I don't think these ads are necessarily that harmful. When a switcher goes in to the Apple Store and buys a Mac they know they are paying more money for less specs. The salesman will explain to them that it has all the speed they need. They choose to pay a good deal more for the Mac because they believe that it will be easier to use, not just because it's a cool design. The main impetus to go through the hassle of switching to a Mac is because you think it will be a more enjoyable experience in the long run.
However these ads could be harmful in the long run when Apple wants to get the more everyday user. Most of these people aren't going to pay more than $1000 for a Mac anyway, so Apple can cross that bridge when they come to it. For now, the potential switchers aren't highly price conscious or totally into specs. They have to have more vision than that to be a potential Mac buyer anyway.
And on MacCentral a couple of days ago there was an article where Ron Johnson said that the Switch campaign was working. He said that every single store has seen an increase in the quantity and quality of traffic.
if you are the big player, never, ever mention the competitions name. don't show their slogan. don't show their colors. don't remind people that they exist at all.
besides that, apple has as much FUD as Gateway does, a bakeoff or two would be all they need to do to say "no, we're faster". both sides are generally crap claims.
as for the cheaper part? i did the math, it doesn't fly. Gateway has a cheaper option. same config and it's either damn close or the Mac is cheaper. dangerous game to play.
although i do understand what gateway is trying to do. Windows PC's have become a complete commodity. all people on the Windows side care about are specs. you want a PC, you check the numbers. there's very little reason to buy one brand over another, and $100 difference will likely lose you relatively loyal customer.
Apple on the other hand is a distinct computer, everyone knows who they are.
Gateway is probably trying to pull away from that mindset of a commodity, as they generally fall to whoever can survive on the lowest margins, but i don't think they have a prayer. with all machines running the same OS, there's really no significant difference between brands, and won't be in the forseeable future.
I think this ad will take away a few potential iMac sales, but that may be outweighed by the added free exposure Gateway is giving Apple. Anyway, I know a few PC users currently considering the new iMacs, and not one of them would be swayed by this Gateway. The reason people want the iMac isn't just because it's all-in-one, it's because they know Apple has put it together in such a way that it will be easy to set up and use, and will allow them to do cool things (iTunes, iMovie, iDVD).
Bottom line, anybody considering moving from a PC to a Mac already has an idea of the shortcomings of Windows machines in the area of simplicity and usability, and they're considering the Mac because they want to get away from that. These ads won't affect those people.
Gateway is missing their target audience. The iMac's strength has always been ease of use for the consumer, whether it's ripping mp3's and digital movies, connecting to the internet, home networking, or just plain out-of-the-box set up and navigating the OS. Apple's switch marketing campaign is largely based on the ideas of ease of use, and that Macs "just work."
While the Profile may come in a prettier box, it addresses none of these points, focussing instead on cost and performance.
For the users targeted by Apple's switch adds--people tired and fed up with PCs--the cost and performance of PCs are not a factor. No matter how cheap, how many fps they can squeeze out of a Quake benchmark, or how fast they can start MS Word, they are still PCs.
What Gateway should be doing is targeting the PC audience by showing why their PCs are better than the Dells, Sonys, and Compaqs of the world.
By focusing instead on the iMac, all they do is establish Apple as a legitimate competitor to their computers. PC users who agree completely with their adds will continue to buy Dell, Compaq, and Sony, over Gateway; potential PC switchers will not be swayed because price and performance isn't the reason they're considering switching anyway.
The average customer cares about the price on the box, and numbers on the spec sheet, period. Even if Gateway doesn't sell more Profiles, they'll sell more Gateways. The Profile get's their attention, and then they realize that the towers are an evn better deal than either the Profile or the iMac. It's a very public attack on the sorry state of Mac pricing and hardware specification. Fallacious or not, don't expect people to see through it, or care to see through it.
Negative, comparison advertising, where a specific competitor is mentioned and even shown is such an extremely bad (ineffective) form of advertising (for various reasons) that, usually, there's an entirely different, ulterior motive driving the campaign. Assuming that Gateway hired a real, experienced advertising agency to design this campaign, I have to assume they aren't actually trying to compete with Apple and the iMac.
Also, although there are instances where you can use other people's trademarks without permission (reviews and studies, for example), I doubt Gateway could make a commercial showing an iMac and the iMac/Apple marks without Apple's permission. I could be wrong, though. Assuming I'm right (I should really go research it more carefully, but I am fairly confident), that, right there, tells you something: Apple doesn't mind the ads. I guess they get free publicity and the intended (and likely actual) effect of the ads doesn't hurt Apple.
With these ideas in mind, it should be possible to divine the ad's true purpose. My first guess would be, as some others have mentioned, that Gateway is simply trying to differentiate themselves from the other, commodity PC manufacturers. Remember, Gateway is not all of Wintel. They don't care that Wintel has 9x% of the market. They care what percent of the market they have. When they advertise, they're not advertising for the Wintel market, they're advertising for themselves and against their competitors. Apple is not their competitor, the other PC makers make up 9x% of the market. Apple only has 5%, at most (ok, Apple is, maybe, a tiny Gateway cometitor). Gateway is trying to show how they're better/different than the other PC makers. This time, they began by making an all-in-one (that's certainly different for PCs), and the follow-through is to link their product with a decidedly non PC - a Mac.
<strong>I can't believe how wrong you are about the focus of those ads.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'm willing to be wrong. Gaining an accurate view of things is my point - being "right" is limited, temporary...and unimportant.
[quote]<strong>As I explained in the other thread iMac is the ideal reference point because it is very well known and yet has distinct disadvantages (for this particular kind of marketing by numbers). Think that iMacs constitute less than 1% of all computers sold yet they are an instantly recognizable computing icon. What that tells you is a lot of people know what an iMac is, yet most choose to buy something else. Why? Cost, spec, and FUD.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Strongly disagree. The iMac is not NEARLY as well-known as you think. Taking the "computer-using public" as a whole, most people don't even realise that Apple's still in business! Yes, they're ignorant and uninformed - but y'know what? THEY DON'T CARE. They live in an Apple-free universe. No-one they know (for the most part) knows ANYTHING about ANY Apple product, including the new iMac. It might be the most (or ONLY) recognisable non-Wintel machine, but that in no way means that people see it and go, 'oh yes, that's Apples new consumer model'.
Case in point: my best friend has been a successful computer consultant / jack-of-all-trades for 20 years. He knows Apple exists (he knows I own one); he sees the ads on TV. That's it. He has never used a Mac, never looked @ one (I know - I tried to show him my PBG3). I think he feels threatened, personally. He knows nothing about them, doesn't want to know anything; when pressed, he'll tell me that all computers suck, that every OS sucks, that there is no reason to choose one option over another except on price.
He really believes it, and knowing me (we used to be x86/Novell guys together) doesn't help - hell, since I got my Mac, he seems to think that I've forgotten everything I ever knew about computers.
He even told me once (in so many words) that I couldn't really contribute to the technical conversation because I don't use computers anymore!
Another example: friend of mine is a jeweller & a guitar player (NOTa computer guy). Of all the non-computer-pros I know, he makes the heaviest use of his computer (some wintel box - even HE doesn't know...and he doesn't care). Web development, an eBay store, books, music recording & production (no games). He was recommending a piece of software to me (Cakewalk) recently, I said it wouldn't run on my Mac, he said "Apple went under 10 years ago, maybe you should get something more modern"!
See, THAT's the point: even people who know a LOT about computers know NOTHING about Macs; to them, Macs aren't even computers! That's what FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) is all about, and the hard line against Apple has always been (since MS introduced FUD, its one true innovation) that they aren't REAL computers, and since REAL computer guys know nothing about the Mac, the Mac is never even looked at, much less honestly considered.
But here comes Gateway now - desperate & willing to try anything to keep the cow afloat. They know how effective the Switch campaign is so they're charging it head-on...and FUD is the first casualty. FUD can't stand as a market strategy IF APPLE IS A THREAT IN THE MARKETPLACE.
FUD depends on doubting, dissing & dismissing ("never let 'em see you sweat" - remember?) Apple became a serious contender the very moment Gateway put on the gloves and entered the ring w/ these ads.
It's a different world now, and I fully expect to see Apple/Chiatt-Day beat the living sh!t out of Gateway in this.
And since Gateway is just a Windows PC, the battle will bruise & bloody the entire wintel world.
New slogans, head-to-head competitions, attack ads like we haven't seen since the burger wars of the 80s - I tell you, this is going to be FUN, not FUD
BTW - I must say I'm disappointed by the complete lack of reaction to my 'Apple response ad'. Did NO-ONE get a chuckle out of it?
Ever thought in the long run that this will fart right back in Gateway's face?
I guarantee that within 3-6 months many of the Profile 4's with Windows XP are going to be back in Gateway's hands for support or repair. As I have seen with Gateway (my sister has had two...now with Windows XP) and with other Windows PC's in the ownership of an average user always degrade after 3-6 months of use. I have one here at work and it has done the same. Of course I could reformat and reinstall Windows or just troubleshoot all the weird shit that happens everyday on mine. Average Joe's won't. They expect themselve's to open the box, plug it in and get on with it.
Now their's a reason that an iMac has a premium price. You take it out of the box, plug it in and get on with it. And use it until the cows come home (pun intended).
Gateway + Windows = Cheap PC that'll be replaced within 3-6 months...maybe with an iMac...gee, maybe this is the "Switch" motivation Apple always wanted... <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> I'm not worried. You shouldn't either.
Comments
However these ads could be harmful in the long run when Apple wants to get the more everyday user. Most of these people aren't going to pay more than $1000 for a Mac anyway, so Apple can cross that bridge when they come to it. For now, the potential switchers aren't highly price conscious or totally into specs. They have to have more vision than that to be a potential Mac buyer anyway.
And on MacCentral a couple of days ago there was an article where Ron Johnson said that the Switch campaign was working. He said that every single store has seen an increase in the quantity and quality of traffic.
[ 08-26-2002: Message edited by: spindler ]</p>
though a direct response commercial to the gateway would be nice
if you are the big player, never, ever mention the competitions name. don't show their slogan. don't show their colors. don't remind people that they exist at all.
besides that, apple has as much FUD as Gateway does, a bakeoff or two would be all they need to do to say "no, we're faster". both sides are generally crap claims.
as for the cheaper part? i did the math, it doesn't fly. Gateway has a cheaper option. same config and it's either damn close or the Mac is cheaper. dangerous game to play.
although i do understand what gateway is trying to do. Windows PC's have become a complete commodity. all people on the Windows side care about are specs. you want a PC, you check the numbers. there's very little reason to buy one brand over another, and $100 difference will likely lose you relatively loyal customer.
Apple on the other hand is a distinct computer, everyone knows who they are.
Gateway is probably trying to pull away from that mindset of a commodity, as they generally fall to whoever can survive on the lowest margins, but i don't think they have a prayer. with all machines running the same OS, there's really no significant difference between brands, and won't be in the forseeable future.
Bottom line, anybody considering moving from a PC to a Mac already has an idea of the shortcomings of Windows machines in the area of simplicity and usability, and they're considering the Mac because they want to get away from that. These ads won't affect those people.
While the Profile may come in a prettier box, it addresses none of these points, focussing instead on cost and performance.
For the users targeted by Apple's switch adds--people tired and fed up with PCs--the cost and performance of PCs are not a factor. No matter how cheap, how many fps they can squeeze out of a Quake benchmark, or how fast they can start MS Word, they are still PCs.
What Gateway should be doing is targeting the PC audience by showing why their PCs are better than the Dells, Sonys, and Compaqs of the world.
By focusing instead on the iMac, all they do is establish Apple as a legitimate competitor to their computers. PC users who agree completely with their adds will continue to buy Dell, Compaq, and Sony, over Gateway; potential PC switchers will not be swayed because price and performance isn't the reason they're considering switching anyway.
Negative, comparison advertising, where a specific competitor is mentioned and even shown is such an extremely bad (ineffective) form of advertising (for various reasons) that, usually, there's an entirely different, ulterior motive driving the campaign. Assuming that Gateway hired a real, experienced advertising agency to design this campaign, I have to assume they aren't actually trying to compete with Apple and the iMac.
Also, although there are instances where you can use other people's trademarks without permission (reviews and studies, for example), I doubt Gateway could make a commercial showing an iMac and the iMac/Apple marks without Apple's permission. I could be wrong, though. Assuming I'm right (I should really go research it more carefully, but I am fairly confident), that, right there, tells you something: Apple doesn't mind the ads. I guess they get free publicity and the intended (and likely actual) effect of the ads doesn't hurt Apple.
With these ideas in mind, it should be possible to divine the ad's true purpose. My first guess would be, as some others have mentioned, that Gateway is simply trying to differentiate themselves from the other, commodity PC manufacturers. Remember, Gateway is not all of Wintel. They don't care that Wintel has 9x% of the market. They care what percent of the market they have. When they advertise, they're not advertising for the Wintel market, they're advertising for themselves and against their competitors. Apple is not their competitor, the other PC makers make up 9x% of the market. Apple only has 5%, at most (ok, Apple is, maybe, a tiny Gateway cometitor). Gateway is trying to show how they're better/different than the other PC makers. This time, they began by making an all-in-one (that's certainly different for PCs), and the follow-through is to link their product with a decidedly non PC - a Mac.
edit: we need a "Preview" button
[ 08-27-2002: Message edited by: spotbug ]</p>
<strong>I can't believe how wrong you are about the focus of those ads.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'm willing to be wrong. Gaining an accurate view of things is my point - being "right" is limited, temporary...and unimportant.
[quote]<strong>As I explained in the other thread iMac is the ideal reference point because it is very well known and yet has distinct disadvantages (for this particular kind of marketing by numbers). Think that iMacs constitute less than 1% of all computers sold yet they are an instantly recognizable computing icon. What that tells you is a lot of people know what an iMac is, yet most choose to buy something else. Why? Cost, spec, and FUD.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Strongly disagree. The iMac is not NEARLY as well-known as you think. Taking the "computer-using public" as a whole, most people don't even realise that Apple's still in business! Yes, they're ignorant and uninformed - but y'know what? THEY DON'T CARE. They live in an Apple-free universe. No-one they know (for the most part) knows ANYTHING about ANY Apple product, including the new iMac. It might be the most (or ONLY) recognisable non-Wintel machine, but that in no way means that people see it and go, 'oh yes, that's Apples new consumer model'.
Case in point: my best friend has been a successful computer consultant / jack-of-all-trades for 20 years. He knows Apple exists (he knows I own one); he sees the ads on TV. That's it. He has never used a Mac, never looked @ one (I know - I tried to show him my PBG3). I think he feels threatened, personally. He knows nothing about them, doesn't want to know anything; when pressed, he'll tell me that all computers suck, that every OS sucks, that there is no reason to choose one option over another except on price.
He really believes it, and knowing me (we used to be x86/Novell guys together) doesn't help - hell, since I got my Mac, he seems to think that I've forgotten everything I ever knew about computers.
He even told me once (in so many words) that I couldn't really contribute to the technical conversation because I don't use computers anymore!
Another example: friend of mine is a jeweller & a guitar player (NOTa computer guy). Of all the non-computer-pros I know, he makes the heaviest use of his computer (some wintel box - even HE doesn't know...and he doesn't care). Web development, an eBay store, books, music recording & production (no games). He was recommending a piece of software to me (Cakewalk) recently, I said it wouldn't run on my Mac, he said "Apple went under 10 years ago, maybe you should get something more modern"!
See, THAT's the point: even people who know a LOT about computers know NOTHING about Macs; to them, Macs aren't even computers! That's what FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) is all about, and the hard line against Apple has always been (since MS introduced FUD, its one true innovation) that they aren't REAL computers, and since REAL computer guys know nothing about the Mac, the Mac is never even looked at, much less honestly considered.
But here comes Gateway now - desperate & willing to try anything to keep the cow afloat. They know how effective the Switch campaign is so they're charging it head-on...and FUD is the first casualty. FUD can't stand as a market strategy IF APPLE IS A THREAT IN THE MARKETPLACE.
FUD depends on doubting, dissing & dismissing ("never let 'em see you sweat" - remember?) Apple became a serious contender the very moment Gateway put on the gloves and entered the ring w/ these ads.
It's a different world now, and I fully expect to see Apple/Chiatt-Day beat the living sh!t out of Gateway in this.
And since Gateway is just a Windows PC, the battle will bruise & bloody the entire wintel world.
New slogans, head-to-head competitions, attack ads like we haven't seen since the burger wars of the 80s - I tell you, this is going to be FUN, not FUD
BTW - I must say I'm disappointed by the complete lack of reaction to my 'Apple response ad'. Did NO-ONE get a chuckle out of it?
<img src="confused.gif" border="0">
Ever thought in the long run that this will fart right back in Gateway's face?
I guarantee that within 3-6 months many of the Profile 4's with Windows XP are going to be back in Gateway's hands for support or repair. As I have seen with Gateway (my sister has had two...now with Windows XP) and with other Windows PC's in the ownership of an average user always degrade after 3-6 months of use. I have one here at work and it has done the same. Of course I could reformat and reinstall Windows or just troubleshoot all the weird shit that happens everyday on mine. Average Joe's won't. They expect themselve's to open the box, plug it in and get on with it.
Or judging from Gateway's er, Customer Service...<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/24733.html"; target="_blank">return it...</a>
Now their's a reason that an iMac has a premium price. You take it out of the box, plug it in and get on with it. And use it until the cows come home (pun intended).
Gateway + Windows = Cheap PC that'll be replaced within 3-6 months...maybe with an iMac...gee, maybe this is the "Switch" motivation Apple always wanted... <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> I'm not worried. You shouldn't either.