I hope these cute little shorts are just that - shorts, not the commercials. I certainly hope that "real" commercials are in the works.
Some kind of shots like those in their video - with Fran Leibovitz (sp?), Seal, etc, using the iMac and talking about them. Those are the best shots/sequences I've seen on the iMac.
They need to do something with someone actually using the iMac. If more people knew what you could do with a Mac "right out of the box", they would sell a lot more machines.
You can do most of this stuff on a PC, but no where near as easily, and without buying extra software (that's a pain in the ass to use). Apple needs to show this somehow.
A little movie with the iMac dancing around (and checking out it's manhood) is cool I guess... but they better have something more substantial to follow. Show someone burning a kids sports game to DVD, ordering an iPhoto book online, moving the screen with one finger to show a friend beside them something on the screen.... man the possibilities are endless.
Awhile back I posted a very amusing iMac video somebody did. The one with the iMac acting like Luxo Jr. and hopping on the iMac logo standing behind him. These two Pixar ones are probably the worst animation the studio has done and pale in comparison to that unauthorized one. I hope the price was really cheap. Why not let the viewer know that the iMac can do so many things (and better than a PC) and that it comes loaded with great apps.
It may be time for an ad agency that can stand up to Apple execs.
pscates, iDVD and iPhoto have their own commercials.
OS X needs a commercial, sure.
But what information do you want to add? There's no need to beat into the viewer's head that the flat-screen is indeed a flat-screen. Do you really want to advertise the 800 MHz clockspeed of the iMac when most consumer PCs are twice that in MHz?
I've always felt that a friends or next door neighbor style Ad would be great. One in which a non Mac user friend/ neighbor confronts his Mac user friend with the typical "what can a Mac do?" and his friend shows off all the iApps and maybe OS X. Actually it doesn't need to be that confrontational and could instead be more "I didn't know you could...", "that's so easy...", etc. I hear all the time how PC users are impressed by Mac hardware (mostly looks wise) and software and amazed how well it works together. They just need to find a way to give that impression with a 30 second TV Ad.
<strong>pscates, iDVD and iPhoto have their own commercials.
OS X needs a commercial, sure.
But what information do you want to add? There's no need to beat into the viewer's head that the flat-screen is indeed a flat-screen. Do you really want to advertise the 800 MHz clockspeed of the iMac when most consumer PCs are twice that in MHz?</strong><hr></blockquote>
I don't know...I was just thinking that perhaps an overall, "big picture" campaign might be nice.
Regarding the screen, yes it is obviously flat. But perhaps instead of focusing on that, how about that cool arm and the mobility of said screen?
Separate, little-seen spots for iPhoto and iDVD might seem disjointed and "eh...so?" to many non-Mac users.
And I said in my post above that I DON'T think it's a good idea for Apple to tout specs because it's obvious that, on paper, 800MHz and so forth doesn't look all that impressive. I'm no fool.
Re-read my post
Actually, I was hoping that little snippet at the beginning of the iMac intro video ("Some people have said we've been getting to radical with our message...") would be the basis for a new commercial. Cool song, cool camera work, nice action (STILL showing the cuteness and mobility of the new iMac, just not in such a cloying, cartoonish way that makes it look more juvenile and "toyish" than it should), interspersed with shots (or even voiceover?) of digital devices working with it: cameras plugging in and iPhoto lining up a bunch of shots, iTunes and iPod doing their thing, iMovie and a digital camcorder, etc.
I can't believe you're fighting me on this and that you honestly believe that silly-ass Pixar thing with the wooden floor and whole cartoonish vibe is honestly the best Apple could come up with.
Hey, THEY'RE the ones who've said they're going after the "other 95%", not me. I'm just commenting and wondering aloud how they're actually going to do so when they present nothing more than vague eye candy as the centerpiece to their marketing campaign.
Do you honestly not believe there is a better, more effective (yet, still cool and snazzy to look at) approach?
AGAIN, it's not a "one or the other" kind of thing. They can do a little of both and cover ALL their bases. Why they only continue to take the other, more vague and surface-only approach is beyond me, that's all.
These indeed are the commercials Apple plans to air. Right after MWSF it was mentioned in a report that Pixar was doing the commericals. Why would Apple put these two movies on their site with a voice over and tag line if they weren't.
For the way to do it right take a look at the 2 page ad in the current Newsweek Magazine. It manages to show a "moving" iMac and list all the features without "jamming" it down the readers throat or making the computer into a toy.
Well, I think you're confusing the majority of the other 97%+ with the 5% who are consumed in Mac hatred. Case in point. When I was in the dorms, 2/18 people in my suite used Macs. Nobody else really had a freaking clue what a Mac really was.
"Oh I can't use that because it runs Microsoft Mac Windows, right?"
"Can you send me that app?"
"Where's the rest of it?"
"Your start menu looks funny."
Stuff like that. They weren't curious at all enough to even learn about the most basic features. Describing these features in a 15 or 30 sec ad would probably be just as fruitless or not worth the continuous effort. Apple needs a commercial that sells itself on image alone. This is a start. It's definitely a good start, and it's the first time Apple has really given a product a personality since the original Macintosh started talking to the audience in 1984.
Hm, why create 15 and 30 second spots just for your adoring fans in one corner of yur website? Hmmm.....
I have to admit I loved the 30 second spot especially. When iMac poses with its Superdrive, right, then left, it just cracked me up. Well, I thought they were fun, great teases.
After years of clamoring for Apple to show what you can do with their computers I have noticed two things:
1. ads that merely describe their products are BOOOOOORING and people don't remember them.
2. Good impressions are EVERYTHING! No one cares what the beer tastes like, how the sneaker's shock absorbtion works, how to operate a Maytag, what exactly Merrill Lynch does for its customers, or exactly how to use AOL. If the ad expresses friendliness and simplicity in a way that people will remember, then it has done its job well.
Commericals are not infomercials, they do not disseminate information well. You cannot force the Macintosh experience into people's heads by making them look at you or someone else doing it. It would be criminal to even attempt to explain "Macintosh" in 30 seconds. These ads express Macintosh much better. They are teases, impressions. They humanize the iMac. They are more effective than mere fact, and they're more exciting than watching someone point and click.
[quote] You know, the "Concert" guy was in the VERY same commercial. He was one of the idiots watching iPhoto guy headbutt the ram... <hr></blockquote>
whoa...I guess the other guys are just apple ad up'n'comers? I would try and start a conspiracy theory, but I don't have the patience right now
[quote] they are just testing the water... <hr></blockquote>
ha! I hope so, cause the water is way too hot :eek: for these "commercials"!
Okay, here's my second take on what apple should do with their commercials (I guess the headbutt thing didn't fly with too many of you ) - I'm siding with Murbot... just like the Think Different campaign, create a series of 30 sec ads with different celebs using an iMac, a TiBook, an iPod, etc. just saying how cool it is. These would be even better than the Think Differents because to the best of my knowledge, Gandhi never used a Mac!!
You'll capture different segments of the population with different spots - youth and/or musos admiring Trent Reznor or Beck using their iPods ... Annie Leibowitz and Francis Ford Coppola would appeal to a more sophisticated audience. More than anything else I've seen on the iMac (including the print ads), these spots made my jaw drop and made me want one. People will say "I want to be like Coppola, maybe I'll like Macs!" ... Hell, get Clinton for one (Bush is a little busy right now methinks)!
That's a good idea. I've often wondered about star appeal, and if using famous people from all areas (sports, science, entertainment, the arts, etc.) would be a good idea.
Other companies seem to use it well.
And we all know that Apple has some VERY loyal and enthusiastic users/supporters among the well-known.
There could be a couple of distinct campaigns: bring back the "What's on my [fill in the blank]", featuring famous, and even not-so-famous, people.
The second (other) campaign could be more what we've been talking about above: actually show how this stuff works, how it benefits people, what you can do with it (lame-ass 2 hour wedding video with dead space, shaky camera moments, etc. compared to an edited, cool one with music, effects, etc.). That kind of stuff: everyday, normal person features and uses that people will go "wow, you mean I can buy one of those iMacs and film my son's graduation and make this whole cool-looking DVD or video?".
Jobs touts this stuff every chance he gets, the retail stores are actually designed around the digital hub concept, Apple is pushing it with ALL of their products (everything has Firewire and comes with the 4 iApps), etc.
It just makes sense to get that out to the masses. Most people (my mom or PC-using buddies) aren't quite aware of this because they're not waking up at 6am to watch Macworld keynotes and they're not visiting maccentral.com or Apple's website.
If Apple doesn't tell them, via print and/or TV spots, how in the hell is that other, highly-sought 95% ever going to know this stuff?
I'm all for cuteness and visual appeal, but it ISN'T enough. And NOWHERE above did I ever say "show every lame, boring spec..." because THAT approach sucks too. Hell, I wouldn't watch it either, people.
But they're stupid if they don't attempt to make the Mac look cooler and more inviting BEYOND the mere appearance and design.
For the FOURTH time, they can do BOTH, people.
Some of you make it sound like the ONLY possible approach is the Pixar, wooden floor approach and anything beyond surface cuteness is somehow out of the question and forbidden.
Apple's "bread and butter" and favorite thing to talk about these days is the whole digital hub thing. THAT'S what they need to be trumpeting and playing up, ALONG with the cute "money shots".
[quote] Speaking of QuickTime content, faithful viewer Sledgehammer Smythe was the first to point out that there are a couple of new additions to Apple's ads page-- or, at least, there were. From last night until this afternoon, there were two new iMac spots linked there, which have since mysteriously vanished. Fear not, though; there's still a link to the action on Apple's QuickTime page, which means that you're just a couple of clicks away from seeing what happens when two Jobsian companies collide.
Yep, them rumors were no jive; none other than Pixar, Steve's other little enterprise, was tapped to produce a couple of short animated spots introducing the new iMac to the world. One piece is thirty seconds long and shows the iMac hopping joyfully about to a peppy techno number while apparently emanating some distinctly R2-D2esque chirps and whistles; eventually it calms down enough to say "hi." The other is just fifteen seconds in length, but we consider it to be the far more effective of the two; the iMac watches curiously as its SuperDrive tray repeatedly extends and retracts, until it's embarrassed to notice that it has an audience. You have to see it to appreciate it, but believe us when we say that Pixar's talent for humanizing the inert shines through again.
Of course, the appearance of these two spots on Apple's ads page is no doubt kicking up the usual firestorm of controversy about whether or not the new ads suck. We can hear the complaints already-- "doesn't tell you anything about the system," "where are the price/performance figures," "why is the new iMac staring at its private parts," etc. Before you get too worked up, we should probably mention that we're pretty sure these aren't actual TV commercials (yet). For one thing, honest-to-goodness ads tend to appear on Apple's web site only after they've debuted in a very visible time slot on network TV, and we have yet to receive a single report from anyone who's seen either piece on the air. For another, Apple refers to them as "short films" and not as commercials, despite the fact that they happen to appear in the "ads" directory on its server. There's also the fact that they were yanked from Apple's real ads page, probably in an attempt to stem exactly this sort of confusion.
Now, while some of you are heaving a sigh of relief that the public's televisual introduction to the iMac won't be the two spots that faithful viewer Jeff has already dubbed "Never Take Acid During an Aerobics Workout" and "New iMac Caught Using Digital Viagra," we should also mention that we think they'd make lovely commercials. Let's face it: thirty seconds is a woefully short period of time in which to convey any substantive information, and any attempt by Apple to capture the public's attention with product specs, comparative performance numbers, or the like would probably be doomed to fail. The iMac's biggest strength from a sales perspective is its personality, and these two spots have so much of the stuff it's dripping all over the rug. Make the public smile, and they might just go looking for more info on the iMac when computer-shopping time rolls around.
If nothing else, we think these spots would make great eyeball-grabbing teaser ads that could be followed up by more developed pieces underscoring the iMac's versatility as a powerful digital hub. In any case, these animations are way too cute to confine to the 'net, so we hope Apple finds some way to get them in front of a broader audience. Ah, heck, if nothing else, we suppose Steve can just stick 'em in front of the next Pixar feature.
Comments
The dancing iMac, simply on its own and with no mention of what it can do (the kid's baseball game being a nice example) doesn't mean shit.
It's just expensive eye-candy.
Like I said above, it doesn't have to be "either/or". Why can't it be a bit of both, done well and in a non-boring, cool way?
It's possible...it's just not done.
Some kind of shots like those in their video - with Fran Leibovitz (sp?), Seal, etc, using the iMac and talking about them. Those are the best shots/sequences I've seen on the iMac.
They need to do something with someone actually using the iMac. If more people knew what you could do with a Mac "right out of the box", they would sell a lot more machines.
You can do most of this stuff on a PC, but no where near as easily, and without buying extra software (that's a pain in the ass to use). Apple needs to show this somehow.
A little movie with the iMac dancing around (and checking out it's manhood) is cool I guess... but they better have something more substantial to follow. Show someone burning a kids sports game to DVD, ordering an iPhoto book online, moving the screen with one finger to show a friend beside them something on the screen.... man the possibilities are endless.
Just don't end it with this dancing toy!
[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: murbot ]</p>
It may be time for an ad agency that can stand up to Apple execs.
[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: MacsRGood4U ]</p>
OS X needs a commercial, sure.
But what information do you want to add? There's no need to beat into the viewer's head that the flat-screen is indeed a flat-screen. Do you really want to advertise the 800 MHz clockspeed of the iMac when most consumer PCs are twice that in MHz?
These are not commercials for mass consumption.
Leave the criticism for when the ads actually appear on TV.
(And I know there will be critcism)
[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: imacSE ]</p>
<strong>pscates, iDVD and iPhoto have their own commercials.
OS X needs a commercial, sure.
But what information do you want to add? There's no need to beat into the viewer's head that the flat-screen is indeed a flat-screen. Do you really want to advertise the 800 MHz clockspeed of the iMac when most consumer PCs are twice that in MHz?</strong><hr></blockquote>
I don't know...I was just thinking that perhaps an overall, "big picture" campaign might be nice.
Regarding the screen, yes it is obviously flat. But perhaps instead of focusing on that, how about that cool arm and the mobility of said screen?
Separate, little-seen spots for iPhoto and iDVD might seem disjointed and "eh...so?" to many non-Mac users.
And I said in my post above that I DON'T think it's a good idea for Apple to tout specs because it's obvious that, on paper, 800MHz and so forth doesn't look all that impressive. I'm no fool.
Re-read my post
Actually, I was hoping that little snippet at the beginning of the iMac intro video ("Some people have said we've been getting to radical with our message...") would be the basis for a new commercial. Cool song, cool camera work, nice action (STILL showing the cuteness and mobility of the new iMac, just not in such a cloying, cartoonish way that makes it look more juvenile and "toyish" than it should), interspersed with shots (or even voiceover?) of digital devices working with it: cameras plugging in and iPhoto lining up a bunch of shots, iTunes and iPod doing their thing, iMovie and a digital camcorder, etc.
I can't believe you're fighting me on this and that you honestly believe that silly-ass Pixar thing with the wooden floor and whole cartoonish vibe is honestly the best Apple could come up with.
Hey, THEY'RE the ones who've said they're going after the "other 95%", not me. I'm just commenting and wondering aloud how they're actually going to do so when they present nothing more than vague eye candy as the centerpiece to their marketing campaign.
Do you honestly not believe there is a better, more effective (yet, still cool and snazzy to look at) approach?
AGAIN, it's not a "one or the other" kind of thing. They can do a little of both and cover ALL their bases. Why they only continue to take the other, more vague and surface-only approach is beyond me, that's all.
<a href="http://forums.macnn.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=45&t=002983"; target="_blank">http://forums.macnn.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic &f=45&t=002983</a>
[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: corvette ]</p>
"The new iMac comes to life in these two short films created by our friends at Pixar Animation Studios."
from <a href="http://www.apple.com/hardware/ads/newimac.html"; target="_blank">http://www.apple.com/hardware/ads/newimac.html</a>;
Yes, they shouldn't have used that URL, but I really don't think thats a good enough reason to launch into diatribes flaming apple...
If it's NOT, then I take back all I said above and will reserve judgement until I see the real one.
If it IS, then it still sucks.
In any case, thank you for your time.
For the way to do it right take a look at the 2 page ad in the current Newsweek Magazine. It manages to show a "moving" iMac and list all the features without "jamming" it down the readers throat or making the computer into a toy.
Oh my god!
I will make one and post it!!
"Oh I can't use that because it runs Microsoft Mac Windows, right?"
"Can you send me that app?"
"Where's the rest of it?"
"Your start menu looks funny."
Stuff like that. They weren't curious at all enough to even learn about the most basic features. Describing these features in a 15 or 30 sec ad would probably be just as fruitless or not worth the continuous effort. Apple needs a commercial that sells itself on image alone. This is a start. It's definitely a good start, and it's the first time Apple has really given a product a personality since the original Macintosh started talking to the audience in 1984.
[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>
I have to admit I loved the 30 second spot especially. When iMac poses with its Superdrive, right, then left, it just cracked me up. Well, I thought they were fun, great teases.
After years of clamoring for Apple to show what you can do with their computers I have noticed two things:
1. ads that merely describe their products are BOOOOOORING and people don't remember them.
2. Good impressions are EVERYTHING! No one cares what the beer tastes like, how the sneaker's shock absorbtion works, how to operate a Maytag, what exactly Merrill Lynch does for its customers, or exactly how to use AOL. If the ad expresses friendliness and simplicity in a way that people will remember, then it has done its job well.
Commericals are not infomercials, they do not disseminate information well. You cannot force the Macintosh experience into people's heads by making them look at you or someone else doing it. It would be criminal to even attempt to explain "Macintosh" in 30 seconds. These ads express Macintosh much better. They are teases, impressions. They humanize the iMac. They are more effective than mere fact, and they're more exciting than watching someone point and click.
C'mon, guys, have some fun!
<strong>I just noticed yesterday that the loving father from the iPhoto ad is also the crazy guy who headbuts a ram in a Mountain Dew commercial.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
You know, the "Concert" guy was in the VERY same commercial. He was one of the idiots watching iPhoto guy headbutt the ram...
------------------------------------
E PLURIBUS UNIX
whoa...I guess the other guys are just apple ad up'n'comers? I would try and start a conspiracy theory, but I don't have the patience right now
[quote] they are just testing the water... <hr></blockquote>
ha! I hope so, cause the water is way too hot :eek: for these "commercials"!
Okay, here's my second take on what apple should do with their commercials (I guess the headbutt thing didn't fly with too many of you
You'll capture different segments of the population with different spots - youth and/or musos admiring Trent Reznor or Beck using their iPods ... Annie Leibowitz and Francis Ford Coppola would appeal to a more sophisticated audience. More than anything else I've seen on the iMac (including the print ads), these spots made my jaw drop and made me want one. People will say "I want to be like Coppola, maybe I'll like Macs!" ... Hell, get Clinton for one (Bush is a little busy right now methinks)!
rr.
Other companies seem to use it well.
And we all know that Apple has some VERY loyal and enthusiastic users/supporters among the well-known.
There could be a couple of distinct campaigns: bring back the "What's on my [fill in the blank]", featuring famous, and even not-so-famous, people.
The second (other) campaign could be more what we've been talking about above: actually show how this stuff works, how it benefits people, what you can do with it (lame-ass 2 hour wedding video with dead space, shaky camera moments, etc. compared to an edited, cool one with music, effects, etc.). That kind of stuff: everyday, normal person features and uses that people will go "wow, you mean I can buy one of those iMacs and film my son's graduation and make this whole cool-looking DVD or video?".
Jobs touts this stuff every chance he gets, the retail stores are actually designed around the digital hub concept, Apple is pushing it with ALL of their products (everything has Firewire and comes with the 4 iApps), etc.
It just makes sense to get that out to the masses. Most people (my mom or PC-using buddies) aren't quite aware of this because they're not waking up at 6am to watch Macworld keynotes and they're not visiting maccentral.com or Apple's website.
If Apple doesn't tell them, via print and/or TV spots, how in the hell is that other, highly-sought 95% ever going to know this stuff?
I'm all for cuteness and visual appeal, but it ISN'T enough. And NOWHERE above did I ever say "show every lame, boring spec..." because THAT approach sucks too. Hell, I wouldn't watch it either, people.
But they're stupid if they don't attempt to make the Mac look cooler and more inviting BEYOND the mere appearance and design.
For the FOURTH time, they can do BOTH, people.
Some of you make it sound like the ONLY possible approach is the Pixar, wooden floor approach and anything beyond surface cuteness is somehow out of the question and forbidden.
Apple's "bread and butter" and favorite thing to talk about these days is the whole digital hub thing. THAT'S what they need to be trumpeting and playing up, ALONG with the cute "money shots".
[quote] Speaking of QuickTime content, faithful viewer Sledgehammer Smythe was the first to point out that there are a couple of new additions to Apple's ads page-- or, at least, there were. From last night until this afternoon, there were two new iMac spots linked there, which have since mysteriously vanished. Fear not, though; there's still a link to the action on Apple's QuickTime page, which means that you're just a couple of clicks away from seeing what happens when two Jobsian companies collide.
Yep, them rumors were no jive; none other than Pixar, Steve's other little enterprise, was tapped to produce a couple of short animated spots introducing the new iMac to the world. One piece is thirty seconds long and shows the iMac hopping joyfully about to a peppy techno number while apparently emanating some distinctly R2-D2esque chirps and whistles; eventually it calms down enough to say "hi." The other is just fifteen seconds in length, but we consider it to be the far more effective of the two; the iMac watches curiously as its SuperDrive tray repeatedly extends and retracts, until it's embarrassed to notice that it has an audience. You have to see it to appreciate it, but believe us when we say that Pixar's talent for humanizing the inert shines through again.
Of course, the appearance of these two spots on Apple's ads page is no doubt kicking up the usual firestorm of controversy about whether or not the new ads suck. We can hear the complaints already-- "doesn't tell you anything about the system," "where are the price/performance figures," "why is the new iMac staring at its private parts," etc. Before you get too worked up, we should probably mention that we're pretty sure these aren't actual TV commercials (yet). For one thing, honest-to-goodness ads tend to appear on Apple's web site only after they've debuted in a very visible time slot on network TV, and we have yet to receive a single report from anyone who's seen either piece on the air. For another, Apple refers to them as "short films" and not as commercials, despite the fact that they happen to appear in the "ads" directory on its server. There's also the fact that they were yanked from Apple's real ads page, probably in an attempt to stem exactly this sort of confusion.
Now, while some of you are heaving a sigh of relief that the public's televisual introduction to the iMac won't be the two spots that faithful viewer Jeff has already dubbed "Never Take Acid During an Aerobics Workout" and "New iMac Caught Using Digital Viagra," we should also mention that we think they'd make lovely commercials. Let's face it: thirty seconds is a woefully short period of time in which to convey any substantive information, and any attempt by Apple to capture the public's attention with product specs, comparative performance numbers, or the like would probably be doomed to fail. The iMac's biggest strength from a sales perspective is its personality, and these two spots have so much of the stuff it's dripping all over the rug. Make the public smile, and they might just go looking for more info on the iMac when computer-shopping time rolls around.
If nothing else, we think these spots would make great eyeball-grabbing teaser ads that could be followed up by more developed pieces underscoring the iMac's versatility as a powerful digital hub. In any case, these animations are way too cute to confine to the 'net, so we hope Apple finds some way to get them in front of a broader audience. Ah, heck, if nothing else, we suppose Steve can just stick 'em in front of the next Pixar feature.
<hr></blockquote>
Man, talk about nailing this topic on the head.