I don't think advertising stores is the greatest strategy. The clientele has to emerge from the area, and grow with the stores, anyone who walks into an Apple Store looking for anything other thana laptop will walk out utterly shocked at the prices and the limited desktop offerings. If they advertise the stores with little more than a couple of good laptops on offer, they won't get far. They need a price competitive expandable headless computer, that might be a 999 tower, or a cube redux, but whatever it is, they haven't got it (yet); Once they do, a commercial about the Product itself is what they need to show, a web adress and a little caption are enough of a heads up on the Stores.
And Stores are hardly international, which they need to be, before we can look on them as a position of strength for the platform. They don't need 50 stores in each country of the world, but the major civic centers of the world need one. Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Paris, Milan, Rome, London, Toronto, Vancouver. How much can it cost to have some well placed international Apple Stores? Perhaps a project along the lines of an Apple Store International or some such, 20-25 stores Stores to let some of the world know that Apple is still in business -- travel around, you'd be surprised.
Well, I don't think something JUST advertising the stores is necessarily smart (I probably - in my frustration and anger above - wasn't clear enough).
But they could certainly somehow tie it in to existing spots, perhaps at the end?
Maybe even a print campaign, placed into regular, non-computer/tech magazines like Entertainment Weekly, People, Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, Amateur Ass Monthly, Forbes, etc.
And of course national newspapers like USA Today and the Wall Street Journal?
You know...stuff that EVERYONE reads without having to be a computer person?
What if you've seen a buddy's Mac or that new PowerBook commercial on TV or even got intrigued by a "Switch" ad? There might be people actually living in the cities where Apple has retail stores who have no idea that such a store is just down the street from them.
Just a thought. Instead of spending money for goofy-looking, campy "on their 13th minute" actors and freakishly tall basketball players to hawk their stuff in yet-another-cutesy-commercial, why not spend some money that'll yield some real, cut-and-dried info and results?
But hey, if Mini Me and that tall guy get some people to buy PowerBooks, more power to 'em. But I'm not holding my breath.
Their prices are too big for them to ever really "switch" a computer illiterate. These people comparison shop starting with the bottom line. I agree that advertising in print is the best thing for stores, however, you must still have something to advertise. Powermac 1.25Ghz for 2999 USD monitor not included, 1 year warrantee... ain't going to cut it, niether is a 2000USD iMac nor are any of the other hermetically sealed AIO's in Apple's lineup. The secret to sales success, the undeniable dominant force in consumer spending, has been staring them in the face, it's what the other 97.3% are buying, it's called an affordable tower.
What they need is one of those adds that says "LOOK what you can get for 799, 899, 999!" preferrably one that doen't induce laughter, derisive sneers, or sticker shock. Without leading on price, or at least creating a convincing illusion of a favorable price-feature ratio, there's absolutely no point to advertising the stores in print -- all that will accomplish is to make sure people who've never considered Apple in the past never consider it in the future. It's like inviting them in before you scare them off for good.
Right now, I don't give a shit what Apple says, the only people who "shop" at the Apple store are already mac users or Apple watchers -- people who've admired Apple from a distance -- I'll bet relatively few are new to Apple in the purest "switcher" sense, a good many may be "switch-backers/prodigal-switchers" whatever you may want to call them, but they didn't just walk out of nowhere and buy a mac because of the store.
You know, I had an experience today that, in my mind, made me understand what Apple marketing is doing.
Listen. I own a design business that does very well with the 'upper-market' sector. I have a lot of friends that I've made from doing business with these companies. They ALL run a PC in some way or another. But, lately I've seen some shoulder-shifting among the upper-ups. And little by little they've been asking me what a Mac 'can do'. Seriously. I thought it might be in some response to the new MS liscensing thing, but today, out of the blue, I met one of these people for a beer tonight. You know what he said? "I'm switching." At first I thought he meant from a Pale Ale to a Porter, but no, he's switching to a Mac. I almost spit my beer out. "Have you seen that spot where the computer covers the little guy"? Um. Yes. "That spot is genius, and the Wall Street Journal had a glowing revue for those laptops on Wednesday. I'm buying one tomorrow. Want to help me set it up?" Um. Hell Yes.
He's ditching his PC. Period. "I could do everything on that thing". Yup. And more. My point is (finally), that I think Apple knows exactly what, why and where to place their ads. I and most of my friends don't even watch TV, except for the odd Discovery Channel special, Sci Fi and sports playoffs. Apple (in my mind) is marketing for the 'trickle-down' effect. Once the upper management gets a Mac in their collective hands, just imagine the corporate change that could spur.
There may be an Apple spot on the pre-game show which runs for 2, 3, 4 hours? Nothing during the Superbowl. Salton has a new George Foreman toaster oven which may be the subject of the ad.
Funny thing, last year when this discussion came up, people still said Apple would have an Ad during the Superbowl. They were not listed but some still held out hope. Deal with it. The Yao Ming spot has been showing all over the place during the last few days. Getting great response, only second to the two Nike "streaker" ads.
According to <a href="http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=36935"; target="_blank">this link</a>, Apple has abandoned the Superbowl for it's ads. At over $2 mil a pop, I cannot say I blame them.
To this day, I still think Apple blew it by not hiring Gillian Anderson as both an onscreen spokesperson, BUT to do voiceover work for them. It all ties together: she's liked by guys and geeks, chicks aren't threatened by her, she seems to have some substance to her (even if it's only that "X Files" role that makes her look smart and pulled-together).
In other words, it's not Britney Spears or some bubblehead teen/twenty-something actress hawking Macs...which NOBODY would buy.
Then I got to thinking at some other people Apple should have in their ads and I think two people that would go over really well (they're good actors, seem likable, aren't polarizing or offensive, etc.):
Don Cheadle and Oliver Platt.
Couldn't you see either one (or both) of those guys in ads for Apple?
perhaps not logical, but we must also consider the coincidental parallels and jinx potential
1984 - apple ad and last Raiders Superbowl win
"why 1984 won't be like 1984" text would imply Oakland will lose to Tampa
Apple is based in SoCal... this Super Bowl is in San Diego would you want to piss off the fans in the Black Hole unnecessarily? especially given they have such a short drive to Cupertino?
now if it's a silver and black mac, they'll be safe
<strong>I saw the new "Big and Small" PowerBook ad on Fox tonight during the Philadelphia/Tampa Bay playoff game.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
That was just the ad I was thinking of. No voice over needed just the imagery makes the point. Mini-me combined with well known sports figure. Juxtaposition. Retention.
NEW YORK -- ABC Sports still had not sold out its Super Bowl inventory as of Thursday afternoon, according to ad buyers, who said the network may have overestimated somewhat the appeal of its estimated $2 million spots. An ABC spokeswoman said such assertions were not "100% accurate," adding that "ABC expects to be sold out." Ed Erhardt, president of advertising sales and customer marketing at ESPN/ABC Sports, was said to be traveling and was unavailable for comment. In other Super Bowl news, ABC Sports executives told reporters Thursday that for the first time in a Super Bowl, two players will be miked: wide receiver Jerry Rice of the Oakland Raiders and defensive back John Lynch of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ABC will use the mikes much like Fox did during the World Series, playing them back discriminately and editing out inappropriate material, executives said. On the ad sales front, media buyers believed the network would eventually sell out but wondered whether ABC might have to drop its asking price for the handful of spots still out there. (Andrew Grossman)
Comments
And Stores are hardly international, which they need to be, before we can look on them as a position of strength for the platform. They don't need 50 stores in each country of the world, but the major civic centers of the world need one. Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Paris, Milan, Rome, London, Toronto, Vancouver. How much can it cost to have some well placed international Apple Stores? Perhaps a project along the lines of an Apple Store International or some such, 20-25 stores Stores to let some of the world know that Apple is still in business -- travel around, you'd be surprised.
But they could certainly somehow tie it in to existing spots, perhaps at the end?
Maybe even a print campaign, placed into regular, non-computer/tech magazines like Entertainment Weekly, People, Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, Amateur Ass Monthly, Forbes, etc.
And of course national newspapers like USA Today and the Wall Street Journal?
You know...stuff that EVERYONE reads without having to be a computer person?
What if you've seen a buddy's Mac or that new PowerBook commercial on TV or even got intrigued by a "Switch" ad? There might be people actually living in the cities where Apple has retail stores who have no idea that such a store is just down the street from them.
Just a thought. Instead of spending money for goofy-looking, campy "on their 13th minute" actors and freakishly tall basketball players to hawk their stuff in yet-another-cutesy-commercial, why not spend some money that'll yield some real, cut-and-dried info and results?
But hey, if Mini Me and that tall guy get some people to buy PowerBooks, more power to 'em. But I'm not holding my breath.
[ 01-19-2003: Message edited by: pscates ]</p>
What they need is one of those adds that says "LOOK what you can get for 799, 899, 999!" preferrably one that doen't induce laughter, derisive sneers, or sticker shock. Without leading on price, or at least creating a convincing illusion of a favorable price-feature ratio, there's absolutely no point to advertising the stores in print -- all that will accomplish is to make sure people who've never considered Apple in the past never consider it in the future. It's like inviting them in before you scare them off for good.
Right now, I don't give a shit what Apple says, the only people who "shop" at the Apple store are already mac users or Apple watchers -- people who've admired Apple from a distance -- I'll bet relatively few are new to Apple in the purest "switcher" sense, a good many may be "switch-backers/prodigal-switchers" whatever you may want to call them, but they didn't just walk out of nowhere and buy a mac because of the store.
Listen. I own a design business that does very well with the 'upper-market' sector. I have a lot of friends that I've made from doing business with these companies. They ALL run a PC in some way or another. But, lately I've seen some shoulder-shifting among the upper-ups. And little by little they've been asking me what a Mac 'can do'. Seriously. I thought it might be in some response to the new MS liscensing thing, but today, out of the blue, I met one of these people for a beer tonight. You know what he said? "I'm switching." At first I thought he meant from a Pale Ale to a Porter, but no, he's switching to a Mac. I almost spit my beer out. "Have you seen that spot where the computer covers the little guy"? Um. Yes. "That spot is genius, and the Wall Street Journal had a glowing revue for those laptops on Wednesday. I'm buying one tomorrow. Want to help me set it up?" Um. Hell Yes.
He's ditching his PC. Period. "I could do everything on that thing". Yup. And more. My point is (finally), that I think Apple knows exactly what, why and where to place their ads. I and most of my friends don't even watch TV, except for the odd Discovery Channel special, Sci Fi and sports playoffs. Apple (in my mind) is marketing for the 'trickle-down' effect. Once the upper management gets a Mac in their collective hands, just imagine the corporate change that could spur.
Just my experience + .02 cents.
Super Bowl ad lineup
Among advertisers in Super Bowl XXXVII
Anheuser-Busch
Pepsi
Cadillac
Hanes
Levi's
Visa
FedEx
Gatorade
Monster
Yahoo's HotJobs
H&R Block
AT&T Wireless
Philip Morris
Sony Electronics
Sony Pictures
Universal Pictures
20th Century Fox
Warner Bros.
Touchstone Pictures
Reebok
Chrysler
Quizno's
Pfizer's Trident
MyFico.com
Salton
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Source: USA TODAY research
[ 01-20-2003: Message edited by: MacsRGood4U ]</p>
"Knock out the fat!"
Any chance that others are still to come or that Apple might not be listed (for some silly reason?).
Probably not...
Funny thing, last year when this discussion came up, people still said Apple would have an Ad during the Superbowl. They were not listed but some still held out hope. Deal with it. The Yao Ming spot has been showing all over the place during the last few days. Getting great response, only second to the two Nike "streaker" ads.
[ 01-20-2003: Message edited by: MacsRGood4U ]</p>
thanks,
David
But it would still be nice to see.
<strong>I love that 1984 commercial. Anyone know where I can download it from?</strong><hr></blockquote>
<a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=1984+superbowl+ad"; target="_blank">Google Search</a> will show many, many places
In other words, it's not Britney Spears or some bubblehead teen/twenty-something actress hawking Macs...which NOBODY would buy.
Then I got to thinking at some other people Apple should have in their ads and I think two people that would go over really well (they're good actors, seem likable, aren't polarizing or offensive, etc.):
Don Cheadle and Oliver Platt.
Couldn't you see either one (or both) of those guys in ads for Apple?
I could.
a clip of the new levi's "Stampede" ad is<a href="http://www.us.levi.com/spr03a/levi/feature/com/l_com_video.jsp?CONTENT<>cnt_id=2683521&FOLDER %3C%3Efolder_id=2683517&bmUID=1043176630739" target="_blank">here</a>
perhaps not logical, but we must also consider the coincidental parallels and jinx potential
1984 - apple ad and last Raiders Superbowl win
"why 1984 won't be like 1984" text would imply Oakland will lose to Tampa
Apple is based in SoCal... this Super Bowl is in San Diego would you want to piss off the fans in the Black Hole unnecessarily? especially given they have such a short drive to Cupertino?
now if it's a silver and black mac, they'll be safe
edit: fixed link
[ 01-21-2003: Message edited by: curiousuburb ]</p>
I'm not 100% sure where Cupertino is, but it's nowhere near San Diego, Orange County or Los Angeles (traditionally referred to as being in SoCal).
I'm thinking more NoCal.
Is it closer to San Jose? Below Frisco, I think.
Gee, you'd think I'd know this after all these years...
<img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
<strong>I saw the new "Big and Small" PowerBook ad on Fox tonight during the Philadelphia/Tampa Bay playoff game.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
That was just the ad I was thinking of. No voice over needed just the imagery makes the point. Mini-me combined with well known sports figure. Juxtaposition. Retention.
...
Super Bowl spots still up for sale
Jan. 24, 2003
NEW YORK -- ABC Sports still had not sold out its Super Bowl inventory as of Thursday afternoon, according to ad buyers, who said the network may have overestimated somewhat the appeal of its estimated $2 million spots. An ABC spokeswoman said such assertions were not "100% accurate," adding that "ABC expects to be sold out." Ed Erhardt, president of advertising sales and customer marketing at ESPN/ABC Sports, was said to be traveling and was unavailable for comment. In other Super Bowl news, ABC Sports executives told reporters Thursday that for the first time in a Super Bowl, two players will be miked: wide receiver Jerry Rice of the Oakland Raiders and defensive back John Lynch of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ABC will use the mikes much like Fox did during the World Series, playing them back discriminately and editing out inappropriate material, executives said. On the ad sales front, media buyers believed the network would eventually sell out but wondered whether ABC might have to drop its asking price for the handful of spots still out there. (Andrew Grossman)