There is the problem of growing too fast. At this point Apple would need to more than triple their production capacity to surmount 10%. What happens if they then get stuck with thrice as much warehouse/production/sales capacity and another sales doldrum? And will contractors let go of other business to fill orders from Apple when it's safer for them to keep a portfolio of clients?
Apple's gonna have to take some extra production in house.
Yep. Exactly. WAY more punch than some idiot annoying his fellow flyers with his iBook or a guy and a computer in a face-making contest.
On one hand, Apple/Jobs talks about "going after the other 95%". Then they turn around and seem to do nearly nothing about it that actually has any true impact or substance.
I love the company and its products dearly. But if I had one wish or a magic wand, I'd make it to where you couldn't get through the day without seeing a cool Mac ad and you'd actually be compelled to go out of your way to check out this "nice looking computer that seems to do everything I'm looking for...".
It's really simple. Most companies review their ad agency on a regular basis. Chiat-Day both in print and tv has become stale in their approach. It may be that SJ has too much input, but nevertheless it's time for a change. New ideas, new blood, new approach. It's not really working right now.
I'm not sure you guys fully understand how QVC operates...Almost all the electronics they sell on home shopping networks are discontinued excess inventory manufacturers sell for rock bottom prices. They aren't sold by Dell, HP and Sony to *make* a profit. They're sold to get back the money they've lost by having inventory depreciate on warehouse shelves.
That said, I'd rather see potential inventory sitting on a Best Buy shelf because I've never bought anything via QVC.
I love the company and its products dearly. But if I had one wish or a magic wand, I'd make it to where you couldn't get through the day without seeing a cool Mac ad and you'd actually be compelled to go out of your way to check out this "nice looking computer that seems to do everything I'm looking for...".
Since I love playing Devil's Advocate on this issue: Have you ever considered the possibility that those ads would appeal to you because you've already tried a Mac, and you already know from experience that the "hard hits" actually land (well, often enough)?
It wouldn't be "preaching to the unconverted", amorph.
You're doing what damn near every other company (cars, appliances, electronics, clothing, food, etc.) does: create compelling, attention-getting marketing and advertising campaigns that make people who - for whatever reason - might not have considered your company/product before, and now find themselves curious and intrigued and interested in looking into what you have to offer.
This isn't hard. And it's certainly not unheard of. There is no "preaching" or hocus-pocus involved. Instead, it seems more like Promotion and Marketing 101 to me.
You have a great product. Most people, because the way things turned out, aren't too aware of it. You create things that help them BECOME aware of it, in a compelling, well-done way.
How else are these other 95% every going to find out? Osmosis? Telepathy? More cutesy, vague and empty commercials?
Play devil's advocate all you want, but it doesn't apply here because I'm right on all this.
Apple's marketing and their whole approach to promoting the platform, OS, hardware, etc. is lame and ineffective. Do you honestly, in your heart, believe that what we've seen for the past several years is truly "as good as it gets" and we're getting the best representation and approach? Do you look at these ads and go "YEAH! Now THAT'S a commercial for the Mac...way to go guys, you've NAILED it!"
No way. I don't think anyone does, truth be told. Anyone who says "yes" is lying or just plain goofy and out of touch.
I actually like Apple's commercials and ad campaign, it creates a sort of a slow burn/permanent prescence. But an infomercial wouldn't hurt, they don't have to use a shopping network, they can just buy cheap time slots on local TV, they already have an online/telephone store, direct calls there, run time limited campaigns, stream the "impulse buy" directly into people's living rooms. There are a couple of products that if they just got a little cheaper could do it. iBooks (actually fine at the price), and e/iMacs (could variously stand to get a lot cheaper!)
It doesn't have to be a time-slot/medium just for "HOT sexy girls, LIVE!" and/or "Lose weight/get rich fast"
I've said this a thousand times (so once more won't matter):
Apple needs a catalog!
How on earth can you be a "boutique" computer maker and not have a catalog to showcase your wares?
I can walk into Best Buy or Future Shop and pick up a Sony catalog.
Apple has to realize that the concept of the Digital Hub, the iApps, the iPod, Firewire, the significance of the G5 and how everything 'fits together' in the Mac universe CANNOT BE EXPLAINED IN 30 SECOND ADS!
For a company whose users are graphics pros, I can't see why this isn't done and placed into USA today and the (Canadian) National Post once a month.
Normally I would just go to my local Apple Store to buy an iSight, but I am holding out because I have $100 BestBuy giftcard (from my birthday last weekend), and if BestBuy is going to sell Apple's consumer stuff, then there is a good chance they will sell the iSight. I'd love to pick one up for $50.
I was at Best Buy Saturday and point-blank asked two of the guys there, at different times and in different areas of the store. Both said "rumors are going around, but they believe it..." or words to that effect.
One guy said it was only for select stores, which I found odd. Either do it or don't.
What I DON'T want to see is the L.A. area stores getting it (or other large cities that already have Apple stores, CompUSA, MicroCenter, etc.) and places like where I live (which have NONE of those) also NOT get an Apple-carrying Best Buy.
I'd think the whole point of having Best Buy carry them is to get the gear into cities NOT represented by an Apple Store or CompUSA or whatever.
The last thing SoCal needs is another Mac reseller.
I just checked again today and the instock date for these items says 8-3-03. There are still none in our warehouses but they still have plenty of time for that. Another interestion note: all except for one model do not show an out date (when they go clearance) except the 15" PowerBook. Its out date is 12-31-03. I guess this just adds more fuel to the flames...
Hmmm, I don't know if that's good or bad. Does that mean:
1. "...current titanium 15" PowerBook until the rest of the year (bad!)
2. "new, any-day-now 15" PowerBook in aluminum bod and updated specs/features is only slated for a 5-month life and will be replaced by another G4-based model" (indifferent)
OR...
3. "new any-day-now 15" PowerBook in aluminum bod is intended as a stopgap product to a) shut us all up b) bring it into line with the 12" and 17" and c) make way for a G5 PowerBook at MWSF 2004? (indifferent)
I have a headache now.
Only numbers 2 and 3 of the above scenarios is fine with me. If #1 happens, I shall say "never mind then..." and just buy a nice 12" iBook and dig it for what it is.
Which, truth be told, I'm about THIS CLOSE to doing anyway. Not out of anger or defiance, just having some honest, level-headed thoughts and assessments about what I do and what I need in a computer.
But I'd sure love that 15" model to come along and muddy all that lucid, down-to-earth thinking up really good!
It wouldn't be "preaching to the unconverted", amorph.
If it's not preaching to the unconverted, it's not effective advertizing, now is it?
Quote:
You're doing what damn near every other company (cars, appliances, electronics, clothing, food, etc.) does
And when you want to present yourself as different, this is a problem.
Especially, when the difference you want to present is that you actually can offer the sort of things that everyone else boasts about offering (and even that sounds like tired old ad copy), your claims won't sound any different than Microsoft's, or Gateway's.
Quote:
This isn't hard. And it's certainly not unheard of. There is no "preaching" or hocus-pocus involved. Instead, it seems more like Promotion and Marketing 101 to me.
You might have taken the word "preaching" a bit more literally than I intended it. Marketing is hocus-pocus to a great degree, and that's precisely Apple's problem. Does a Profile 4 really run rings around an iMac? No.
Quote:
You have a great product. Most people, because the way things turned out, aren't too aware of it. You create things that help them BECOME aware of it, in a compelling, well-done way.
How else are these other 95% every going to find out? Osmosis? Telepathy? More cutesy, vague and empty commercials?
The consistent testimony from the non-Apple switch stories I've read is that you have to sit down in front of a Mac and use it for a while before the advantage really hits home. It takes more than 30 seconds, or 1 minute. It can't be done over the airwaves. Given that, the best thing an Apple ad campaign can hope to do is make people curious about what a Mac is, so that they find themselves curious when they end up in front of one.
If Apple says that Macs can do this and that and the other thing effortlessly, or "shows" it, their claims will sound no different than, say, Dell's, and the person watching the commercial who bought a Dell for the great ease with which it's supposed to be able to edit pictures and make movies will be understandably jaded when some other company comes around with the same pitch.
Quote:
Play devil's advocate all you want, but it doesn't apply here because I'm right on all this.
Heh. I'm happy to grant the possibility that you are. Myself, I don't see any one thing that will have any truly significant effect on Apple's market share. They're going to have to push really hard and get nowhere for a good long while before the big, slow market starts turning around. While this is happening, just about any mindshare is good. Even bad reviews and benchmarking controversies are an acknowledgement that Apple is alive and relevant, which is still news to a frightening number of people. Especially out here, where Apple has much less of a presence than it does in, say, urban California.
I'm also hesitant to say that I'm right about what would work (including, for example, whether I think the current campaign is effective) because I've been a Mac user since 1986. I've used and disliked PCs since before Windows. I'm up on Apple's product line, and I'm running their latest release OS and the latest versions of the relevant software. The ads aren't talking to me, so it really doesn't matter whether they speak to me, if you get my drift. Whether they speak to the people they're intended to speak to is a question I don't have the personal experience to answer.
Quote:
Apple's marketing and their whole approach to promoting the platform, OS, hardware, etc. is lame and ineffective. Do you honestly, in your heart, believe that what we've seen for the past several years is truly "as good as it gets" and we're getting the best representation and approach?
Nothing is ever as good as it gets. Outside of that, as I said above, I don't consider myself a target for the advertizing, so I don't consider it meaningful if the ads miss me as a target. Furthermore, I thought the "Dell dude" campaign was the dorkiest, most condescending corporate-boardroom caricature of the intended market imaginable, and it worked. So who am I to judge these things?
Has anyone seen the infomercial that Dell is doing on TechTV? Apple should look at doing something similar. Even if it was only 1/2 hour long they could get alot across. They should air it around the time "Call for Help" is on so people can really see that it is easier on a Mac.
I've been thinking. Yes, a proper presence and representation of apple consumer lines in places like Best Buy may increase marketshare, but is that really the best thing. Yes, having a greater marketshare would increase profits for Apple and perhaps decrease prices for us, but does it insure that in the future that Apple will continue making quality premium computers, no. Jobs isn't immortal. Look at Hasselblad cameras, they don't have the largest marketshare, nor does Leica in the 35 format, but they have respect for their quality among professionals and enthusiasts. At the least keep the pro line of Macs out of major retailers. Most people don't need that kind of power, and if they do, then they know where to find it.
Comments
Apple's gonna have to take some extra production in house.
On one hand, Apple/Jobs talks about "going after the other 95%". Then they turn around and seem to do nearly nothing about it that actually has any true impact or substance.
I love the company and its products dearly. But if I had one wish or a magic wand, I'd make it to where you couldn't get through the day without seeing a cool Mac ad and you'd actually be compelled to go out of your way to check out this "nice looking computer that seems to do everything I'm looking for...".
That said, I'd rather see potential inventory sitting on a Best Buy shelf because I've never bought anything via QVC.
Originally posted by pscates
I love the company and its products dearly. But if I had one wish or a magic wand, I'd make it to where you couldn't get through the day without seeing a cool Mac ad and you'd actually be compelled to go out of your way to check out this "nice looking computer that seems to do everything I'm looking for...".
Since I love playing Devil's Advocate on this issue: Have you ever considered the possibility that those ads would appeal to you because you've already tried a Mac, and you already know from experience that the "hard hits" actually land (well, often enough)?
Preaching to the unconverted is hard work, guys.
You're doing what damn near every other company (cars, appliances, electronics, clothing, food, etc.) does: create compelling, attention-getting marketing and advertising campaigns that make people who - for whatever reason - might not have considered your company/product before, and now find themselves curious and intrigued and interested in looking into what you have to offer.
This isn't hard. And it's certainly not unheard of. There is no "preaching" or hocus-pocus involved. Instead, it seems more like Promotion and Marketing 101 to me.
You have a great product. Most people, because the way things turned out, aren't too aware of it. You create things that help them BECOME aware of it, in a compelling, well-done way.
How else are these other 95% every going to find out? Osmosis? Telepathy? More cutesy, vague and empty commercials?
Play devil's advocate all you want, but it doesn't apply here because I'm right on all this.
Apple's marketing and their whole approach to promoting the platform, OS, hardware, etc. is lame and ineffective. Do you honestly, in your heart, believe that what we've seen for the past several years is truly "as good as it gets" and we're getting the best representation and approach? Do you look at these ads and go "YEAH! Now THAT'S a commercial for the Mac...way to go guys, you've NAILED it!"
No way. I don't think anyone does, truth be told. Anyone who says "yes" is lying or just plain goofy and out of touch.
It doesn't have to be a time-slot/medium just for "HOT sexy girls, LIVE!" and/or "Lose weight/get rich fast"
Apple needs a catalog!
How on earth can you be a "boutique" computer maker and not have a catalog to showcase your wares?
I can walk into Best Buy or Future Shop and pick up a Sony catalog.
Apple has to realize that the concept of the Digital Hub, the iApps, the iPod, Firewire, the significance of the G5 and how everything 'fits together' in the Mac universe CANNOT BE EXPLAINED IN 30 SECOND ADS!
For a company whose users are graphics pros, I can't see why this isn't done and placed into USA today and the (Canadian) National Post once a month.
Originally posted by MacsRGood4U
Tomorrow I'm off to see the new Apple Store at the Towne Center in Boca Raton. Opens at 6 PM.
SIX PM?
not opening in the morning??
anyway... how was it?
Normally I would just go to my local Apple Store to buy an iSight, but I am holding out because I have $100 BestBuy giftcard (from my birthday last weekend), and if BestBuy is going to sell Apple's consumer stuff, then there is a good chance they will sell the iSight. I'd love to pick one up for $50.
later,
-blizaine
One guy said it was only for select stores, which I found odd. Either do it or don't.
What I DON'T want to see is the L.A. area stores getting it (or other large cities that already have Apple stores, CompUSA, MicroCenter, etc.) and places like where I live (which have NONE of those) also NOT get an Apple-carrying Best Buy.
I'd think the whole point of having Best Buy carry them is to get the gear into cities NOT represented by an Apple Store or CompUSA or whatever.
The last thing SoCal needs is another Mac reseller.
I, however, DO.
Macaddict16
1. "...current titanium 15" PowerBook until the rest of the year (bad!)
2. "new, any-day-now 15" PowerBook in aluminum bod and updated specs/features is only slated for a 5-month life and will be replaced by another G4-based model" (indifferent)
OR...
3. "new any-day-now 15" PowerBook in aluminum bod is intended as a stopgap product to a) shut us all up b) bring it into line with the 12" and 17" and c) make way for a G5 PowerBook at MWSF 2004? (indifferent)
I have a headache now.
Only numbers 2 and 3 of the above scenarios is fine with me. If #1 happens, I shall say "never mind then..." and just buy a nice 12" iBook and dig it for what it is.
Which, truth be told, I'm about THIS CLOSE to doing anyway. Not out of anger or defiance, just having some honest, level-headed thoughts and assessments about what I do and what I need in a computer.
But I'd sure love that 15" model to come along and muddy all that lucid, down-to-earth thinking up really good!
Originally posted by pscates
It wouldn't be "preaching to the unconverted", amorph.
If it's not preaching to the unconverted, it's not effective advertizing, now is it?
You're doing what damn near every other company (cars, appliances, electronics, clothing, food, etc.) does
And when you want to present yourself as different, this is a problem.
Especially, when the difference you want to present is that you actually can offer the sort of things that everyone else boasts about offering (and even that sounds like tired old ad copy), your claims won't sound any different than Microsoft's, or Gateway's.
This isn't hard. And it's certainly not unheard of. There is no "preaching" or hocus-pocus involved. Instead, it seems more like Promotion and Marketing 101 to me.
You might have taken the word "preaching" a bit more literally than I intended it. Marketing is hocus-pocus to a great degree, and that's precisely Apple's problem. Does a Profile 4 really run rings around an iMac? No.
You have a great product. Most people, because the way things turned out, aren't too aware of it. You create things that help them BECOME aware of it, in a compelling, well-done way.
How else are these other 95% every going to find out? Osmosis? Telepathy? More cutesy, vague and empty commercials?
The consistent testimony from the non-Apple switch stories I've read is that you have to sit down in front of a Mac and use it for a while before the advantage really hits home. It takes more than 30 seconds, or 1 minute. It can't be done over the airwaves. Given that, the best thing an Apple ad campaign can hope to do is make people curious about what a Mac is, so that they find themselves curious when they end up in front of one.
If Apple says that Macs can do this and that and the other thing effortlessly, or "shows" it, their claims will sound no different than, say, Dell's, and the person watching the commercial who bought a Dell for the great ease with which it's supposed to be able to edit pictures and make movies will be understandably jaded when some other company comes around with the same pitch.
Play devil's advocate all you want, but it doesn't apply here because I'm right on all this.
Heh.
I'm also hesitant to say that I'm right about what would work (including, for example, whether I think the current campaign is effective) because I've been a Mac user since 1986. I've used and disliked PCs since before Windows. I'm up on Apple's product line, and I'm running their latest release OS and the latest versions of the relevant software. The ads aren't talking to me, so it really doesn't matter whether they speak to me, if you get my drift. Whether they speak to the people they're intended to speak to is a question I don't have the personal experience to answer.
Apple's marketing and their whole approach to promoting the platform, OS, hardware, etc. is lame and ineffective. Do you honestly, in your heart, believe that what we've seen for the past several years is truly "as good as it gets" and we're getting the best representation and approach?
Nothing is ever as good as it gets.
*SMACK!*
We'll just agree to disagree on all this.
5 min - intro/ dispelling Mac myths
5 min - OS X overview
5 min - iTunes/ iPod demo
5 min - iDVD demo
5 min - iMovie demo
5 min - iPhoto demo
Like I said a few posts up, I?ve got a BB gift card, a USB webcam, and a 2 year old nephew I would love to 'iChatAV' with....