Doesn't the image of hapless users begging for help from a "Genius" to do rather simple things run precisely counter to the "it just works" idea? i found the ads just a touch insulting to potential new users.
You can't judge or equate the success of these ads by your own "expert" experience. You have worked 12 years at one brand, and you don't have the experience of 12 years at the company who you think you know what the hell is going on, where they are heading, and what future they want to build from today.
You don't work for Apple. People who call themselves experts always never get it right. Especially the ones that envy of having a job at the company they only wish they worked at and try to step on the same people (Phil Schiller) that work in the same position at a job which you would never ever get.
There are a majority of people that have switched to Apple, or that are planning to switch but still not sure. These are the people that can "emotionally" be connected with these new ads.
Ever since I have been a Mac user, I have had at least one person every week asking me about switching from PC and how they are unsure whether they can use a Mac given their whole digital life has only been on a PC. Especially after the iPhone and iPad has been released, its been a lot more closer to "should I make the jump?" Also from many friends who have switched and starting out. Its usually these people that ask Mac users for help. Now they have retail store staff to assist. I have started to make screencasts for my parents who live on the other side of the globe on how to solve specific Mac issues, and they visit the Apple Store to ask geniuses there every weekend.
These ads are all aimed at the older generation.
Apple realizes the younger generation have switched and its time to target the rest.
Good post!
I would add that there are members of every generation who are just not technology driven -- they are aware of technology, but they don't arrange their lives around it. Doctors, Lawyers, Executives, Construction Workers, Athletes, Welders...
These people often see the need for a computer to address specific tasks to simplify their lives -- but have no interest in becoming computerists (experts, techies). This has less to do with age, IQ, education, ability than how these people view the world around them.
Dr. "G", was writing a scientific book and was well respected in his field. He bought his computer from us and went through all our training.
Dr. "G" lived in Santa Cruz, and every few months he would make the difficult trip over the mountains to our Sunnyvale Store. He would pull out a stack of 3x5 index cards -- each card had a question or described a problem he was having. The stack was usually 1/2-1 inch thick. So, Dr. "G" would start with the top card, ask his question, note the answer, then place the card on the bottom of the deck... repeat. Often he would cycle through the stack several times to be sure that all the issues were resolved.
Dr. "G" was brilliant! Dr. "G" was a customer of mine! Dr. "G" never understood computers! Dr. "G" was able to get the job done using a computer!
My friend Sheena Melwani is a singer, composer songwriter. Sheena is very active on Twitter and used to have weekly LiveCasts. On one particular LiveCast, Sheena was chiding her father:
Sheena: "Why don't you follow me on Twitter?".
Dad: "Because, I am not that interested in what you are doing all the time!"
Or, My Dad, when I was showing him how to do something on his Apple ][:
"I don't want to know how it works -- I just want it to work [enter address labels]"
My Dad had a very inquisitive mind, was a self-taught automotive/electronics engineer with several patents and inventions under his belt. He could design and build a Stereo & Speakers that made the bay window pulsate and a candy dish jump off the coffee table [true story] -- but Dad had absolutely no Interest in how computers worked -- he just wanted to enter and print address labels.
Or my Late wife Lucy. Lucy had no interest in technology... Lucy was interested in people. We were surrounded by computers and computer geeks, but the most Lucy ever did with computers was a little word-process (writing letters) or checking/entering orders with our suppliers (1980s, before the web) using specialized systems.
Here's the best part... Lucy, the non-techie people person managed the best damn computer stores in Silicon valley.
Anther example are the many corporate executives that brought their iPhones and iPads [and a few Macs] into the office and told IT: "Make this work on our network." These executives have bigger fish to fry than learning the intricacies of every tool they use -- they are interested in results -- I want to use an iPhone (iPad, Mac) -- make it work for me.
My point is that the world is filled with people who are not (and never will be) "computerists" -- but they do need computers as part of their lives... And they need them to work as advertised, be repaired as needed (inexpensively and quickly) and, periodically, learn how to make the computer do something new [to them]. These people may not have IT or "Geek" friends out there to help them.
What I'm describing is service after sale! Most people who own, or are considering buying a computer tool are interested in making it do what they want [my Dad's Address labels] -- not how it does it.
Some large number of the 90% plus of non-Mac computer users out there have little, or no, way to make their computers do what they want.
These Genius ads are addressed to these people (say, 70% of the 90% ~= 60%) and those who have no computer at all.
This is a capability/service that Apple has -- and the competition has nothing...nothing! This is a tremendous opportunity for Apple -- the consumerization of consumer PCs.
Doesn't the image of hapless users begging for help from a "Genius" to do rather simple things run precisely counter to the "it just works" idea? i found the ads just a touch insulting to potential new users.
Are you a potential new user? Have you ever tried to sell a computer to a potential new user? Especially to a potential new user who is afraid or confused by technology?
These ads present Geniuses showing ordinary {non-techie) people how to get things done... It may be beneath your abilities or interests, but how is that insulting to the target of these ads?
I agree with what you said. Sorry to hear about your wife.
I have been helping out most of my friends and family in the last 20 Mac years of the same people you are talking about in your post. And seeing these ads, I see my Dad going through the same thing, especially thinking of buying other brands because it should be as good as an Apple product... Until I tell him that cheap doesn't equate to being a better product, or many of these gadgets try and emulate an apple product... (ad with the guy who thinks he bought a close enough non-Mac Mac!! My Dad still bought a Dell laptop because it was cheap!!! Now he just uses his iPad.
But it's a lot easier now since these people had a chance to use the iPhone or iPad or more importantly heard others of their kind rave about them. Then these people might stumble into an Apple store and get to play with one themselves. And Dad likes to ask direct questions to see whether this new gadget can do what his laptop can by asking the staff at the Apple Store.
Are you a potential new user? Have you ever tried to sell a computer to a potential new user? Especially to a potential new user who is afraid or confused by technology?
These ads present Geniuses showing ordinary {non-techie) people how to get things done... It may beneath your abilities or interests, but how is that insulting to the target of these ads?
Bingo. The Verge site had an article saying the ads were embarrassing. I am surprised so many Apple fans here only think of whats in front of their noses.
I just hope these ads will make more Mac sales and then people here will be more understanding. I bet the brief Apple directed to ad agencies was exactly for those other older than teens and potential Apple switchers (the masses who watch Olympics opening haha)
I am surprised at the number of posters who are totally self-centered and have a complete lack of empathy....
"Walk a mile in my [someone else's] shoes".
I have found that a common ability shared by the most effective people I know -- is the ability to look at things from the viewpoint of others (viewpoints often diametrically opposed to their own).
...And one of the most effective people I've ever met was the late Steve Jobs... he had the ability in spades! He would consider things from others' viewpoints and determine what they wanted/needed before they even knew they needed it.
I liked the ads. I like that Apple is branding the Genius as a concept. I loved that the third ad showed the Genius sleeping in his Apple uniform, like a superhero or something.
I have a friend who's never owned a Mac, but the other day she commented how nice it would be to get free support at any Apple Store. I have other friends and relatives who might be interested in using iPhoto and iMovie but wouldn't explore them on their own. I don't think these people would feel condescended to by these ads. I expect the only effect they'll have is to give people a lighthearted reminder that Apple has good support options.
You can't judge or equate the success of these ads by your own "expert" experience. You have worked 12 years at one brand, and you don't have the experience of 12 years at the company who you think you know what the hell is going on, where they are heading, and what future they want to build from today.
You don't work for Apple. People who call themselves experts always never get it right. Especially the ones that envy of having a job at the company they only wish they worked at and try to step on the same people (Phil Schiller) that work in the same position at a job which you would never ever get.
There are a majority of people that have switched to Apple, or that are planning to switch but still not sure. These are the people that can "emotionally" be connected with these new ads.
Ever since I have been a Mac user, I have had at least one person every week asking me about switching from PC and how they are unsure whether they can use a Mac given their whole digital life has only been on a PC. Especially after the iPhone and iPad has been released, its been a lot more closer to "should I make the jump?" Also from many friends who have switched and starting out. Its usually these people that ask Mac users for help. Now they have retail store staff to assist. I have started to make screencasts for my parents who live on the other side of the globe on how to solve specific Mac issues, and they visit the Apple Store to ask geniuses there every weekend.
These ads are all aimed at the older generation.
Apple realizes the younger generation have switched and its time to target the rest.
That's fine. You are impressed by functional ads. I do not have any desire to work for Apple, and your suggestion otherwise is just specious and silly. These ads are terrible brand marketing ads, and Apple has long been about brand marketing. It seemed to be doing well for them. Brand marketing is a specific kind of marketing, and it translates well across brands. The problem is people tend to think in terms of functional ads "product X will do Y for you" because it's easier to understand, but it's not better. Convincing people to love you for who you are, and not just what you can do for them, is innately better for a company's long term sustainability. And it's been the core of Apple's identity since 1997.
That's fine. You are impressed by functional ads. I do not have any desire to work for Apple, and your suggestion otherwise is just specious and silly. These ads are terrible brand marketing ads, and Apple has long been about brand marketing. It seemed to be doing well for them. Brand marketing is a specific kind of marketing, and it translates well across brands. The problem is people tend to think in terms of functional ads "product X will do Y for you" because it's easier to understand, but it's not better. Convincing people to love you for who you are, and not just what you can do for them, is innately better for a company's long term sustainability. And it's been the core of Apple's identity since 1997.
I don't pretend to understand advertising theory and all its intricacies... but I do understand what works, These ads work for their target audience. Every ad doesn't need to be promoteing the "brand"... some even consider that too elitist -- " they are always tellin' us how great they are -- what do they care about what I need?".
There is nothing wrong with targeting ads to address specific products, services, issues or audiences. These need not diminish the "brand" ads -- rather they can bring new customers to the fold who will now appreciate the "brand" because it addressed their needs.
If you reallly want to be pedantic about it... you could say that Apple should never have run the iPod ads or "I'm a Mac" ads... because they diminished the Apple "brand" of supplying serious computer solutions.
That's fine. You are impressed by functional ads. I do not have any desire to work for Apple, and your suggestion otherwise is just specious and silly. These ads are terrible brand marketing ads, and Apple has long been about brand marketing. It seemed to be doing well for them. Brand marketing is a specific kind of marketing, and it translates well across brands. The problem is people tend to think in terms of functional ads "product X will do Y for you" because it's easier to understand, but it's not better. Convincing people to love you for who you are, and not just what you can do for them, is innately better for a company's long term sustainability. And it's been the core of Apple's identity since 1997.
I predict we will see more polished Genius ads as it further develops.
I like the concept, maybe the way its told can be better, to also please the already converted Mac users.
At any rate, the huge negative responses of an ad is so unique in today's marketing world. It only says that Apple users care for Apple which I think is the best indication of a successful brand.
I never met Steve Jobs, but I know the marketing and advertising that came out during his tenure were never anywhere near this bad...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
I don't pretend to understand advertising theory and all its intricacies... but I do understand what works, These ads work for their target audience. Every ad doesn't need to be promoteing the "brand"... some even consider that too elitist -- " they are always tellin' us how great they are -- what do they care about what I need?".
There is nothing wrong with targeting ads to address specific products, services, issues or audiences. These need not diminish the "brand" ads -- rather they can bring new customers to the fold who will now appreciate the "brand" because it addressed their needs.
If you reallly want to be pedantic about it... you could say that Apple should never have run the iPod ads or "I'm a Mac" ads... because they diminished the Apple "brand" of supplying serious computer solutions.
... but this guy did know Steve Jobs and worked with him for years as creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, and this was his impression of the ads:
Quote:
These ads are causing a widespread gagging response, and deservedly so. I honestly can’t remember a single Apple campaign that’s been received so poorly.
Thank you for all the memories and views shared, much appreciated!
From the bible, nee, bio: [quote] Jobs was not happy with the original ads for the iPad. As usual, he threw himself into the marketing, working with James Vincent and Duncan Milner at the ad agency (now called TBWA/Media Arts Lab), with Lee Clow advising from a semiretired perch. The commercial they first produced was a gentle scene of a guy in faded jeans and sweatshirt reclining in a chair, looking at email, a photo album, the New York Times, books, and video on an iPad propped on his lap. There were no words, just the background beat of “There Goes My Love” by the Blue Van. “After he approved it, Steve decided he hated it,” Vincent recalled. “He thought it looked like a Pottery Barn commercial.” Jobs later told me: It had been easy to explain what the iPod was—a thousand songs in your pocket—which allowed us to move quickly to the iconic silhouette ads. But it was hard to explain what an iPad was. We didn’t want to show it as a computer, and yet we didn’t want to make it so soft that it looked like a cute TV. The first set of ads showed we didn’t know what we were doing. They had a cashmere and Hush Puppies feel to them.
James Vincent had not taken a break in months. So when the iPad finally went on sale and the ads started airing, he drove with his family to the Coachella Music Festival in Palm Springs, which featured some of his favorite bands, including Muse, Faith No More, and Devo. Soon after he arrived, Jobs called. “Your commercials suck,” he said. “The iPad is revolutionizing the world, and we need something big. You’ve given me small shit.” “Well, what do you want?” Vincent shot back. “You’ve not been able to tell me what you want.” “I don’t know,” Jobs said. “You have to bring me something new. Nothing you’ve shown me is even close.” Vincent argued back and suddenly Jobs went ballistic. “He just started screaming at me,” Vincent recalled. Vincent could be volatile himself, and the volleys escalated. When Vincent shouted, “You’ve got to tell me what you want,” Jobs shot back, “You’ve got to show me some stuff, and I’ll know it when I see it.” “Oh, great, let me write that on my brief for my creative people: I’ll know it when I see it.” Vincent got so frustrated that he slammed his fist into the wall of the house he was renting and put a large dent in it. When he finally went outside to his family, sitting by the pool, they looked at him nervously. “Are you okay?” his wife finally asked. It took Vincent and his team two weeks to come up with an array of new options, and he asked to present them at Jobs’s house rather than the office, hoping that it would be a more relaxed environment. Laying storyboards on the coffee table, he and Milner offered twelve approaches. One was inspirational and stirring. Another tried humor, with Michael Cera, the comic actor, wandering through a fake house making funny comments about the way people could use iPads. Others featured the iPad with celebrities, or set starkly on a white background, or starring in a little sitcom, or in a straightforward product demonstration. After mulling over the options, Jobs realized what he wanted. Not humor, nor a celebrity, nor a demo. “It’s got to make a statement,” he said. “It needs to be a manifesto. This is big.” He had announced that the iPad would change the world, and he wanted a campaign that reinforced that declaration. Other companies would come out with copycat tablets in a year or so, he said, and he wanted people to remember that the iPad was the real thing. “We need ads that stand up and declare what we have done.” He abruptly got out of his chair, looking a bit weak but smiling. “I’ve got to go have a massage now,” he said. “Get to work.” So Vincent and Milner, along with the copywriter Eric Grunbaum, began crafting what they dubbed “The Manifesto.” It would be fast-paced, with vibrant pictures and a thumping beat, and it would proclaim that the iPad was revolutionary. The music they chose was Karen O’s pounding refrain from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’” Gold Lion.” As the iPad was shown doing magical things, a strong voice declared, “iPad is thin. iPad is beautiful. . . . It’s crazy powerful. It’s magical. . . . It’s video, photos. More books than you could read in a lifetime. It’s already a revolution, and it’s only just begun.” Once the Manifesto ads had run their course, the team again tried something softer, shot as day-in-the-life documentaries by the young filmmaker Jessica Sanders. Jobs liked them—for a little while. Then he turned against them for the same reason he had reacted against the original Pottery Barn–style ads. “Dammit,” he shouted, “they look like a Visa commercial, typical ad agency stuff.” He had been asking for ads that were different and new, but eventually he realized he did not want to stray from what he considered the Apple voice. For him, that voice had a distinctive set of qualities: simple, declarative, clean. “We went down that lifestyle path, and it seemed to be growing on Steve, and suddenly he said, ‘I hate that stuff, it’s not Apple,’” recalled Lee Clow. “He told us to get back to the Apple voice. It’s a very simple, honest voice.” And so they went back to a clean white background, with just a close-up showing off all the things that “iPad is . . .” and could do. [/quote]
Have you forgotten that 1985 was the year The Suits on Apple's Board of Directors ran Steve Jobs out on a rail? LOL!
Maybe this ad, in excruciating bad taste, was part of the reason...
In the 1984 ad Apple was attacking Big Brother...
In the "Lemmings" ad Apple was ridiculing businessmen who used PCs... the very people they were trying to attract and convince to buy Macs and "Mac Office".
At this point in his life, I think that Steve had little tolerance or understanding of "business" -- and was totally focused on making cool products and "total Apple solutions". We saw a few brilliant products like the LaserWriter... but most business offerings like Apple Hard Disks, and AppleTalk networking were inferior to offerings from other companies.
I think that Steve just turned his back and ignored the general business segment of the market.
I remember having a long discussion with Guy Kawasaki, around this time, about what Apple should be doing to attract and support business customers. I suspect the discussion was passed on, but nothing ever came of it.
Another example... we were selling Corvus OmniNet twisted pair (telephone wire) 1 Mb networks all over the US (and a few in Europe)) -- mainly tied to Apple computers (first Apple ][, then Macs). You could put up to 63 Macs on a network with no special wiring... just a $99 adapter card that you plugged into the back of each Mac. Mark Hahn, a brilliant engineer and co-founder of Corvus told me that he had tried, without success, to get Steve interested in licensing the OmniNet chip technology... He said it would have cost Apple less than $10 per Mac (Macs sold for about $2,500 - $3,000). This could have been a major breakthrough for Mac in business -- as many Macs (and Apple ][ & Apple ///, IBM PC, S100 Systems) could share the same HDD and SPOOLed printers. We sold thousands of Apple Computers to businesses along with Corvus networks... quite a few of these were Fortune 500 companies... We even sold/installed 7 Corvus OmniNet networks to various departments in Apple HQ... (Apple didn't buy the Computers from US, though... Sigh).
Careful, you're reaching so far you might pull a muscle if you aren't careful. LOL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
Maybe this ad, in excruciating bad taste, was part of the reason...
In the 1984 ad Apple was attacking Big Brother...
In the "Lemmings" ad Apple was ridiculing businessmen who used PCs... the very people they were trying to attract and convince to buy Macs and "Mac Office".
Careful, you're reaching so far you might pull a muscle if you aren't careful. LOL!
You had to be there to understand! In 1985:
there was no Internet or web
Apple had no online stores
Apple had no bricks and mortar retail stores
virtually all Apple computers, and other brands like IBM, were sold through independent retailers
because if its "history" Apple computers were considered by, business, to be upstart hippie toys
because if its "history" IBM computers were considered by, business, to be serious business computers
Some independent retailers understood the "business" needs and mindset and were quite successful marketing Apple computers to "business" -- often in spite of Apple.
Our stores had 3 partners -- 2 (including myself) had been marketing (sales and support) IBM mainframes to business since 1964... 12 years before Apple was founded.
When we entered the market in 1978, there were three identified targets to sell into:
hobbyist
home/personal
business
There was no money in the hobbyist market -- they built their own.
The home/personal market was beginning to become active with self-contained units like the Apple ][.
There was no business market, yet (no SpreadSheets, Word Processors, etc.) but many saw the business market as a great potential.
By design, we had structured our company to sell to the home/personal and business markets.
We carefully cultivated the business market and by 1985 we were quite successful selling computers (mostly Apple, but some IBM) to businesses.
Apple's 1985 Lemmings ad was a slap in the face to our business customers and to us.
By comparison, today's Genius ads are showcasing after sale service and support. While targeted at the home/personal user, the concept is well understood and appreciated by the business user.
Comments
Doesn't the image of hapless users begging for help from a "Genius" to do rather simple things run precisely counter to the "it just works" idea? i found the ads just a touch insulting to potential new users.
Quote:
Originally Posted by moustache
Bad meaning good in this case.
You can't judge or equate the success of these ads by your own "expert" experience. You have worked 12 years at one brand, and you don't have the experience of 12 years at the company who you think you know what the hell is going on, where they are heading, and what future they want to build from today.
You don't work for Apple. People who call themselves experts always never get it right. Especially the ones that envy of having a job at the company they only wish they worked at and try to step on the same people (Phil Schiller) that work in the same position at a job which you would never ever get.
There are a majority of people that have switched to Apple, or that are planning to switch but still not sure. These are the people that can "emotionally" be connected with these new ads.
Ever since I have been a Mac user, I have had at least one person every week asking me about switching from PC and how they are unsure whether they can use a Mac given their whole digital life has only been on a PC. Especially after the iPhone and iPad has been released, its been a lot more closer to "should I make the jump?" Also from many friends who have switched and starting out. Its usually these people that ask Mac users for help. Now they have retail store staff to assist. I have started to make screencasts for my parents who live on the other side of the globe on how to solve specific Mac issues, and they visit the Apple Store to ask geniuses there every weekend.
These ads are all aimed at the older generation.
Apple realizes the younger generation have switched and its time to target the rest.
Good post!
I would add that there are members of every generation who are just not technology driven -- they are aware of technology, but they don't arrange their lives around it. Doctors, Lawyers, Executives, Construction Workers, Athletes, Welders...
These people often see the need for a computer to address specific tasks to simplify their lives -- but have no interest in becoming computerists (experts, techies). This has less to do with age, IQ, education, ability than how these people view the world around them.
Dr. "G", was writing a scientific book and was well respected in his field. He bought his computer from us and went through all our training.
Dr. "G" lived in Santa Cruz, and every few months he would make the difficult trip over the mountains to our Sunnyvale Store. He would pull out a stack of 3x5 index cards -- each card had a question or described a problem he was having. The stack was usually 1/2-1 inch thick. So, Dr. "G" would start with the top card, ask his question, note the answer, then place the card on the bottom of the deck... repeat. Often he would cycle through the stack several times to be sure that all the issues were resolved.
Dr. "G" was brilliant! Dr. "G" was a customer of mine! Dr. "G" never understood computers! Dr. "G" was able to get the job done using a computer!
My friend Sheena Melwani is a singer, composer songwriter. Sheena is very active on Twitter and used to have weekly LiveCasts. On one particular LiveCast, Sheena was chiding her father:
Sheena: "Why don't you follow me on Twitter?".
Dad: "Because, I am not that interested in what you are doing all the time!"
Or, My Dad, when I was showing him how to do something on his Apple ][:
"I don't want to know how it works -- I just want it to work [enter address labels]"
My Dad had a very inquisitive mind, was a self-taught automotive/electronics engineer with several patents and inventions under his belt. He could design and build a Stereo & Speakers that made the bay window pulsate and a candy dish jump off the coffee table [true story] -- but Dad had absolutely no Interest in how computers worked -- he just wanted to enter and print address labels.
Or my Late wife Lucy. Lucy had no interest in technology... Lucy was interested in people. We were surrounded by computers and computer geeks, but the most Lucy ever did with computers was a little word-process (writing letters) or checking/entering orders with our suppliers (1980s, before the web) using specialized systems.
Here's the best part... Lucy, the non-techie people person managed the best damn computer stores in Silicon valley.
Anther example are the many corporate executives that brought their iPhones and iPads [and a few Macs] into the office and told IT: "Make this work on our network." These executives have bigger fish to fry than learning the intricacies of every tool they use -- they are interested in results -- I want to use an iPhone (iPad, Mac) -- make it work for me.
My point is that the world is filled with people who are not (and never will be) "computerists" -- but they do need computers as part of their lives... And they need them to work as advertised, be repaired as needed (inexpensively and quickly) and, periodically, learn how to make the computer do something new [to them]. These people may not have IT or "Geek" friends out there to help them.
What I'm describing is service after sale! Most people who own, or are considering buying a computer tool are interested in making it do what they want [my Dad's Address labels] -- not how it does it.
Some large number of the 90% plus of non-Mac computer users out there have little, or no, way to make their computers do what they want.
These Genius ads are addressed to these people (say, 70% of the 90% ~= 60%) and those who have no computer at all.
This is a capability/service that Apple has -- and the competition has nothing...nothing! This is a tremendous opportunity for Apple -- the consumerization of consumer PCs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bwana_Dik
Doesn't the image of hapless users begging for help from a "Genius" to do rather simple things run precisely counter to the "it just works" idea? i found the ads just a touch insulting to potential new users.
Are you a potential new user? Have you ever tried to sell a computer to a potential new user? Especially to a potential new user who is afraid or confused by technology?
These ads present Geniuses showing ordinary {non-techie) people how to get things done... It may be beneath your abilities or interests, but how is that insulting to the target of these ads?
I agree with what you said. Sorry to hear about your wife.
I have been helping out most of my friends and family in the last 20 Mac years of the same people you are talking about in your post. And seeing these ads, I see my Dad going through the same thing, especially thinking of buying other brands because it should be as good as an Apple product... Until I tell him that cheap doesn't equate to being a better product, or many of these gadgets try and emulate an apple product... (ad with the guy who thinks he bought a close enough non-Mac Mac!! My Dad still bought a Dell laptop because it was cheap!!! Now he just uses his iPad.
But it's a lot easier now since these people had a chance to use the iPhone or iPad or more importantly heard others of their kind rave about them. Then these people might stumble into an Apple store and get to play with one themselves. And Dad likes to ask direct questions to see whether this new gadget can do what his laptop can by asking the staff at the Apple Store.
Bingo. The Verge site had an article saying the ads were embarrassing. I am surprised so many Apple fans here only think of whats in front of their noses.
I just hope these ads will make more Mac sales and then people here will be more understanding. I bet the brief Apple directed to ad agencies was exactly for those other older than teens and potential Apple switchers (the masses who watch Olympics opening haha)
Originally Posted by Techboy
It's not cool nor funny nor does it connect with someone that has used a Mac for 15 years.
It's not supposed to connect with you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
It's not supposed to connect with you.
This is an amazing thread...
I am surprised at the number of posters who are totally self-centered and have a complete lack of empathy....
"Walk a mile in my [someone else's] shoes".
I have found that a common ability shared by the most effective people I know -- is the ability to look at things from the viewpoint of others (viewpoints often diametrically opposed to their own).
...And one of the most effective people I've ever met was the late Steve Jobs... he had the ability in spades! He would consider things from others' viewpoints and determine what they wanted/needed before they even knew they needed it.
I liked the ads. I like that Apple is branding the Genius as a concept. I loved that the third ad showed the Genius sleeping in his Apple uniform, like a superhero or something.
I have a friend who's never owned a Mac, but the other day she commented how nice it would be to get free support at any Apple Store. I have other friends and relatives who might be interested in using iPhoto and iMovie but wouldn't explore them on their own. I don't think these people would feel condescended to by these ads. I expect the only effect they'll have is to give people a lighthearted reminder that Apple has good support options.
If I'm not articulating the point well enough, try this [=http://kensegall.com/2012/07/new-mac-ads-landing-with-a-serious-thud/]one[/]
Quote:
Originally Posted by focher
That's fine. You are impressed by functional ads. I do not have any desire to work for Apple, and your suggestion otherwise is just specious and silly. These ads are terrible brand marketing ads, and Apple has long been about brand marketing. It seemed to be doing well for them. Brand marketing is a specific kind of marketing, and it translates well across brands. The problem is people tend to think in terms of functional ads "product X will do Y for you" because it's easier to understand, but it's not better. Convincing people to love you for who you are, and not just what you can do for them, is innately better for a company's long term sustainability. And it's been the core of Apple's identity since 1997.
If I'm not articulating the point well enough, try this [=http://kensegall.com/2012/07/new-mac-ads-landing-with-a-serious-thud/]one[/]
I don't pretend to understand advertising theory and all its intricacies... but I do understand what works, These ads work for their target audience. Every ad doesn't need to be promoteing the "brand"... some even consider that too elitist -- " they are always tellin' us how great they are -- what do they care about what I need?".
There is nothing wrong with targeting ads to address specific products, services, issues or audiences. These need not diminish the "brand" ads -- rather they can bring new customers to the fold who will now appreciate the "brand" because it addressed their needs.
If you reallly want to be pedantic about it... you could say that Apple should never have run the iPod ads or "I'm a Mac" ads... because they diminished the Apple "brand" of supplying serious computer solutions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by focher
That's fine. You are impressed by functional ads. I do not have any desire to work for Apple, and your suggestion otherwise is just specious and silly. These ads are terrible brand marketing ads, and Apple has long been about brand marketing. It seemed to be doing well for them. Brand marketing is a specific kind of marketing, and it translates well across brands. The problem is people tend to think in terms of functional ads "product X will do Y for you" because it's easier to understand, but it's not better. Convincing people to love you for who you are, and not just what you can do for them, is innately better for a company's long term sustainability. And it's been the core of Apple's identity since 1997.
If I'm not articulating the point well enough, try this [=http://kensegall.com/2012/07/new-mac-ads-landing-with-a-serious-thud/]one[/]
I predict we will see more polished Genius ads as it further develops.
I like the concept, maybe the way its told can be better, to also please the already converted Mac users.
At any rate, the huge negative responses of an ad is so unique in today's marketing world. It only says that Apple users care for Apple which I think is the best indication of a successful brand.
I never met Steve Jobs, but I know the marketing and advertising that came out during his tenure were never anywhere near this bad...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
I don't pretend to understand advertising theory and all its intricacies... but I do understand what works, These ads work for their target audience. Every ad doesn't need to be promoteing the "brand"... some even consider that too elitist -- " they are always tellin' us how great they are -- what do they care about what I need?".
There is nothing wrong with targeting ads to address specific products, services, issues or audiences. These need not diminish the "brand" ads -- rather they can bring new customers to the fold who will now appreciate the "brand" because it addressed their needs.
If you reallly want to be pedantic about it... you could say that Apple should never have run the iPod ads or "I'm a Mac" ads... because they diminished the Apple "brand" of supplying serious computer solutions.
... but this guy did know Steve Jobs and worked with him for years as creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, and this was his impression of the ads:
Quote:
These ads are causing a widespread gagging response, and deservedly so. I honestly can’t remember a single Apple campaign that’s been received so poorly.
Former Apple Ad Man Slams 'Genius' TV Spots as "Landing With A Thud" (macrumors.com)
Quote:
Originally Posted by John.B
I never met Steve Jobs, but I know the marketing and advertising that came out during his tenure were never anywhere near this bad...
... but this guy did know Steve Jobs and worked with him for years as creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, and this was his impression of the ads:
Former Apple Ad Man Slams 'Genius' TV Spots as "Landing With A Thud" (macrumors.com)
Do you know how close Apple came to not running the 1984 ad?
And, of course, there's this turd:
Even Steve Jobs and TBWA\Chiat\Day got it wrong sometimes – Apple’s ‘Lemmings’ ad from 1985
http://www.moreaboutadvertising.com/2011/10/even-steve-jobs-and-tbwachiatday-got-it-wrong-sometimes-apples-lemmings-ad-from-1985/
Effective ads, like beauty -- are in the eye of the beholder -- not the creator... who has a vested interest...
...Where's that Mac Office and "Brand" promotion you guys go on and on and on about?
And you guys are saying the Genius ads are bad... and insulting to potential customers?
"Good" I know nothing about... but "Bad" I understand!
The "Lemmings" ad was one of the worst ads ever... by any company, by any agency, for any "brand"! Bad... just bad!
"...a chagrined Apple considered running a public apology for it."
From the bible, nee, bio:
[quote]
Jobs was not happy with the original ads for the iPad. As usual, he threw himself into the marketing, working with James Vincent and Duncan Milner at the ad agency (now called TBWA/Media Arts Lab), with Lee Clow advising from a semiretired perch. The commercial they first produced was a gentle scene of a guy in faded jeans and sweatshirt reclining in a chair, looking at email, a photo album, the New York Times, books, and video on an iPad propped on his lap. There were no words, just the background beat of “There Goes My Love” by the Blue Van. “After he approved it, Steve decided he hated it,” Vincent recalled. “He thought it looked like a Pottery Barn commercial.” Jobs later told me:
It had been easy to explain what the iPod was—a thousand songs in your pocket—which allowed us to move quickly to the iconic silhouette ads. But it was hard to explain what an iPad was. We didn’t want to show it as a computer, and yet we didn’t want to make it so soft that it looked like a cute TV. The first set of ads showed we didn’t know what we were doing. They had a cashmere and Hush Puppies feel to them.
James Vincent had not taken a break in months. So when the iPad finally went on sale and the ads started airing, he drove with his family to the Coachella Music Festival in Palm Springs, which featured some of his favorite bands, including Muse, Faith No More, and Devo. Soon after he arrived, Jobs called. “Your commercials suck,” he said. “The iPad is revolutionizing the world, and we need something big. You’ve given me small shit.”
“Well, what do you want?” Vincent shot back. “You’ve not been able to tell me what you want.”
“I don’t know,” Jobs said. “You have to bring me something new. Nothing you’ve shown me is even close.”
Vincent argued back and suddenly Jobs went ballistic. “He just started screaming at me,” Vincent recalled. Vincent could be volatile himself, and the volleys escalated.
When Vincent shouted, “You’ve got to tell me what you want,” Jobs shot back, “You’ve got to show me some stuff, and I’ll know it when I see it.”
“Oh, great, let me write that on my brief for my creative people: I’ll know it when I see it.”
Vincent got so frustrated that he slammed his fist into the wall of the house he was renting and put a large dent in it. When he finally went outside to his family, sitting by the pool, they looked at him nervously. “Are you okay?” his wife finally asked.
It took Vincent and his team two weeks to come up with an array of new options, and he asked to present them at Jobs’s house rather than the office, hoping that it would be a more relaxed environment. Laying storyboards on the coffee table, he and Milner offered twelve approaches. One was inspirational and stirring. Another tried humor, with Michael Cera, the comic actor, wandering through a fake house making funny comments about the way people could use iPads. Others featured the iPad with celebrities, or set starkly on a white background, or starring in a little sitcom, or in a straightforward product demonstration.
After mulling over the options, Jobs realized what he wanted. Not humor, nor a celebrity, nor a demo. “It’s got to make a statement,” he said. “It needs to be a manifesto. This is big.” He had announced that the iPad would change the world, and he wanted a campaign that reinforced that declaration. Other companies would come out with copycat tablets in a year or so, he said, and he wanted people to remember that the iPad was the real thing. “We need ads that stand up and declare what we have done.”
He abruptly got out of his chair, looking a bit weak but smiling. “I’ve got to go have a massage now,” he said. “Get to work.”
So Vincent and Milner, along with the copywriter Eric Grunbaum, began crafting what they dubbed “The Manifesto.” It would be fast-paced, with vibrant pictures and a thumping beat, and it would proclaim that the iPad was revolutionary. The music they chose was Karen O’s pounding refrain from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’” Gold Lion.” As the iPad was shown doing magical things, a strong voice declared, “iPad is thin. iPad is beautiful. . . . It’s crazy powerful. It’s magical. . . . It’s video, photos. More books than you could read in a lifetime. It’s already a revolution, and it’s only just begun.”
Once the Manifesto ads had run their course, the team again tried something softer, shot as day-in-the-life documentaries by the young filmmaker Jessica Sanders. Jobs liked them—for a little while. Then he turned against them for the same reason he had reacted against the original Pottery Barn–style ads. “Dammit,” he shouted, “they look like a Visa commercial, typical ad agency stuff.”
He had been asking for ads that were different and new, but eventually he realized he did not want to stray from what he considered the Apple voice. For him, that voice had a distinctive set of qualities: simple, declarative, clean. “We went down that lifestyle path, and it seemed to be growing on Steve, and suddenly he said, ‘I hate that stuff, it’s not Apple,’” recalled Lee Clow. “He told us to get back to the Apple voice. It’s a very simple, honest voice.” And so they went back to a clean white background, with just a close-up showing off all the things that “iPad is . . .” and could do.
[/quote]
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilBoogie
Thank you for all the memories and views shared, much appreciated!
From the bible, nee, bio:
Good read, thanks for posting that! I have the eBook, but haven't read it.
Have you forgotten that 1985 was the year The Suits on Apple's Board of Directors ran Steve Jobs out on a rail? LOL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
Do you know how close Apple came to not running the 1984 ad?
And, of course, there's this turd:
Even Steve Jobs and TBWA\Chiat\Day got it wrong sometimes – Apple’s ‘Lemmings’ ad from 1985
http://www.moreaboutadvertising.com/2011/10/even-steve-jobs-and-tbwachiatday-got-it-wrong-sometimes-apples-lemmings-ad-from-1985/
...
The "Lemmings" ad was one of the worst ads ever... by any company, by any agency, for any "brand"! Bad... just bad!
"...a chagrined Apple considered running a public apology for it."
Quote:
Originally Posted by John.B
Have you forgotten that 1985 was the year The Suits on Apple's Board of Directors ran Steve Jobs out on a rail? LOL!
Maybe this ad, in excruciating bad taste, was part of the reason...
In the 1984 ad Apple was attacking Big Brother...
In the "Lemmings" ad Apple was ridiculing businessmen who used PCs... the very people they were trying to attract and convince to buy Macs and "Mac Office".
At this point in his life, I think that Steve had little tolerance or understanding of "business" -- and was totally focused on making cool products and "total Apple solutions". We saw a few brilliant products like the LaserWriter... but most business offerings like Apple Hard Disks, and AppleTalk networking were inferior to offerings from other companies.
I think that Steve just turned his back and ignored the general business segment of the market.
I remember having a long discussion with Guy Kawasaki, around this time, about what Apple should be doing to attract and support business customers. I suspect the discussion was passed on, but nothing ever came of it.
Another example... we were selling Corvus OmniNet twisted pair (telephone wire) 1 Mb networks all over the US (and a few in Europe)) -- mainly tied to Apple computers (first Apple ][, then Macs). You could put up to 63 Macs on a network with no special wiring... just a $99 adapter card that you plugged into the back of each Mac. Mark Hahn, a brilliant engineer and co-founder of Corvus told me that he had tried, without success, to get Steve interested in licensing the OmniNet chip technology... He said it would have cost Apple less than $10 per Mac (Macs sold for about $2,500 - $3,000). This could have been a major breakthrough for Mac in business -- as many Macs (and Apple ][ & Apple ///, IBM PC, S100 Systems) could share the same HDD and SPOOLed printers. We sold thousands of Apple Computers to businesses along with Corvus networks... quite a few of these were Fortune 500 companies... We even sold/installed 7 Corvus OmniNet networks to various departments in Apple HQ... (Apple didn't buy the Computers from US, though... Sigh).
Careful, you're reaching so far you might pull a muscle if you aren't careful. LOL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
Maybe this ad, in excruciating bad taste, was part of the reason...
In the 1984 ad Apple was attacking Big Brother...
In the "Lemmings" ad Apple was ridiculing businessmen who used PCs... the very people they were trying to attract and convince to buy Macs and "Mac Office".
Careful, you're reaching so far you might pull a muscle if you aren't careful. LOL!
You had to be there to understand! In 1985:
Some independent retailers understood the "business" needs and mindset and were quite successful marketing Apple computers to "business" -- often in spite of Apple.
Our stores had 3 partners -- 2 (including myself) had been marketing (sales and support) IBM mainframes to business since 1964... 12 years before Apple was founded.
When we entered the market in 1978, there were three identified targets to sell into:
There was no money in the hobbyist market -- they built their own.
The home/personal market was beginning to become active with self-contained units like the Apple ][.
There was no business market, yet (no SpreadSheets, Word Processors, etc.) but many saw the business market as a great potential.
By design, we had structured our company to sell to the home/personal and business markets.
We carefully cultivated the business market and by 1985 we were quite successful selling computers (mostly Apple, but some IBM) to businesses.
Apple's 1985 Lemmings ad was a slap in the face to our business customers and to us.
By comparison, today's Genius ads are showcasing after sale service and support. While targeted at the home/personal user, the concept is well understood and appreciated by the business user.
You missed one.
In 1985:
The suits had taken over control of Apple, to its deteriment.
Disclosure, in those days I had a hotrodded IBM XT that I only upgraded to a 386 when Windows 3.0/Excel 3.0 came out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
Quote:
Originally Posted by John.B
Careful, you're reaching so far you might pull a muscle if you aren't careful. LOL!
You had to be there to understand! In 1985:
there was no Internet or web
Apple had no online stores
Apple had no bricks and mortar retail stores
virtually all Apple computers, and other brands like IBM, were sold through independent retailers
because if its "history" Apple computers were considered by, business, to be upstart hippie toys
because if its "history" IBM computers were considered by, business, to be serious business computers
Apple's 1985 Lemmings ad was a slap in the face to our business customers and to us.