“In its ad blitz announcing the first ever Intel-based Macs, Apple skewers PCs — which happen to be Intel’s biggest customers,” Amanda Cantrell writes for CNNMoney. “While Apple is known for controversial ads, the newest spot puts Intel in a potentially uncomfortable spot. Clearly, Intel is happy that its newest customer — one that’s especially rich on cultural cachet at the moment — wants to celebrate the partnership, and gets some free advertising to boot. But the commercial also takes a swing at Intel-based PCs, which some analysts believe could alienate Intel’s other customers.”
“In the spot, an announcer intones that for years, Intel chips have been ‘trapped’ inside ‘dull little boxes, dutifully performing dull little tasks,’ and concludes with the announcement that Intel chips have finally been ‘set free, and get to live life inside a Mac,'” Cantrell writes. “But those ‘dull little boxes’ — PCs — are still Intel’s bread and butter. Intel’s number-one customer is Dell, which exclusively uses Intel chips and it does big business with other computer makers including Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Acer. As ‘The Critic,’ Jon Lovitz’s cranky and neurotic animated character, might have said – ‘How awkward!'”
“For its part, Dell shrugged off the ad,” Cantrell writes. “‘As far as their marketing goes, that’s marketing,’ said Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn. ‘We continue to have a very solid relationship with Intel and nothing has changed in that respect. We probably are their largest customer; we shipped 10 million systems in the fourth quarter. I don’t think any supplier is going to ignore a customer that is building that many systems and using that many of their parts in them.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The problem with Apple’s ad isn’t that it insults the likes of Dell, it’s that it insults the very people to whom Apple wants to sell Macs. Apple should show snippets of Mac OS X (a couple of seconds of Exposé here, a Dock ripple there, a Fast User Switching cube effect, a quick iWeb shot, etc.) to the world via their TV ads while they have a chance, before Microsoft covers the world with Windows Vista advertising. Instead, the only thing Apple does is tell people they made a stupid choice and show a blank Mac. Hopefully, the ad will drive people to their nearest Apple Retail Store, so that they can finally see Mac OS X, iLife ’06, etc.
Again, why iPods (and iTunes downloads) don’t come preloaded with THIS is beyond us. Such an omission is criminal. It’d be easily deleted, unobtrusive, and Windows-only users would be able to quickly see what they’re missing.
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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Corporate IT buyers fuming that Apple has Intel Core Duo Macs shipping while Dell and HP wait – January 12, 2006
Report: Intel didn’t know about Apple’s Intel ad calling PCs ‘dull’ until just before Jobs’ keynote – January 11, 2006
I agree with MDN – these mac ads are not so cool and realy dont point out the MAC OXS benifits.
AMEN MDN!
I think that this was part of the deal with Intel. Instead of putting the Intel stickers on the machines, Apple agreed to have their first wave of advertising to let everyone know that there is an intel inside.
Jason from Omaha,
the plural of ox is oxen not oxs.
The Apple marketing plan is one that taps into the cultural zeitgeist. It is long term, and doesn’t lend itself easily to the 30 second advertisement methodology that some days seems as though it will engulf us all.
Apple is doing something far more insidious (in a positive way if you’re pro-Apple): They are priming the pump on an entire generation. As they continue to open more Apple stores in more population centers, and as the iPod/iTunes juggernaut becomes unstoppable, everyone — from today’s tweens and teens to college students and young parents — will have almost nothing on their forward-looking radar for media and computer technology choices except Apple.
It really may not matter what Microsoft does for its advertising campaign for Vista — whenever it finally materializes. Too many people are simply not going to pay either the technology upgrade costs to run the system or the ongoing sanity tax necessary to deal with the viral infestations that will continue to plague Microsoft products.
And when you factor in the hip nature of Apple’s offerings and overall image as a positive cultural icon, unless they make a serious misstep in the next 24 months they will continue to gain both market and mindshare at an astounding pace.
In 2015, history may look back and record ‘Vista’ as Microsoft’s consumer OS swan song.
Completely dis-agree with MDN’s stance on Apple advertising..
I think the “process” approach advertising that MDN suggests is completely wrong for Apple.. The process approach is what companies like Dell and HP do. From iPods to past Mac commercials, the Apple approach to advertising has always been about selling a lifestyle.. Take for example Apple’s 1984 superbowl commercial, still recognized as the greatest commercial ever.. There was no “process” about the Mac shown, but it was an extremely effective commercial..
And BTW, the newest ad does not offend anyone, I showed it to my PC loving, Dell using brother-in-law.. he chuckled and said “good ad.”
I’ve never understood why Apple doesn’t advertise the benefits of using an Apple. Apple users know its better but the Windoze world hasn’t a clue.
http://www.g-zus.net/
Commodity makers use ‘How To” commercials and quite frankly, people don’t pay any attention to them..
I can’t tell you how many Dell and Microsoft commercials I have seen that show me how to do something, I forget it within 10 seconds.. The Apple ad, like it or not is memorable and arouses curiosity.. It does it’s job very effectively…
Agree with MDN — Apple’s new Intel ads are HORRIBLE! AWFUL! THE WORST EVER!
The problem with this stupid idea that you need to show OS X in action is that nobody wants to watch a commercial of a friggin operating system in action. How boring.
They don’t sell 50 gozillion iPods by showing you how easy the interface is. They show people having fun with them. It’s quite easy to show people jamming on their iPods, it’s entirely different to show them jamming with iPhoto. You sit people down in front of a TV and show fast user switching and Spotlight and Dashboard and Dock Animation and they’re going to wonder what the fuck is going on, not how they can get their hands on what they’re seeing.
I swear you people act like Apple must not have ever thought of this in the 5 years OS X has been out. Of course they have and I’d venture to guess they floated some of these spots in front of test audiences. But such things are boring, and a waste of advertising revenue.
Agree Cpt. Obvious,
Apple are marketing geniuses, they know what they are doing when it comes to presenting themselves to the masses..
Look at the state of Apple right now.. They are seen as the coolest tech company around.. And yes, they created this image for themselves by marketing correctly..
MDN’s take is definitely wrong.. I mean look at the way this site looks… it’s pretty bad, I wouldn’t exactly say MDN are masters of presentation..
…… on the other hand Mikie Dell said using AMD chips was possible!!!! Hmmmmm…….
C’mon and get a clue guys. These TV commercials aren’t designed to appeal to geeks that read tech message boards.
Has anyone ever taken the time to notice that the iPod TV ads never show the iPod’s OS in action? That hasn’t seemed to have hurt their sales though has it? Besides, there is nothing they can show in 30 seconds on TV that would do OS X justice anyway. What you guys seem to want is an infomercial, not a TV commercial. There is a big difference there.
It’s pointless to continue to bitch about something like a stupid TV ad. Commercials are nothing more than short attention span theatre anyway.
I would like to add I find it particularly ironic that MDN feels they can critique people on their advertising when I look at this site and it’s advertising execution.
Hey, that’s what I said Captain…
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I’d also like to add Mike beat me to it!
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I want a 60 second commercial with PowerPoint bullets showing all the things OS X does that Windows doesn’t.
That’d be the best commercial ever.
Frankly, i think Apple’s ads are a waste of money. But i’m not sure what they can do in 30 seconds, so who knows?
But i do think they ought to be pre-loading something informative about Mac OS X onto G5 iPods.
Ride the rainbow, Apple.
first time ever, lol.
So funny how MDN keeps instructing Apple in advertising and marketing. I do hope Apple will follow the MDN’s lead and implement as many popup ads on apple.com as possible ahahhahahahaha
Just like always – When Apple actually has an ad campaign for their computer lines, they tend to be empty-headed and adolescent. I don’t know why they don’t just come out with good solid ads educating the public about real alternatives to Windoze, and a good all around personal computing experience; but no, Apple comes out of the dark sticking its tongue out at the hardware competition, when what Apple really needs to beat is not the Dells from Hell, but Windoze.
Sadly proving, once again, that Apple has no clue how to position their computer products – I really just don’t get it.
Bad ad!
It’s like Apple’s being as bad as the people here who flame Windows writers!
I would love to see a split screen ad for the mac. One side would have someone sitting at an iMac and the other side someone sitting at a PC. Show each person doing the same task such as creating a movie or DVD. Now show the windows person fighting with their computer in various ways. Then, show the mac guy going WOW and smiling. At the end of the commercial show the PC with the Blue screen of death and the mac guy showing his movie/DVD to his loved ones. The mac guys getting smiles and hugs from his family. The final shot should be a clever tag line. It would really put the emphasis how much easier it is to do things on the mac. I think many people would identify with the windows side and really begin to wonder if things could be that great on the mac. If nothing else it would plant the seed of “maybe I should give the mac another look” in their minds. Just a thought
The MDN take is wrong. Expose/OS X is not the way. iLife is the way.
First, I like the Apple ad. A good number of PC users are already frustrated and upset with their PCs, mostly because of security but also a bunch of other things. Bitchin’ and moanin’ about using computers is what people are likely to do.
The Apple ad is just saying that they are okay to feel that way but that something better is finally here. The Apple ad validates their feelings and invites them over, for the frustrated are the most likely switchers anyway.
If I were to do an Apple ad, I’d do one with a dad/mom leaving on a business trip and leaving a precious spouse and 4-year old child. Then on the plane (or in the hotel), he/she would flip open the Book, and iChat/iSight back home to the iMac and the very happy-to-talk-to-him/her family.
Or I’d do the grandparents visiting the grandchildren and then tearfully leaving. Then show the parents/teen using iWeb on an iMac to easily set up the photo subscription. And then the grandparents automatically getting iPhoto updates on their iMac (or even on a Book).
I figured one of the main points of the “dull little boxes” ads was not just the swipe at pc’s but instead a visual association of Apple with High Tech and new frontiers/space exploration.
Yeah Dells advertising sucka anyw…oh wait a tic, Dell has the most successful advertising campaign in the computer industry? Oh shit.
People give credit where credit is due. If you compared the success of Dells computer adverts to Apple’s computer adverts, it’s really no competition – Dell TROUNCES Apple.
Now Apple changed its fundemental strategies with the iPod adverts, and guess what? It worked. They dropped their bullshit “holier than thou” attitude in favor of just having fun and promoting the lifestyle. Now if they would do the same damn thing with their computers they might actually get more people “switching”.
Or you could do hipper versions with teen-to-teen chat, or teen-to-teen photos. Or teen music making.
Of course, these would only appear on teen-watched shows or on teen channels, as they’d be upsetting to parents…
unless they added something about teens doing this and still no viruses!!
G Spank:
Dude, You’re gettin some Hell.
The dell ads look like grocery store ads. “Look what is on special this week.” Clip your coupons and save even more.
People do have this perception that Dell’s are so much cheaper even though if you look at everyone else they are pretty much so the same price.
Some rebuttals:
1. Most Dell sales are via contracts to businesses, who don’t care about TV ads.
2. The only successful Dell TV ads to consumers are the ones touting the really low prices. And that’s not Apple.
Do you have any evidence that Dell’s non-sale-price TV ads have any impact whatsoever on Dell sales? The Dell DJ/ditty ads did absolutely nothing.
I don’t have any problem with the way Apple is advertizing, either. I think the ad is funny. As many have said before in this thread, no one ever sees the iPod interface in the commercials. They just see how cool the product is, and how users are having tons of fun with them.
I take issue with the slant of the original article at CNNMoney (http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/03/technology/apple_intel/), however. So far as we know, Apple paid for their own ads without any input, supplemental funding, or right of approval from Intel. Why on earth would any other purchasers of Intel hardware hold Intel responsible for ads from a competitor? The whole line of reasoning is bullshit. Dell or HP or Gateway or Lenovo or anyone else competes with Apple as hardware manufacturers. What does Intel have to do with any of this?
Maybe Ford Motor Company should be pissed of at Clarion Stereos because Dodge Ram makes commercials making fun of Ford? You can make your own anaology, but the whole issue is bullshit. It’s a commercial to sell product.
Apple will not promote OSX until they have all their ducks in a row. TV commercials only allow a brief message to get across. This ad does it – MAC’s now use INTEL chips. In the Windows world this is a good thing and will create a good impression of the MAC and create some interest. A lot of my friends who use Windows (A few are die-hard users) and everyone likes the MAC commercial. No one I’ve spoken to are offended. They agree their computers do look dull and boring.
For the most part I agree with MDN – Apple’s ads have looked great but have been completely ineffective.
I don’t think the answer is to show 30 seconds of OS X, but rather a series of ads showing off iLife. There are many ways to show off what you can do with a Mac that would be very effective on TV.
Apple has focused on selling the Apple brand for most of their existence, but the problem is, that doesn’t work with every product. With iPods, it works. An iPod is a simple, relatively inexpensive product. Half the reason people buy one is that it’s cool to be seen with it. Computers are more complicated and more expensive. Along with the cost of the hardware, you have the cost of software, and if you already have an investment in software, switching can be a scary thing. On top of that, most people haven’t even become comfortable with Windows, they don’t want to have to learn something else. Therefore, people need a compelling reason to switch. Telling people that Macs now have Intel chips and that PCs are dull isn’t compelling. Most regular people didn’t know Macs weren’t using Intel to begin with, so the announcement means nothing to them. And why are PCs dull? Show them what makes a Mac so great. Apple’s computer ads have been abysmal over the last 10 years. They’ve put most of the focus on what the computer looks like, but no one buys a computer based on the looks. The real benefit of the Mac is, and has always been, the OS, now more than ever with OS X. That’s where their focus should be.
There are still a lot of misconceptions about the Mac out there. There are people who don’t know that the Mac can run Word, and even some who think that Macs can’t access the internet! These need to be addressed if they are to make any serious ground.
For those who think that they’re on the right path with selling the brand, let me point out that while they were heavily advertising Mac hardware (roughly 1998 to 2003) their marketshare consistently dropped. Their marketshare started to rise in a period where they weren’t running any Mac hardware spots. The rise is strictly due to the iPod halo effect.
I agree that the ads don’t “show” a Mac doing what a Mac can do…
funny that Chiat can churn out iPod stuff that shows what you do with an iPod but not with the Mac.
That said, the adds don’t kick Dull Computers so much as Microsoft… that Dell is feeling the heat is becuse they just make gray boxes and MS makes the OS but apple does both very well… the trick is to sell the OS and the packaging as a whole… a la iPod
Remember Apple did do some of this sort of thing with iMovie (remember the South Pacific wedding etc) but it seems Apple has forgotten to sell the activities and the look and feel… Heck AOL spends millions telling the world they can protect a dumb dumb OS from its own weaknesses, yet Apple can’t…. imagine an AOL ad that gets cut off… then a voice over “why pay AOL at all” take the risk out of computing by buying a Mac… no viruses just the best software written for any computer… then show a kick butt feature
None of you have any idea what you are talking about.
Goddamnit go take a seltzer MDN. Apple has been doing its bashing like this for years … its Apple.
Grow the fsck up.
A Man wrote:
“I think that this was part of the deal with Intel. Instead of putting the Intel stickers on the machines, Apple agreed to have their first wave of advertising to let everyone know that there is an intel inside.”
It’s an Intel ad, folks, not an Apple ad. And obviously Intel signed off on the content. I think it’s more of an apology and explanation why Intel hasn’t yet released a 64 bit consumer level CPU, and other innovations that IBM has released. They’re saying right out loud that they’ve been tied to a boat anchor all these years, but now they have a reason for innovation.
I disagree with MDN’s take. Showing 1/2 second clips of eye candy will not get people excited. They won’t have any idea what they are looking at, and they will just assume it’s being prettied up with special effects to make it look so snazzy. Linux has those kinds of special effects, and Windows Vista will have them too. Those kinds of special effects are not what truly makes a Mac a Mac. They are part of the equation, but Apple has to be careful not to give people the impression that that’s all the Mac is about.
Right now is not the time to put out a huge ad blitz touting the benefits of Mac OS X. The next 9 months are going to be a little bumpy as Apple transitions to Intel, and Apple has to set the expectations. The current ad accomplishes 2 things:
1. Apple is not using Intel processors. It’s piggy backing off of the popularity of Intel in the Windows world to attract interest.
2. Apple Macintosh computers are exciting, and you can accomplish exciting things with them.
Apple cannot sell the benefits of Mac OS X in 15 and 30 second spots. Apple’s strategy has been to keep interest in the Apple and Macintosh brands up with ads and publicity (mostly publicity) and put their advertising money into their retail store effort in major locations where there is the highest traffic. People see the ads or hear abour Macs through word of mouth and media publicity (positive articles and reviews) and then they see the Apple store and they go in out of curiosity. Then they get hit by the best damn retail experience, where knowledgable staff enthusiastically answer any question you have without being pushy, you can play with absolutely everything they sell for as long as you want. If you give people too much info in the TV ad, they might make a conclusion prematurely based on what they perceive the differences are from what is presented in the ad, and they may decide they don’t need to go to an Apple store because they know everything they need to make a decision already.
Apple doesn’t want to advertise Mac OS X, because that would make it a Windows vs. Mac OS X sell. They want people to think of it as a PC vs. Macintosh sell, because they have more advantages. It’s the combination of great hardware and software that is the advantage. That combination is not called Mac + Mac OS X, it’s just called Macintosh and it’s worth more than the sum of it’s parts.
As for the new ads offending people, I think most consumers can see past that and won’t take offense at all. Car companies do it all the time in their advertising. Telling you their car is the only one that can bring you driving nirvana, or is built for drivers. OMG! I don’t have a Pontiac, so that means my car wasn’t built for drivers? Man, how dare they offend my choice in cars!
Gimme a break. Why don’t you sue Apple for offending you. Everyone else is. Then we can all shake our heads and think you’re an idiot.
I completely disagree. It doesnt insult the people using the system, it insults the capabilites and ease of use of such systems. You guys are making WAY more out of this than needs to be made, which is nothing.
The bottom line of the ad is, that with a Mac you can do a whole lot more. I’ve got the experience to know, I’ve seen it and heard it from literally hundreds of people, when they get a Mac, they find they are able to do things they never thought they’d be able to do.
It doesn’t insult people, it says, hey come over here and do a lot more.
I can understand apple not going all out on the advertising – they have enough troubles meeting demand as it is sometimes. Growth is good – at a rate you can sustain, no point spending money on advertising you can’t capitalise on. However if they are gonna do adverts like this they can at least highlight the fact that what people currently buy is crap but that they have the choice of a mac. If they still buy windows then they are stupid.
Here’s two almost ads for OS X, but I would suggest getting a different person to do the voiceover….
http://smartdelivery.watchmactv.com/mactv/mp4/102-TheRealVista1_Fixed.mov
http://smartdelivery.watchmactv.com/mactv/mp4/103-TheRealVista2.mov
These are good videos to show to anyone who uses a PC and has seen your Mac.
To ndelc you should inform those people who don’t know that the mac can access that the World Wide Web was developed by Tim Berners-Lee on a NeXTSTEP computer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee
Then inform them that On February 4, 1997 Apple Computer acquired NeXT. NeXT (which is in based off of BSD Unix) is that basis for OSX. So, Macs are a little more apt to do things on the web than windows will ever be.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTSTEP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS/OS_X
You can also inform them that programs such as word (1985, windows 1989) and excel (1985, Windows 1987)were available on the Mac long before they were ever available for windows.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Excel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_word
Just for fun. The blue screen of death actually has it’s own entry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_screen_of_death
Anyway, just some information you can pass along to people who doubt the mac’s technological advantages.
As usual the MDN take shows why they aren’t making millions in advertising. Screenshots of OSX in action do not make interesting adverts. Mac aims for “cool”, going on about OSX’s interface will just be seen as geeky, which is the opposite of cool.
war, don’t think that I don’t! When I come across someone with these misconceptions I always set them straight, but that’s not good enough. Most of us will never come into contact with most of them. That’s why Apple needs to advertise.
Well said Andy!
I think it’s funny that so many regular Joe’s think they know how to market better than Apple.. And all I’ve heard is infomercial type ideas…
The “process” approach commercial does not work unless you are a commodity seller, and Apple is NOT a commodity seller.. They are a premium technology/computer company and they need to present themselves as such..
You can not sell functionality of a computer in a 30 second clip, but you can evoke a feeling and a way of life.. That’s what Apple does and they do it extremely well…
Apple’s website and retail stores are where people learn about the processes…
Anyone remember the original colored iMac commercials?
You know, the colored iMacs moving around in circles with a white backdrop..
That iMac campaign was extremely successful for Apple and was the start of the company turnaround…
ANYONE KNOWS what Steve Jobs email is?
stevejobs@apple.com
Damn these ‘slow news days’®
“Again, why iPods (and iTunes downloads) don’t come preloaded with THIS is beyond us. Such an omission is criminal. It’d be easily deleted, unobtrusive, and Windows-only users would be able to quickly see what they’re missing.”
Sorry to disagree with the MDN take, but this would be crass, and not very effective.
I think people would be annoyed and confused by a Mac promo on their new iPods. It’s all about the experience, and this would detract from it by intruding on the recent-purchaser’s warm fuzzies after dropping a few hundred $$$.
I suppose they could include a booklet or CD or something in the box (a demo live DVD that would let them try out Tiger on their Dell without installing? crazy idea).
A common theme in the MDN take is Apple’s lack of advertising of OS X.
While I agree in spirit, I have a hard time imagining anything along those lines that would fit in with Apple’s advertising/branding approach.
Apple advertises and promotes PRODUCTS that you would actually buy, and when they’re not selling a product they are simply reinforcing the coolness of their BRAND, in a more abstract way (Think Different).
No one buys OS X. Well, sure, WE do when we upgrade, but that’s not the switcher MDN hopes to get from all this OS X advertising.
I think this is just one of those areas I must admit Steve is much smarter than me.
But on the subject of the Intel chip ad, I do find it offensive. To Intel that is. And Intel’s partners. And I suspect that’s the idea.
This may be bordering on paranoid, but this seems like the proverbial “Bad Steve” to me. He deliberately kisses up and simultaneously stabs the backs of his partners. Like with the iPhone/nano roll-out, basically screwing Motorola. It’s weird. Yet it kind of works. I guess if Intel and it’s huge reserves loses a few key Wintel customers, then that puts Intel at a disadvantage in negotiations with Apple. Instant kharma might get you.
Maybe Steve just has no illusions of how cut-throat business really is.
Or he’s an asshole.
Back to the actual article. It’s old news, and it’s silly. These are big companies, and they have thick skins. They could care less if Apple takes a tongue-in-cheek poke at them. That’s marketing, just like the Dell guy said. I can’t believe anyone would take Amanda’s article seriously.
One thing for sure..
MDN is way off with their ideas on this one!
…that Jack Bauer!!!
The problem with Apple’s ad isn’t that it insults the likes of Dell, it’s that it insults the very people to whom Apple wants to sell Macs. Apple should show snippets of Mac OS X (a couple of seconds of Exposé here, a Dock ripple there, a Fast User Switching cube effect, a quick iWeb shot, etc.) to the world via their TV ads while they have a chance, before Microsoft covers the world with Windows Vista advertising.
—-
No it doesnt. They’re insulting the corporate market, which Apple hasn’t been trying to crack on the client side for like 20 years.
Flame on.
Hey Mike, I”M Mike!
Speaking of ads, have you seen this one?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6553260189868317794
The title is “Why Macs Suck” and is modeled at Apple’s failed switch campaign. Postively hilarious if you can take a little humor about Macs.
I think it’s a great commercial and it really helped out one of my favorite bands.. The Postal Service!
Mike, Captain, et al,
While I like Apple and their ads, that could be a “preaching to the choir” symptom.
To say Apple brilliantly markets themselves and “always” have is still hard to swallow. I mean they were down and out in most of the 90’s and still only have a 4% market share in computers today. When you consider that 95% of the people buy something else how successful is that really?
Of course with the iPod garnering 83%+ you would certainly say they marked that correctly. But that is a lifestyle item. Maybe computers aren’t. Not yet anyway, though they are for me.
Yeah, they were down and out in the 90’s… but remember, Steve Jobs wasn’t there and he had nothing to do with marketing in the 90’s…
As soon as he stepped in, they released the iMac and the colored floating iMac commercials, the company immediately began its turn around..
The guy knows a thing or two about marketing!
“When you consider that 95% of the people buy something else how successful is that really? “
This is a misnomer, really. Comparing Macs to Windows boxes is a non-comparison. Unlike that Mac, most uses for Windows are unremarkable at best. Windows boxes became ubiquitous in very much the same way that toilet paper or corrugated card board did, and it had nothing to do with marketing.
WTF “worst ad ever” im pretty sure ive seen worser ads, lets all whine because we’re a bunch of useless people who couldnt do any better, and then claim we’re maclovers…
here’s an idea, go make an ad yourself and get over it ^^
Jerry, you also have to remember that 4% marketshare is really not so bad..
It may sound bad, but when you break it down, the other 95% is not just one computer manufacturer.. Yeah, the others all use Windows (or linux) but that 95% represents a whole group of computer makers…Dell, Hp, Sony, Compaq, Gateway.. etc. etc..
When you break down the 95% by individual manufacturers and their individual marketshare, you’ll find that Apple is actually in the ballpark.. Dell currently has the largest marketshare at around 17%, but most other makers are in the single digits, just like Apple..
Considering that Apple’s marketshare has increased by one percent in the last year alone. 4% is pretty respectable…
Funny how an ad likes this gets so much attention in the media, positive or negative, it’s still publicity.
Imagine if Apple put out some short infomercial with OS X workflows and iLife demos, they could be forgotten the second American Idol is back on. But an ad like this, which may or bay not insult people, stirs up controversy and promotes publicity.
How long has this ad been out now? One month? People are still talking about it in the media. Can you say the same about the last Dell ad? Microsoft Ad?
Apple knows what it is doing, it did create the greatest commercial (1984) of all time, with the help of an ad agency, of course.
MW: art. “It’s a work of art.”
Imagine what would happen if Apple put out really great ads!
All I do right now is read emails and surf the web on my beige box.
Now Imagine what I could do with a “PC” from the iPod people!
Your imagination will beat out reality in both cases.
And any “Wow! Moments” along the way will just fuel your imagination.
For once I love MDN’s take.
Mike,
The floating iMac ad was not what saved the company. The iMac was a big part of the company’s resurgence, certainly, but remember that while they were running those floating iMac ads, and the iBook ads, and the PowerBook ads, and the G5 blowing the guy out of his house, and even the funny ad with the iMac and guy imitating each other, their market share was dropping. It’s been about three years since they’ve run a Mac hardware spot, and only now, because of the iPod halo effect is their market share starting to grow.
Speaking of market share, you mentioned that 4% isn’t bad considering they have so many competitors (like Dell, HP, etc.). I don’t think those companies are their true competitors. Apple’s true competition is Microsoft. When it really comes down to it, Apple’s hardware isn’t that much different than anybody else’s. Sure, it’s high quality, and looks great, but the same could be said of Sony. The operating system is what sets them apart, and that’s the front they need to compete on, especially now that they’re all using the same chip maker. So really, you’re looking at 4% vs. 95% for Microsoft. That’s not good.
So, if Apple’s competition is Microsoft, who is Sony’s/Dell’s/HP’s competition?
Apple sells computers. That is its main line of business. Its competitors are the other box sellers. To make M$ their competition means the other box makers have no competition, and must all be the same company. I can’t imagine the VP of box sales for Sony says “Hey, our X% of the market has no bearing on our ability to compete for sales because Microsoft isn’t our competition.” It kind of makes all the PC box makers one company.
Screw Apple! We, the Mac faithful, should all pitch in and make our own commercial showing off the merits of OS X. If Apple doesn’t want to take the lead, I say get the hell out of the way and let someone else who will.
Come on people now…. Think a little at least…
Does anyone think that Dell, Gateway, Lenovo or any of the thousands of white box builders of dull little gray boxes will get so freaking upset with Intel because Apple talks about dull little boxes that they are going to drop intel from their supplier lists?
Where would they go?
Freescale?
AMD? (can they make enuff chips to meet everyone elses demands? I think not)
IBM for PowerPC?
_________________
Oh and btw… putting a mess of Apple and Mac ads on every outgoing iPod (even easily if deleted) is just wrong….
I hate trailers and other ads on DVDs before the “Feature Presentation”
I hate trailers and other ads in the theatre before the “Feature Presentation”.
If I want to see a trailer, I will go to the QuickTime trailer site.
Ads for Macs on iPods….. not a good idea..
ndelc,
i didn’t say the floating iMac ad saved the company, I said it was the start of the company’s turnaround.. My point was that it was a succesful product with a succesful marketing strategy and it was not a “process” type commercial, it was a lifetstyle cool-factor type of commercial..
Regarding marketshare.. obviously, as Apple has proven, marketshare is not a true sign of a company’s health and/or profitability.. Take the iPod for example.. Thought it would be awesome if Apple can maintain it’s 80% marketshare in the digitial player market, I highly doubt that they will… As this market becomes even more mainstream, other manufactures will collectively eat into the iPods marketshare dominance.. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Apple will be selling less iPods, it just means that more companies are selling portable devices too.. Such was the case with the original iMac.. At the time it was Apple’s greatest selling computer since the original Macintosh. Even if their marketshare was decreasing, they were selling more computers than they had in the previous five years.. They just had more competitors.
And I think Justified’s comment sums up your statment regarding Apple’s competitors..
justified,
Dell, HP, & Sony compete against each other. They’re all Windows box makers. Sure they care about their marketshare versus one another, but hardware marketshare isn’t as relevant to Apple as OS marketshare is (although for Apple they are one and the same). Dell has the biggest chunk of the box maker pie, then HP (I think). So what? It’s all piddly compared to what Microsoft is bringing in.
It’s tough to compare Apple to any of these guys because they’re completely unique. Dell, Sony and HP are hardware companies. Microsoft is a software company. Apple is a computer company because they make the whole thing, but the OS is the important part. As I said before, the hardware isn’t really much different from what the others guys make. The OS is the most important element in the Mac experience. The OS makes the big difference when it comes to making a purchasing decision. If you have a Dell, the decision to switch to Sony or HP is no big deal because you’re still on Windows. All your software will still work and nothing changes about your computer experience. If you switch to a Mac, sure the keyboard is pretty much the same, and you know how to use a mouse, but the OS, the part of the computer which you interact with most, is completely different and none of the Windows software you purchased will work on it. That scares people. The OS is what makes people afraid to switch, but it’s also the reason the SHOULD switch. That’s why I consider MS Apple’s true competition. If they were just another Windows box maker, all they’d have to do is be cheapest, or highest quality, or most stylish to get people to buy. But because they have their own OS too, they need to explain WHY it’s better than Windows.
Ndelc,
I see what you are saying about Microsoft being Apple’s competior, but you they are different animals and you can’t really compare them..
Apple is primarily a hardware maker, Microsoft is primarily a software maker.. Now if Apple licensed OSX to other box makers or if Microsoft sold it’s own brand of PC they would be on a level playing field.. But neither is the case..
So the only way to fairly judge Apple’s marketshare is to compare them to other hardware manufacturers and when you do that you see that they aren’t the biggest, but they certanly aren’t the smallest either..
Mike,
While you’re right that part of the reason that Apple’s marketshare fell between 1998 and 2004 was that the market was growing faster than Apple, they had many quarters in that period where they were selling fewer computers than the previous year, all while they were advertising Mac hardware heavily. Their stead climb only started in 2004, at least a year and half after they stopped running Mac hardware spots on TV. I give Apple a lot of credit for marketing themselves well, but TV has never been a strength IMHO.
I firmly believe that exclusively selling the Apple brand is the wrong way to sell Macs. It works for iPods. It works for companies like Nike and Coca Cola, but it doesn’t work for computers. They’re too expensive and too complicated. I think they could come up with spots that not only sell the brand, but give explicit reasons why choosing the Mac OS leads to a better computing experience.
Mike,
Sorry, your last post wasn’t up when I replied to your other.
You said, “Apple is primarily a hardware maker…”
I disagree, and I think this is a very important part. As I said, the hardware is the least important part of the Mac experience. The OS is what makes a Mac a Mac, and it’s the thing that stops people from switching. If they address this, people will switch.
You said, “Apple is primarily a hardware maker…”
I disagree, and I think this is a very important part. As I said, the hardware is the least important part of the Mac experience.
What? Hmm. Compare $129.00 for OS X to $1299.00, $1999.00, or $3299.00 or more, and you’ll understand why Apple is primarily a hardware maker. THAT’S THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF THE COMPANY! All Apple software leads to Apple hardware sales.
You may have a point about the OS being the barrier to switching, but your statement that the hardware is the least important part of the Mac is WAY off base.
Ndelc,
Apple consider themselves to primarily be hardware maker.. The bottom line is that the bread and butter of their business is Macs and iPods, both are hardware products. Sure , they make the software that runs on both systems, but the profitability for them is not in selling copies of OSX and iLife, it is in the hardware.. That’s why to get a fair understanding of Apple’s marketsshare you have to compare them to other box makers like Dell, HP and the like.
If you want to skip the whole hardware argument and just talk software, then yes, you are right, Microsoft has a 95% marketshare while Apple has a mere 4% marketshare.. But unlike Microsoft, there’s much more to Apple’s business than just software. They have not survived for nearly 30 years by selling just software, they’ve survived by selling hardware..
Justified, your post came while I was typing… I basically said the same thing as you..
Justified and Mike,
I agree 100% with you that the bulk of their profit is in the hardware, but you’re completely missing my point. I’m saying that when it comes to advertising, they need to push the OS, not the hardware. The two are inseparable. If you want Mac hardware, you have to use the Mac OS (excluding Linux of course, but we’re talking about average users here), and if you want the Mac OS, you must buy the hardware, so it’s not an issue of having to decide which makes them more money. My point is that what sets them apart from all of their competition, whether it be on the hardware or software front, is the Mac OS. That’s the gem. That’s why a Mac is so great, but that’s the one part they completely ignore in all TV spots.
ndelc,
It seems that you’re playing too many sides of an argument. But, going back to Windows’ 95% to Mac’s 4%, and how marketing the greatness of OS X might eat into that 95%, it goes back to the statement I made earlier.
Comparing the Mac OS to Windows is a non-comparison. Unlike the Mac, most uses for Windows are unremarkable at best. Dumb terminals, corporate installations (for tedius work), ATMs, etc. — Windows became ubiquitous in very much the same way that toilet paper or corrugated card board did, and it had nothing to do with marketing the Windows OS.
Most people who use Windows at home do so because they use Windows at work and/or it’s the cheaper box to get on the internet. I don’t think showing Mac OS greatness is going to get to these people.
Those who have been using Windows boxes for their entertainment (photos, vids, music, etc.) have been on the switch for a few years now.
Since the return of Jobs and the launch of the original iMac, Apple has stopped competing against the M$ mediocrity and has reinvented itself as a premium brand. They’re marketing strategy is “lifestyle” and “cool” and “hip.” And it’s working.
I agree with you that the OS is what sets Mac apart, but I don’t belieive pointing out advantages or doing a “process’ or “how to’ type commercial is the effective way for Apple to advertise… I honestly really do like Apple’s advertising.. They advertise the way a premium product of any type should… By selling a feeling or a lifestyle.. It has worked for Apple in the past with all of their biggest products from the original Macintosh to the orignal iMac to the iPod.. They have always used this type of advertising.. And yes, it is effective. Apple just needs to do a whole series of commercials and run them consistently.. Not just a random spot here or there…
>MDN wrote: The problem with Apple’s ad isn’t that it insults the likes of Dell, it’s that it insults the very people to whom Apple wants to sell Macs.
Agreed. Furthermore, it shows that Apple has no problems telling lies in a very public way.
How many great things were made and run using Dell computers?
– movies
– scientific research
– business
– banks
– government
– schools
– music
etc….
It’s not always a good thing for a company to believe its own hype… Apple really buys into that BS – “Intel chips are finally free”?
They are neither free (unbounded) or free (zero dollars)!
>MDN wrote: The problem with Apple’s ad isn’t that it insults the likes of Dell, it’s that it insults the very people to whom Apple wants to sell Macs.
Agreed. Furthermore, it shows that Apple has no problems telling lies in a very public way.
How many great things were made and run using Dell computers?
– movies
– scientific research
– business
– banks
– government
– schools
– music
etc….
It’s not always a good thing for a company to believe its own hype… Apple really buys into that BS – “Intel chips are finally free”?
They are neither free (unbounded) or free (zero dollars)!
>MDN wrote: The problem with Apple’s ad isn’t that it insults the likes of Dell, it’s that it insults the very people to whom Apple wants to sell Macs.
Agreed. Furthermore, it shows that Apple has no problems telling lies in a very public way.
How many great things were made and run using Dell computers?
– movies
– scientific research
– business
– banks
– government
– schools
– music
etc….
It’s not always a good thing for a company to believe its own hype… Apple really buys into that BS – “Intel chips are finally free”?
They are neither free (unbounded) or free (zero dollars)!
>MDN wrote: The problem with Apple’s ad isn’t that it insults the likes of Dell, it’s that it insults the very people to whom Apple wants to sell Macs.
Agreed. Furthermore, it shows that Apple has no problems telling lies in a very public way.
How many great things were made and run using Dell computers?
– movies
– scientific research
– business
– banks
– government
– schools
– music
etc….
It’s not always a good thing for a company to believe its own hype… Apple really buys into that BS – “Intel chips are finally free”?
They are neither free (unbounded) or free (zero dollars)!
You’re wrong.. They are now free to run in the best computers with the best OS in the world.. Imagine the possibilities…
MDN’s take is spot on. Whenever I show off fast user switching, Exposé, Dashboard, etc, I get the greatest response from people not familiar with OS X. Sometimes they’re just walking by, and I’ll do one of the above, and they get all excited and say something like, “Wow, how did you do that?”
That video would be perfect as part of the standard install.
Justified,
I don’t understand how I’m playing too many sides of an argument. I think you just don’t understand what my argument is. Regardless of whether the majority of PCs are used for tedious corporate work, or dumb terminals, someone still made the decision to buy Windows boxes for that work, and those are sales that could have gone to Apple. As for your comment about the fact that most people who would switch for entertainment (photos, music, etc.) I think you’re 100% wrong. I have three members of my family who switched recently exactly for those reasons. They were blown away by what you could do with iLife and that’s all it took to get them to switch. Those are the same type of people who are buying because of the iPod halo effect, and the people Apple should be targeting. The beauty is, for many of those people, they need not fear abandoning the library of software they have for Windows because a new Mac might very well ship with all the software they’ll ever need. Apple has always marketed themselves as the premium brand, that didn’t come about when Jobs came back. When Jean-Louisse Gassee was essentially running the show (the Spindler years), he was responsible for setting prices ridiculously high just because he thought that not everyone should be able to buy a Mac. He is almost single-handedly responsible for the misconception that Macs are more expensive than PCs and that happened while Steve was gone.
Mike, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I hope you’re right though, because unfortunately it doesn’t look as though they are going to change the way they advertise.
“As for your comment about the fact that most people who would switch for entertainment (photos, music, etc.) I think you’re 100% wrong. I have three members of my family who switched recently exactly for those reasons.”
Uh, actually, I think we agree on this issue.
“Regardless of whether the majority of PCs are used for tedious corporate work, or dumb terminals, someone still made the decision to buy Windows boxes for that work, and those are sales that could have gone to Apple.”
Those sales would NEVER have gone to Apple. Period. Apple’s price — in dollars — was way too high. And no amount of marketing would have changed the minds of those corporate and business buyers.
Apple’s computers have always been expensive. But they were never really considered a “premium brand” until the rollout of the Apple retail stores and the iMacs and iPods. (There’s a distinct difference between being expensive and being a premium brand.)
Before the return of Jobs, Apple was still attempting to compete with the corporate Windows juggernaut. Jobs put that to rest by reinvigerating the creative user market. That’s the market Apple is going for. The entrepreneurs. The creatives. They don’t want the corporate Windows market. And no amount of OS-directed advertising would get them into that market anyway.
“Uh, actually, I think we agree on this issue.”
I guess I misunderstood this statement you made earlier, “Those who have been using Windows boxes for their entertainment (photos, vids, music, etc.) have been on the switch for a few years now.”
I took that to mean that everyone who would have switched for this reason already has. I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s only just begun.
“Those sales would NEVER have gone to Apple. Period.”
My point was that there’s nothing about those jobs that couldn’t be done on a Mac. I agree that that’s not who Apple is, or even should be, targeting.
As for being a premium brand, I couldn’t disagree more. They were considered more a premium brand in the early 90s when Gassee was running the show. For awhile when he was there, the least expensive computer they offered was $2,400, and they went up to nearly $10,000. He purposefully overpriced them because he didn’t think everyone deserved one, only those who could pay the high price. Since SJ returned, I think he has done more to make them affordable, and more appealing to consumers. Top quality, absolutely. Premium? Not anymore. Perhaps what we consider “premium” just differs. In my mind it has a bit of a negative connotation. One of the definitions of premium is, “a sum added to an ordinary price or charge”. This is what I think of when I hear the word. They definitely did that in the past, but I think they are very fairly priced now. If you price a PC box outfitted similarly they are comparable, where in Gassee’s
day they were not. Of course, another definition is, “relating to or denoting a commodity or product of superior quality and therefore a higher price”, and that is pretty accurate.
I also disagree that it’s only been since Jobs has been back that they’ve been targeting creative people. They’ve done that essentially from day one with the Mac. They appealed to creatives from the start thanks to MacPaint, and later the emergence of music programs like MOTU’s Performer.
Regardless, I stand by my opinion that selling the brand won’t work with computers. They are around today in spite of that approach, not because of it. Their best chance to grow marketshare is to show off the gem, their software, specifically OS X and iLife. I do not advocate 30 seconds of cool screenshots of Tiger, but rather a series of commercials that show off the cool things you can easily do on a Mac. I’m certain that it could be done.
If Apple really wants to show off the OS, partner with QVC and then you get to spend an hour showing off the product on the air. Apple would sell a ton of computers this way. Do it once a month.
I stubbed my toe while walking around in the dark last night bare foot, can I sue Apple now?
FINALLY, you mention what the ads are meant to do, GET PEOPLE TO AN APPLE STORE. There is nothing repeat NOTHING that Apple could show in 30 seconds that would make someone think “Wow! I gotta get me one of those because my current machine a) doesn’t animate when it fast user switches, b) doesn’t have a dock (and doesn’t ripple), 3) doesn’t do that funky window-move-out-of-my-way thing.
Especially not when there are things like this available.
Exposé clones — http://www.petefreitag.com/item/124.cfm
No, it doesn’t work exactly like Exposé, but when your option is to
a) buy a whole new computer (and re-purchase apps)
or
b) buy a program that will let you pretend and keep the rest of your investment,
WHICH will most people do?
BUT you did include the
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“Hopefully, the ad will drive people to their nearest Apple Retail Store, so that they can finally see Mac OS X, iLife ’06, etc.”
line, so you’re starting to see the light
Advertising isn’t just selling a product; it’s selling an idea.
I don’t buy an affordable product just because it is better or more useful that another, I buy an affordable product because I made a conscious and deliberate decision that a certain affordable product is better or more useful that another. Therefore, if one assumes that OS X is an affordable product, then Apple first needs to make people think about OS X as an alternative to Windows. That is, get their attention.
What about a commercial like this?
http://live.watchmactv.com/?p=146
Mac OS X ads on an iPod? That is soooo Windows Media Player.
A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous.
Commercials are not worth the cash anymore. Less people are watching TV and out of those an increasing number are automatically removing the ads before they watch the show. Tie that up with those that channel surf during the breaks and the number of potential customers watching the ad itself is tiny.
Apple are playing the long game. Slowly building up the Apple Stores and using the iPod to get people into them. There’s no better ad for OSX than watching a crowd of people using it, especially when there are plenty of staff around to answer the “Will it open my Word docs?” type questions.
Always remember – Apple’s team is smarter than you.
the ad is for developers, not for consumers. just like the think differen ads, they are for the mac base and the employees, to rally them.
when apple sees that they have enough apps on the mac(they only know how many they really want), then we will see ads for consumers.
Apple can afford to offend PC users by accusing them of working on “dull little tasks”. After all, Apple has 3% of the market nailed down. What more could they need? 4%?
It’s Apple’s unfounded arrogance that has put them in the position of being the perennial underdog, and it’s Apple’s arrogance that will keep them there forever. I own two Macs, and they’re OK computers. But neither one of them has figured out how to suck my dick yet. Until they do, in my opinion Apple is FOS.
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