Well that's just it. Apple is sending their stuff to people who already "get it". How does that increase marketshare or bring new people to the platform?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Precisely. That's what Gateway does too...the only reason your friend gets the catalog is because she bought a Gateway. Apple can't just buy addresses from a junk-mail source and start sending everybody catalogs. That's sleazy.
[quote]That's why I believe a little more face-to-face, direct contact approach of people putting them in the hands of people, if Apple can't come up with a suitable mailing list (Apple should hire someone to hack into Dell and Gateway's customer registration files and...).<hr></blockquote>
You mean like have a monkey walk around a mall with pamphlets? People try to hand out coupons and leaflets on Berkeley street corners near campus all the time...nobody actually takes them. And no, unsolicited mail is a very bad thing.
The solution is obvious -- More Apple Stores. The stores can't reach everybody, but they will bring the direct approach to malls and busy shopping areas. Instead of having Apple monkeys approaching random people and invading their privacy, pontential customers can walk into an Apple Store on their own terms.
[quote]I don't see it as "Apple taking a page from Gateway" or whatever. I see it as Apple getting a bit of a clue and putting something nice in the hands of people who DON'T ALREADY OWN MACS OR KNOW ABOUT APPLE.<hr></blockquote>
Apple has a clue. They're doing the right thing by not spamming random people.
[quote]Besides, this Gateway thing got ME looking at it and admiring the products, layout, hardware, specs, photography, stories, etc. And I'm about as PC-ignorant/indifferent as they come.<hr></blockquote>
It wasn't sent to you. It was sent to your friend, a previous Gateway customer. Like I said, Apple periodically sends postcards, eNews, etc.
[quote]Why couldn't that work in reverse? Some schmo who's only owned PCs and isn't fully happy with things might get something like this and go "wow...I had no idea".<hr></blockquote>
You're writing a lot of words, but saying the same thing over and over again.
[quote]I guarantee you it would bring as many - if not more - people to the fold as that stupid "Middle Seat" commercial. Or Yao and MiniMe.<hr></blockquote>
Junk mail pisses people off. In your face marketing yucks who "spray perfume" on you as you walk by piss people off. All Apple really needs to do is build more stores and spend a little more on traditional advertising (billboards, commercials, print ads...)
The furthest most companies might go with direct, face-to-face guerilla marketing, might be a promo van/trailer driving around places where market penetration is low. I suppose Apple could do something like that, with a gimmicky, sleek RV type vehicle that basically functions like a mini-Apple Store. As long as the potential customer perceives himself as the one with the initiative...as long as he only receives marketing at his request...let him pick up a brochure by himself at an Apple Store, CompUSA, Fry's, etc.
<strong>It's a great idea. I don't see Apple doing this. Maybe when pigs fly.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Porkchop-air 735 you are cleared for take-off!
I have received such items in the mail! It was through my campus computer store. It was essentially an apple catalog, about 10 pages with usually 1 major item per page. the page size was about two decks of cards side by side (or two iPods for those who arent familiar with playing cards!).
I stopped getting them a long time ago but my friend who works at the university press still gets stuff sent to him. I saw one late last spring that I can remember distinctly.
just thought I would add that it was glossy-colour-thicker-than-magazine-but-not-too-thick-paper. in case you were interested.
I still think my ideas aren't "out there" or a horrible affront to anyone. Having nice-looking, personable employees manning some sort of "have a look at Apple" kiosk or whatever and handing out things to people is a FAR cry from a fücking monkey running around harrassing people. Come on.
And I don't consider a clean, professionally-designed, one-time mailing by a reputable company selling a legitimate product to people who may actually find themselves interested in said product to be anywhere NEAR "spamming" or "junk mail".
Nobody here would either, I'm sure. You're reaching pretty far out there on some of those things.
I certainly wouldn't mind if Gateway or Dell or whoever sent me a catalog because I filled out a form on some website or maybe they got my name from a registration list at Macworld or something.
I'd be like "well that's cool...let me flip through and see what's what".
I look forward to my once-a-year IKEA catalog, as well as a few other nice things I get two, maybe three, times a year. Hardly enough to classify as "spam" or an annoyance.
Getting 37 "MAKE YOUR PENIS LARGER AND EARN A DIPLOMA WHILE YOU SLEEP!!!" e-mails a day, shuffling through stupid-ass mattress warehouse pamphlets in your mailbox 4 days a week and getting phonecalls from idiot aluminum siding installers while you're trying to eat dinner...THAT'S what people object to and get annoyed by.
What I suggest is nothing like that, and you know it. Don't be like others here and take a sentence and blow it all out to some ridiculous, over-the-top extreme example that I never intended.
I still think my ideas aren't "out there" or a horrible affront to anyone. Having nice-looking, personable employees manning some sort of "have a look at Apple" kiosk or whatever and handing out things to people is a FAR cry from a fücking monkey running around harrassing people. Come on.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Kiosks aren't terribly efficient. They cost money. Apple would better serve customers by saving money on kiosks and squeezing it into their current retail strategy. Ghetto kiosk or Apple Store? I'll take the latter.
[quote]And I don't consider a clean, professionally-designed, one-time mailing by a reputable company selling a legitimate product to people who may actually find themselves interested in said product to be anywhere NEAR "spamming" or "junk mail".<hr></blockquote>
Unsolicited mail is unsolicited mail. It doesn't matter if the company or product is legitimate.
[quote]Nobody here would either, I'm sure. You're reaching pretty far out there on some of those things.<hr></blockquote>
Are you comparing us to John Deer?
[quote]I certainly wouldn't mind if Gateway or Dell or whoever sent me a catalog because I filled out a form on some website or maybe they got my name from a registration list at Macworld or something.<hr></blockquote>
That makes it solicited. Somebody who willingly checks a box on Apple.com is either an existing customer or somebody who shows keen interest already. A Macworld mailing list? John Deer? Hello? In the two cases you mentioned, the customer takes the iniative, not Apple.
[quote]I'd be like "well that's cool...let me flip through and see what's what".<hr></blockquote>
No shit, you would have specifically requested it.
[quote]I look forward to my once-a-year IKEA catalog, as well as a few other nice things I get two, maybe three, times a year. Hardly enough to classify as "spam" or an annoyance.<hr></blockquote>
I don't receive any IKEA catalogs. If I received one without requesting it, I'd probably be annoyed since I bet it's freakin' huge.
[quote]Getting 37 "MAKE YOUR PENIS LARGER AND EARN A DIPLOMA WHILE YOU SLEEP!!!" e-mails a day, shuffling through stupid-ass mattress warehouse pamphlets in your mailbox 4 days a week and getting phonecalls from idiot aluminum siding installers while you're trying to eat dinner...THAT'S what people object to and get annoyed by.<hr></blockquote>
And putting my name on a mailing list without my knowledge is a sleazeball thing to do. Also, Apple already calls people who do no more than "save" a selection for later on the Apple Store. I think that's borderline already.
[quote]What I suggest is nothing like that, and you know it. Don't be like others here and take a sentence and blow it all out to some ridiculous, over-the-top extreme example that I never intended.<hr></blockquote>
You're suggesting Apple send people unsolicited mail, aren't you? The customer should make the first move, not Apple.
The Apple website does a pretty darned good job of getting down to nuts and bolts when it comes to the hardware and software. You can't get that specific in a 30 second broadcast commercial advertisement...so it has to be print or web.
So, Apple markets toward certain target audiences with print ads...we'v all seen them in computer-oriented and "lifestyle" magazines.
I'd be willing to believe that Apple's marketing arm has at some point experimented with advertising toward previously unexplored demographic/psychographic markets. Blind marketing is useless to companies. They need data from every advertisement campaign to help them in future advertising. It's a science.
Beating a dead horse:
I still wish that Apple would show off the Operating System in some of its ads. Remember how revolutionary the "there is no step three" advertisement? Do some more ads like that one.....stagger the technical ads with the "regular folks" switcher ads.
thats the marketing that worked for dell and made it what is is today. They really pushed those little catalogs around a lot in the early 90's when there wasn't an internet, and marketed themselves as order over the phone and get what you want. All the pc people said they were going to fail because they didn't have a storefront... but look at them now.
Comments
<strong>
Well that's just it. Apple is sending their stuff to people who already "get it". How does that increase marketshare or bring new people to the platform?
Precisely. That's what Gateway does too...the only reason your friend gets the catalog is because she bought a Gateway. Apple can't just buy addresses from a junk-mail source and start sending everybody catalogs. That's sleazy.
[quote]That's why I believe a little more face-to-face, direct contact approach of people putting them in the hands of people, if Apple can't come up with a suitable mailing list (Apple should hire someone to hack into Dell and Gateway's customer registration files and...).<hr></blockquote>
You mean like have a monkey walk around a mall with pamphlets? People try to hand out coupons and leaflets on Berkeley street corners near campus all the time...nobody actually takes them. And no, unsolicited mail is a very bad thing.
The solution is obvious -- More Apple Stores. The stores can't reach everybody, but they will bring the direct approach to malls and busy shopping areas. Instead of having Apple monkeys approaching random people and invading their privacy, pontential customers can walk into an Apple Store on their own terms.
[quote]I don't see it as "Apple taking a page from Gateway" or whatever. I see it as Apple getting a bit of a clue and putting something nice in the hands of people who DON'T ALREADY OWN MACS OR KNOW ABOUT APPLE.<hr></blockquote>
Apple has a clue. They're doing the right thing by not spamming random people.
[quote]Besides, this Gateway thing got ME looking at it and admiring the products, layout, hardware, specs, photography, stories, etc. And I'm about as PC-ignorant/indifferent as they come.<hr></blockquote>
It wasn't sent to you. It was sent to your friend, a previous Gateway customer. Like I said, Apple periodically sends postcards, eNews, etc.
[quote]Why couldn't that work in reverse? Some schmo who's only owned PCs and isn't fully happy with things might get something like this and go "wow...I had no idea".<hr></blockquote>
You're writing a lot of words, but saying the same thing over and over again.
[quote]I guarantee you it would bring as many - if not more - people to the fold as that stupid "Middle Seat" commercial. Or Yao and MiniMe.<hr></blockquote>
Junk mail pisses people off. In your face marketing yucks who "spray perfume" on you as you walk by piss people off. All Apple really needs to do is build more stores and spend a little more on traditional advertising (billboards, commercials, print ads...)
The furthest most companies might go with direct, face-to-face guerilla marketing, might be a promo van/trailer driving around places where market penetration is low. I suppose Apple could do something like that, with a gimmicky, sleek RV type vehicle that basically functions like a mini-Apple Store. As long as the potential customer perceives himself as the one with the initiative...as long as he only receives marketing at his request...let him pick up a brochure by himself at an Apple Store, CompUSA, Fry's, etc.
[ 02-12-2003: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>
That's what they need: a perfume!
"Smell Different"
Ahhhhh, but that's the tagline...what would we CALL this stuff??
And naturally they'd have somebody standing out in the mall with a spray bottle...or near the Apple section in CompUSA.
"Excuse me, M'am? Try THIS!!!" <spritz, spritz, spritz>
"AAARRGGHH!! You got it in my eye!!! OMIGOD!!! I'm blind!!! I'll kill you you son-of-a..."
Man, now THIS is a great idea!!!
hee hee
<strong>
"Excuse me, M'am? Try THIS!!!" <spritz, spritz, spritz>
"AAARRGGHH!! You got it in my eye!!! OMIGOD!!! I'm blind!!! I'll kill you you son-of-a..."</strong><hr></blockquote>
It's face-to-face marketing. It has to work!
The best way to dispense marketing material like brochures is to leave them on a table...
[ 02-12-2003: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>
<strong>It's a great idea. I don't see Apple doing this. Maybe when pigs fly.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Porkchop-air 735 you are cleared for take-off!
I have received such items in the mail! It was through my campus computer store. It was essentially an apple catalog, about 10 pages with usually 1 major item per page. the page size was about two decks of cards side by side (or two iPods for those who arent familiar with playing cards!).
I stopped getting them a long time ago but my friend who works at the university press still gets stuff sent to him. I saw one late last spring that I can remember distinctly.
just thought I would add that it was glossy-colour-thicker-than-magazine-but-not-too-thick-paper. in case you were interested.
[ 02-12-2003: Message edited by: I-bent-my-wookie ]</p>
I still think my ideas aren't "out there" or a horrible affront to anyone. Having nice-looking, personable employees manning some sort of "have a look at Apple" kiosk or whatever and handing out things to people is a FAR cry from a fücking monkey running around harrassing people. Come on.
And I don't consider a clean, professionally-designed, one-time mailing by a reputable company selling a legitimate product to people who may actually find themselves interested in said product to be anywhere NEAR "spamming" or "junk mail".
Nobody here would either, I'm sure. You're reaching pretty far out there on some of those things.
I certainly wouldn't mind if Gateway or Dell or whoever sent me a catalog because I filled out a form on some website or maybe they got my name from a registration list at Macworld or something.
I'd be like "well that's cool...let me flip through and see what's what".
I look forward to my once-a-year IKEA catalog, as well as a few other nice things I get two, maybe three, times a year. Hardly enough to classify as "spam" or an annoyance.
Getting 37 "MAKE YOUR PENIS LARGER AND EARN A DIPLOMA WHILE YOU SLEEP!!!" e-mails a day, shuffling through stupid-ass mattress warehouse pamphlets in your mailbox 4 days a week and getting phonecalls from idiot aluminum siding installers while you're trying to eat dinner...THAT'S what people object to and get annoyed by.
What I suggest is nothing like that, and you know it. Don't be like others here and take a sentence and blow it all out to some ridiculous, over-the-top extreme example that I never intended.
<strong>I just disagree, Eugene. But that's okay.
I still think my ideas aren't "out there" or a horrible affront to anyone. Having nice-looking, personable employees manning some sort of "have a look at Apple" kiosk or whatever and handing out things to people is a FAR cry from a fücking monkey running around harrassing people. Come on.
Kiosks aren't terribly efficient. They cost money. Apple would better serve customers by saving money on kiosks and squeezing it into their current retail strategy. Ghetto kiosk or Apple Store? I'll take the latter.
[quote]And I don't consider a clean, professionally-designed, one-time mailing by a reputable company selling a legitimate product to people who may actually find themselves interested in said product to be anywhere NEAR "spamming" or "junk mail".<hr></blockquote>
Unsolicited mail is unsolicited mail. It doesn't matter if the company or product is legitimate.
[quote]Nobody here would either, I'm sure. You're reaching pretty far out there on some of those things.<hr></blockquote>
Are you comparing us to John Deer?
[quote]I certainly wouldn't mind if Gateway or Dell or whoever sent me a catalog because I filled out a form on some website or maybe they got my name from a registration list at Macworld or something.<hr></blockquote>
That makes it solicited. Somebody who willingly checks a box on Apple.com is either an existing customer or somebody who shows keen interest already. A Macworld mailing list? John Deer? Hello? In the two cases you mentioned, the customer takes the iniative, not Apple.
[quote]I'd be like "well that's cool...let me flip through and see what's what".<hr></blockquote>
No shit, you would have specifically requested it.
[quote]I look forward to my once-a-year IKEA catalog, as well as a few other nice things I get two, maybe three, times a year. Hardly enough to classify as "spam" or an annoyance.<hr></blockquote>
I don't receive any IKEA catalogs. If I received one without requesting it, I'd probably be annoyed since I bet it's freakin' huge.
[quote]Getting 37 "MAKE YOUR PENIS LARGER AND EARN A DIPLOMA WHILE YOU SLEEP!!!" e-mails a day, shuffling through stupid-ass mattress warehouse pamphlets in your mailbox 4 days a week and getting phonecalls from idiot aluminum siding installers while you're trying to eat dinner...THAT'S what people object to and get annoyed by.<hr></blockquote>
And putting my name on a mailing list without my knowledge is a sleazeball thing to do. Also, Apple already calls people who do no more than "save" a selection for later on the Apple Store. I think that's borderline already.
[quote]What I suggest is nothing like that, and you know it. Don't be like others here and take a sentence and blow it all out to some ridiculous, over-the-top extreme example that I never intended.<hr></blockquote>
You're suggesting Apple send people unsolicited mail, aren't you? The customer should make the first move, not Apple.
The Apple website does a pretty darned good job of getting down to nuts and bolts when it comes to the hardware and software. You can't get that specific in a 30 second broadcast commercial advertisement...so it has to be print or web.
So, Apple markets toward certain target audiences with print ads...we'v all seen them in computer-oriented and "lifestyle" magazines.
I'd be willing to believe that Apple's marketing arm has at some point experimented with advertising toward previously unexplored demographic/psychographic markets. Blind marketing is useless to companies. They need data from every advertisement campaign to help them in future advertising. It's a science.
Beating a dead horse:
I still wish that Apple would show off the Operating System in some of its ads. Remember how revolutionary the "there is no step three" advertisement? Do some more ads like that one.....stagger the technical ads with the "regular folks" switcher ads.
<strong>Anyone remember the Apple Performa infomercial? Good times.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yeah, the Martinelli family and grandpa.
In the end, that infomercial never got appreciable airtime on any good local stations...because it's damned hard to do so.
[ 02-14-2003: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>