’s a teacher. She’s spent the last half hour trying to get a supposed “plug & play” printer to work on her PC. In theory it should be that easy, but with Windows, you never know.
Oh, and by the way, my wife never did get the printer to work on the PC.
Instead, she got another teacher’s iBook, plugged it in and printed immediately without even having to install a driver.
ndelc – FUD.
Windows XP is plug and play. What´s your wife using, Windows 95?
Would you buy an Apple computer if it didn´t have the $79 iLife included?
Bill,
No, not FUD. Real world experiences that many have had and continued to have on a daily basis using Windows.
“Would you buy an Apple computer if it didn´t have the $79 iLife included?”
Well, since I’ve been using Macs since 1984, I guess the answer is yes. Why do you ask?
I really wanted the new ad campaign to knock it out of the ballpark but these are not even halfway there. They’re basically “preaching to the choir” type of ads. Mac users will get the joke and laugh, but this whole “cool vs. nerd” scenario is not going to speak to most people that you are trying to convert. If it did, more of them would already be using Macs.
They need to stop comparing themselves to Windows and PC’s, and just speak for themselves. Show the viewers, on a real-world practical level what they are missing by not having a Mac. There is nothing in these ads for someone ignorant of the Mac experience to really hold onto. I don’t think most of the viewers that see this can relate any better to the shiftless grunge dude any better than they can to the suited-up business nerd.
SHOW THE FREAKIN’ OS FOR CRYIN’ OUT LOUD!!!
They need to:
1) Show the interface and a quick rundown of its niceties.
2) Show iChat AV in a 4-way video chat.
3) Show the various real-world things you can do with iLife
4) Have a quick montage of the many other major 3rd parts apps available for OS X
5) Show large high-def QT movie quality
6) Show *real people* doing *real things* with their Macs. Teen making movies, parents making photo books, multimedia pros using pro apps, small office people running their entire operation on Macs.
So on and so forth. You get the idea. And please, please, stop the “sparse white room” ad campaign look. That aesthetic is getting really old. Time to move on.
“Would you buy an Apple computer if it didn´t have the $79 iLife included?”
ndelc> “Well, since I’ve been using Macs since 1984, I guess the answer is yes. Why do you ask?”
——–
That´s my point – Apple trying to make it as a big ad selling deal that it has some software with it (iLife) and Windows doesn´t. Nobody buys a computer because of the extra non OS software that comes with it or doesn´t.
Commercial that didn’t make the cut:
Michael Jackson setting up a “network” with one of his young friends.
Why not “a guy and a girl?”
Because that would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
Enjoy!
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“. . . a prerequisite to typing on a keyboard”
“Only if you find the need to type with one hand.”
One hand? You use hands to type? I always wondered what “touch” typing was all about – I use the hunt-and-pecker method.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
“That´s my point – Apple trying to make it as a big ad selling deal that it has some software with it (iLife) and Windows doesn´t. Nobody buys a computer because of the extra non OS software that comes with it or doesn´t.”
Maybe, maybe not. You asked me if I would, but I’m not the typical consumer. I make my living on my Mac, and I’m on it 8-12 hours a day. The majority of the software I use didn’t ship with my Mac, but these spots aren’t targeting people like me. They’re targeting the Average Joe who uses his or her computer for e-mail, surfing the net, and organizing their digital life. For people like that, it’s quite possible that the Mac will ship with everything they need whereas if that same person buys a PC, they will still need to make a further investment on software that doesn’t compare to what ships with the Mac, and they’ll pay a lot more than $79 for it. Sounds like a selling point to me.
PC’s come with solitare. My iPod came with solitare… why not my mac? Chess is great… but I like solitare too.
Anyway, I like these ads. I think we’re all over-analyzing them though. They’re just funny commercials. Commercials aren’t necessarily intended to give you all of the information you need to know about whether or not a product is right for you, but if these ads succeed in getting people to chuckle about problems that they have had with their PCs, contrasted with Macs, then that, along with the fact that macs have been getting alot of media attention these days might make keep macintosh in the back of their minds.
If I see a funny lysol ad, I’m not going to rush out to the store and buy lysol, but if I happen to see it on the shelf at the grocery store, I might buy it because in the back of my mind I associate it with goodness.
There I go over-analyzing the ads too though. Just take them at face value… they’re good for a laugh.
Super Tim,
There’s no such thing as over-analyzing commercials (At least 90% of the time) because there’s nothing coincidental about them.
Anyway to sum it up.. Apple should NOT have:
1. Done a silly comparison campaign
2. Put a little arrogant song in it – I simply hate the song.
3. Gotten a hip kid to represent macs and a fat guy to represent PCs (because that really isn’t funny from a PC user’s point of view). All PC users want now is to show them what exactly you CAN do with a PC instead of thinking “Oh yeah, so true, I can do little more than calculate with my calculator and look at the clock”.
4. Used a white background … I mean… COME ON! No originality?
5. Gotten the kid to butcher the Japanese language ^___^
They should have done just one thing:
1. Done commercials that show the mac’s potential – not even mentioning a pc.
I mean it’s a given that PC users will defend what they’re using when Apple does such insulting commercials. There’s a lot to loose from it. Even if you say they’re targeting a certain group and so forth.. WHY NOT target ALL PC users?