“One cool-looking bloke introduces himself as a Mac. An uncool bloke in a suit and bad haircut introduces himself as a PC. Through a series of adverts, they discuss the shortcomings of the PC versus the merits of the Mac. The PC character is neurotic, insecure and a nerd; Mac, in return, is relaxed, hip, but – crucially – not unfriendly,” Giles Wilson writes for BBC News.
Wilson writes, “This series has been running for more than a year in the US, with two slightly-known actors in the roles now filled for the UK audience by David Mitchell (PC) and Robert Webb (Mac). Apple has taken the unusual step of reconstructing its US ads verbatim for overseas markets – there is already a Japanese ‘PC’ and ‘Mac’ who have the same conversations with the same dress sense and the same backing music. This is a new twist on globalisation.”
“One of the most significant things about this series is the attitude of the Mac character towards the PC character. In the US version at least, there’s no overt smugness. Mac is friendly towards PC, he’s not judgmental, hostile or self-satisfied,” Wilson writes. “The reason for this friendliness is obvious: smugness is just not attractive, especially if you happen to be telling someone whose computer is crippled by viruses that your operating system doesn’t suffer from them (yet).”
MacDailyNews Take: Stick to reviewing TV ads, Giles. Your parenthetical use of the word “yet” shows ignorance. You obviously know nothing about operating systems. Mac OS X will never become subject to 200,000+ known viruses and large portions of the Mac user base will never be repeatedly taken down in large swaths around the globe. Yes, all operating systems have flaws. Some of these flaws can even be exploited. But, there is just no way to equate Mac and Windows in terms of security. Mac OS X has been online for nearly six years now and there are tens of millions of Mac OS X machines online. There is no “yet.”
Wilson continues, “Casting is critical here: are Mitchell and Webb as effective for a UK audience as the US stars, Justin Long and John Hodgman? For much of the UK audience, it’s possible that a familiarity with Mitchell and Webb’s excellent Channel 4 programme, Peep Show, counts against their effectiveness here. Knowing that Robert Webb plays the opportunistic insincere Jez does not exactly enhance his role as an honest friendly broker for Mac. Similarly, knowing that David Mitchell is likeable, decent and intelligent (albeit a loser) doesn’t ultimately put the PC character in as bad a light as in the US version.”
Wilson writes, “In the UK there are rules against advertisers on TV denigrating or discrediting rivals. The Apple ads have not yet been shown on British TV, but would they be allowed on air? It’s pretty clear what (or who) “PC” represents, with his nerd chic, haircut and pie-charts. (Clue: Could it be the well-known, extremely well-heeled face of a PC-based operating system?)”
MacDailyNews Take: Giles had it right the first time. It’s “what” not “who.” It’s not at all difficult and it should be extremely easy for a TV ad reviewer: The “PC” represents a Windows PC and the “Mac” represents a Macintosh. Hence their names in the ads and the repeated use of the greetings, “Hello, I’m a Mac” and “I’m a PC.”
Wilson concludes, “But luckily for Apple, the term PC is so generic nowadays it would be hard to show that these adverts were denigrating a particular competitor. That might be an interesting matter for the advertising watchdogs to consider.”
Full article here.
Related articles:
Apple takes dead aim at Microsoft’s Windows Vista in latest ‘Get a Mac’ ad (with video) – February 06, 2007
Apple UK posts six new ‘Get a Mac’ TV ads featuring Mitchell and Webb – January 29, 2007
Apple UK’s ‘Get a Mac’ campaign features Peep Show’s David Mitchell and Robert Webb – January 27, 2007
Apple Japan debuts three ‘Get a Mac’ ads – November 12, 2006
The British are starting to get as annoying as the French!
Leemo, you must be kidding?? Sure, the PC guy comes across likable and effective, but for you to say his character “makes me favour the PC in many ways” is absolutely ridiculous.
But, when the Preparation H commercial comes on, I too, melt and wanna run to the store to buy some.
Tom Strong
And, of course, no one ever gets annoyed with Americans?
MDN: Do you REALLY think we’re only supposed to think of these characters as the machines, and NOT the men behind them? Oh please. It’s obvious — totally and completely obvious — that the casting for the US ads was an intentional nod to the idiosyncratic men behind these two giant companies. If you refuse to see Hodgeman and Long as caricatures of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (albeit 20 years ago) then you’re just being stubborn.
Yes, Hodgeman is portraying the PC. But he’s also a cipher for Gates — and why Gates is so incensed at these ads, where he’s never reacted to Apple advertising before.
“Apple has taken the unusual step of reconstructing its US ads verbatim for overseas markets – there is already a Japanese ‘PC’ and ‘Mac’ who have the same conversations with the same dress sense and the same backing music. This is a new twist on globalisation.”
I wonder if the Japanese ads have a cute American girl pulling a picture out of her butt?
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I won’t judge “The Money Program” until I’ve seen it. They’re usually very shrewd and I don’t think it’ll be the Microsoft love fest that’s being predicted.
MDN you’ve got to chill out a bit and choose your battles. For once someone was making sense, could realize the Mac character was not smug (as many FUDsters have claimed) and you went frothing at the mouth over the word “yet?” C’mon, inhale and relax a bit.
Yes, the “yet” may be a sign of a subtle attack on the Mac, but considering the rest of the tone of the article is positive you really should step back and think that maybe his point was there are simply no viruses. . . .yet. Doesn’t mean Macs will get a virus, doesn’t mean Mac will get viruses.
Why do you always have to go so far over the top on silly points like this? Geez, why don’t you go and kill this guy’s family while you’re at it? You just don’t seem to have a sense of proportion some times.
It’s odd isn’t it. For all the rants about BBC bias against Apple, it’s remarkable how the BBC seem to have an article about Apple every other day. You can play the pedantic prick about the odd terminology and the lack of BBC sycophantism, yet they rarely say anything overly negative about Apple. Indeed they are providing significant publicity. How many pieces did the red necks on Fox News run on Apple recently?
To all interested MacDailyNews readers.
Please submit a formal complaint to the BBC by going here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/make_complaint_step1.shtml
To be maximally effective, please ensure that your complaint:
– is couched in reasonable language
– is generally free from typing and spelling errors
– includes direct references to specific instances of bias
– includes a request for a response
There have been a number of articles from the BBC which have demonstrated bias against Apple, or sloppy journalism. I referred to only one example, and it would be excellent if our community can draw attention to all of the others – so do your research, choose an article and include the links in your complaint along with a clear statement of why it requires correction. Include links to the facts so that the BBC can easily substantiate your complaint.
It is quite likely that biased or careless journalism is restricted to a small group within the BBC. You will be directing your complaint to a different group of people whose job is to ensure that your complaint is taken seriously. So your complaint should be respectful and accurate.
Have fun!
———————————-
My submission follows:
I live in Australia but my family is British. The BBC has long stood for journalistic excellence and high standards of public programming generally.
However I am greatly concerned that the recent agreement with Microsoft ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5390000.stm – The BBC has signed an agreement with Microsoft to explore ways of developing its digital services.) appears to have resulted in a raft of innacurate stories denigrating Apple, and thinly veiled free advertising for Microsoft:
Coming to Your Screen: Microsoft’s…
Fri 9 Feb, 19:00 – 19:30 30 mins
…New Vista
I am an industry veteran of more than 30 years, with extensive experience in the sale, deployment and support of Microsoft’s products. I also have experience with Apple products and I am deeply disturbed by the apparent commercially-driven bias evidenced by innacurate and, in some cases, derogatory reporting on Apple by the BBC.
While I note, with appreciation, the recent correction to a story stating that iTunes only worked with iPod (it works with any PC running iTunes, and any MP3 player where the music is not DRM-protected, and any digital music device which supports MP3 for any playlist the user wishes to burn to CD) it remains alarming that the BBC got it so wrong in the first place.
I believe your agreement with Microsoft has compromised the journalistic integrity of the BBC. This is regrettable and demands a re-think.
In the meantime. I suggest that you provide a specific channel for complaints on this issue. The Apple community worldwide is very proactive and will happily provide the BBC with direct and immediate correction of the factual inaccuracies in your programming about Apple.
you can see the UK versions of the Mac/PC ads here:
http://www.apple.com/uk/getamac/ads/
are they all the same as the US ads? there are two I haven’t seen before:
office at home
pie chart – similar but different.
Again, we see sloppy journalism from the BBC.
“Apple has taken the unusual step of reconstructing its US ads verbatim for overseas markets”
Its not true. pie chart is rewritten. for the better i think. check it out.
This could be a good thing for Apple and a boomeranged disaster for the Beeb and Microsoft. If the show is a Microsoft puff piece/infomercial, the issues could be raised to more national levels of interest and discussion, after the blogs and other technology web sites chime in. Remember, this show is occurring as stories are piling in about the horrible experiences of Vista users and those who attempted to become Vista users.
The age of the Internet has changed the PR game. Neither the lying special interests – Microsoft, in this case – and the legacy media – the BBC, in this instance – can air brush the truth, Pravda style, and get away with it. Those days are coming to an end.
Yawn, the UK ads suck and so does this idiot.
I think the EU forced the European states to change their laws and allow competitive ads. No one really uses that anyway. It’s just “this an ordinary washing liquid and here we got our product”. So Apple did not violate laws years ago (like stating: here’s a Dell running Win98) and they don’t do it now.
TimD said: >I won’t judge “The Money Program” until I’ve seen it. They’re usually very shrewd and I don’t think it’ll be the Microsoft love fest that’s being predicted.<
It really was. It was disgraceful. A half hour ad for Vista on the BBC…. [We’ve both worked for the BBC, and would usually defend it to the hilt, but this wasn’t the sort of journalism The Money Programme has been known for]. We sat there cringing while watching it.
It was particularly interesting that they never once mentioned Apple. Indeed, a couple of times the reporter mentioned Microsoft’s competitor – Google. And when Bill Gates was interviewed, he too named Microsoft’s competitor as Google….
There were lots of cuts of Microsofties saying Wow. The only good bit was right at the end when a prospective customer, when told how much it would cost to upgrade, said Wow.
How are you. A man can do all things if he but wills them.
I am from Azerbaijan and learning to speak English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: “Your source for buying synthroid online at a fraction of”
Thanks for the help
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