It is sort of nice see that everybody in Redmond is so laid back about ship dates though. Debunks the image portrayed of poor old PC in the new Mac spots.
The Mac dude says that PCs have great apps like Clock and Calculator...or something like that. That's just downright insulting to PC users. There are a lot more PC apps right out of the box. Granted, it's mostly rubbish, but saying just Clock and Calculator, it's a bit much. It's just putting down the PC rather than actually somehow coherently comparing PC and Mac software that's available for different things.
Those, IE and WMP seem to be about the only apps most people I know use from Windows. The rest are downloaded or purchased. Oh and of course the card games+ minesweeper. Who could forget those.
Great commercials can be made easily that do not in any way attack, belittle or criticize the competition. What Apple needs is product identification, and with the iPod out there, they already have a great advertising medium. Build on its strengths and they have a goldmine. Fiddle and get stuck with the weaknesses of a competitor, and you are no better than that which you critique. Greatness does also not require an apologetic manner, just a little class and humility.
Life is also not all about sides. (Look at the mess the US is in right now because its us or them, democract or republican--- sides, sides, sides and it succeeds in getting nowhere. Politics world-wide is pretty similar, unfortunately.) Think of all of the co-operation that exists; if it did not, we would not. It is more about working together than picking sides.
Most of this is learned in kindergarten. If not, then pity the people who failed to learn it, and anyone who comes into contact with them.
Those, IE and WMP seem to be about the only apps most people I know use from Windows. The rest are downloaded or purchased. Oh and of course the card games+ minesweeper. Who could forget those.
Yeah, the point is saying "Clock and Calculator" is just insulting your potential customer... Why would a company want to insult its potential customers?
WinXP has Clock, Calculator, Wordpad, IE, WindowsMediaPlayer, Solitare and Minesweeper.
THESE ARE RUBBISH COMPARED TO iLife and Mac OS X in general... But Mac dude in the ad says, wow, "Macs have iLife". If you weren't really into the Mac scene, someone just saying "Macs have iLife" means nothing to you. Just saying "Macs have iLife" is a complete waste of TV airtime. There's no education or motivation aspects of the ad in this case. Even if you list out what iLife contains, just saying "iMovie, iPhoto, etc" doesn't educate or motivate the potential customer.
Don't know why the ad has to lay out what iLife does. The idea of an ad is to sell an image and pique curiousity. Kudos to Apple for doing that in a witty way. I think the ads are great.
PC users have the internet and, if nothing else, even the most incompetent computer buyer knows how to search for more information on a product. You can't spoon feed people every last drop of info in an ad.
The ads are wickedly funny. Apple is selling the coolness factor. Works for iPods, cigarettes, Coca-Cola, cars, clothes,... you name it.
I thought the adds were completely up Apples own arse to be perfectly frank.
They panda to how (some) Mac users view of themselves. So what. Mac users buy apple stuff.
You could make these adds in about 5mins. Gee Whiz. Talking Japanese was cool 10 years ago.
They should make an add showing someone having fun and using a Mac to the full, with a theme (tune) to it. Then do the inverse with the PC guy having problems and getting frustrated. Maybe it's the same actor with different clothes. With same theme tune at end get-a-mac.
It's so simple and conventional (I think even Dell had an add showing a user do multimedia stuff/having fun etc) - that basically they wouldn't do it.
In contrast most microsoft adds appear better to me.
FWIW this is an add campaign I would like to see Apple do.
Scene: Executive comes to work and walks by employees all working on PCs. He gets to his corner office and TADA he turns on his Mac. Subsequent adds could show this executive using MS office documents created on a PC, networking with PCs, booting into Windows, creating a presentation with Keynote, ect. Show the strenghts and capabilities of Macs. Show that Macs are viable in corporate environments.
One thing of note is that Apple's positioned the ads in the "prime" spot in primetime. The first ad after a program segment is generally more expensive and/or lucrative because it's the one the most people will see. They're serious about this.
One thing of note is that Apple's positioned the ads in the "prime" spot in primetime. The first ad after a program segment is generally more expensive and/or lucrative because it's the one the most people will see. They're serious about this.
IMHO a lot of wasted money on purchasing all this airtime for what I have already (probably too much) have mentioned are too self-indulgent ads.
I agree. Apple's TV spots always seem so arrogant to me. I didn't become an Apple fan until 2001. In 1998 I thought Macs were dumb. Then I saw this commercial with a Pentium on a snail and another one with a tongue-in-cheek fake apology for the first one. After that I thought Macs were dumb and that Apple was the most arrogant company on earth. I hated those ads with a passion.
After that one couldn't mention Macs or Apple around me without getting a bash-fest. I never would have come into the fold if it weren't for the fact that I was required to get my hands on them for extended periods of time in order to get my broadcasting degree.
This new campaign is more balanced and "nicer" than the old one that irritated me so much, but I still think that old arrogance slips in from time to time. I think a fair number of potential switchers will be turned off by this. I know it's irrational, but people can take ads personally. When done well, that's what makes them effective.
Upon further reflection, I think these ads are actually pretty good. They point out the differences between Macs and PCs without being obnoxious. In fact, the "Mac" tends to be pretty humble about things, only responding to what the PC does/says and providiing information about what Macs can do.
I think it's refreshing. No statements of PCs being boring, insults against PC users, or anything like that. I think these will be well received.
I'd like to see a follow-up commercial where the PC is played by a loud obnoxious hyper-spastic six year old child, the Mac is played by the same guy, and there's a third party person (the user). The user pokes both the Mac and PC to turn them on. The Mac says, "hi, I'm a Mac". and the PC says, "Hello, I'm a PC. New Hardware has been detected! New updates are available for Windows! There are inactive icons on the desktop, click now to see what they are! A wireless connection has been made! etc." Meanwhile the user hands each of them a Photo CD. The Mac in turn silently hands the user a stack of beautifully printed photos. The PC, still bombarding the user with information, detects the CD and says, "Windows can perform the same operation everytime you insert this kind of CD, What would you like Windows to do? Would you like to import the photos with Microsoft Photo Editor? Would you like to Open the CD as a Folder? would you like to view a slideshow, would you like to take no action? Windows can perform this action everyti....A new virus has been detected...". The child then breaks into a tantrum, throwing the CD against the floor, jumping up and down on it. All the while the Mac and User are admiring the photos together.
I'd like to see a follow-up commercial where the PC is played by a loud obnoxious hyper-spastic six year old child, the Mac is played by the same guy, and there's a third party person (the user). The user pokes both the Mac and PC to turn them on. The Mac says, "hi, I'm a Mac". and the PC says, "Hello, I'm a PC. New Hardware has been detected! New updates are available for Windows! There are inactive icons on the desktop, click now to see what they are! A wireless connection has been made! etc." Meanwhile the user hands each of them a Photo CD. The Mac in turn silently hands the user a stack of beautifully printed photos. The PC, still bombarding the user with information, detects the CD and says, "Windows can perform the same operation everytime you insert this kind of CD, What would you like Windows to do? Would you like to import the photos with Microsoft Photo Editor? Would you like to Open the CD as a Folder? would you like to view a slideshow, would you like to take no action? Windows can perform this action everyti....A new virus has been detected...". The child then breaks into a tantrum, throwing the CD against the floor, jumping up and down on it. All the while the Mac and User are admiring the photos together.
Comments
Well, given the new this morning from The Gartner Group, it would seem that neither Clock nor Calendar is shipping as part of Vista.
Originally posted by sunilraman
All ones worth working for.
Originally posted by sunilraman
The Mac dude says that PCs have great apps like Clock and Calculator...or something like that. That's just downright insulting to PC users. There are a lot more PC apps right out of the box. Granted, it's mostly rubbish, but saying just Clock and Calculator, it's a bit much. It's just putting down the PC rather than actually somehow coherently comparing PC and Mac software that's available for different things.
Those, IE and WMP seem to be about the only apps most people I know use from Windows. The rest are downloaded or purchased. Oh and of course the card games+ minesweeper. Who could forget those.
All ones worth working for.
Not all of us are that lucky to get to go to work looking like Mac dude and use Macs 100% of the time
Originally posted by iPeon
Silly me.
Hmmm...
Great commercials can be made easily that do not in any way attack, belittle or criticize the competition. What Apple needs is product identification, and with the iPod out there, they already have a great advertising medium. Build on its strengths and they have a goldmine. Fiddle and get stuck with the weaknesses of a competitor, and you are no better than that which you critique. Greatness does also not require an apologetic manner, just a little class and humility.
Life is also not all about sides. (Look at the mess the US is in right now because its us or them, democract or republican--- sides, sides, sides and it succeeds in getting nowhere. Politics world-wide is pretty similar, unfortunately.) Think of all of the co-operation that exists; if it did not, we would not. It is more about working together than picking sides.
Most of this is learned in kindergarten. If not, then pity the people who failed to learn it, and anyone who comes into contact with them.
Those, IE and WMP seem to be about the only apps most people I know use from Windows. The rest are downloaded or purchased. Oh and of course the card games+ minesweeper. Who could forget those.
Yeah, the point is saying "Clock and Calculator" is just insulting your potential customer... Why would a company want to insult its potential customers?
WinXP has Clock, Calculator, Wordpad, IE, WindowsMediaPlayer, Solitare
THESE ARE RUBBISH COMPARED TO iLife and Mac OS X in general... But Mac dude in the ad says, wow, "Macs have iLife". If you weren't really into the Mac scene, someone just saying "Macs have iLife" means nothing to you. Just saying "Macs have iLife" is a complete waste of TV airtime. There's no education or motivation aspects of the ad in this case. Even if you list out what iLife contains, just saying "iMovie, iPhoto, etc" doesn't educate or motivate the potential customer.
PC users have the internet and, if nothing else, even the most incompetent computer buyer knows how to search for more information on a product. You can't spoon feed people every last drop of info in an ad.
The ads are wickedly funny. Apple is selling the coolness factor. Works for iPods, cigarettes, Coca-Cola, cars, clothes,... you name it.
They panda to how (some) Mac users view of themselves. So what. Mac users buy apple stuff.
You could make these adds in about 5mins. Gee Whiz. Talking Japanese was cool 10 years ago.
They should make an add showing someone having fun and using a Mac to the full, with a theme (tune) to it. Then do the inverse with the PC guy having problems and getting frustrated. Maybe it's the same actor with different clothes. With same theme tune at end get-a-mac.
It's so simple and conventional (I think even Dell had an add showing a user do multimedia stuff/having fun etc) - that basically they wouldn't do it.
In contrast most microsoft adds appear better to me.
Scene: Executive comes to work and walks by employees all working on PCs. He gets to his corner office and TADA he turns on his Mac. Subsequent adds could show this executive using MS office documents created on a PC, networking with PCs, booting into Windows, creating a presentation with Keynote, ect. Show the strenghts and capabilities of Macs. Show that Macs are viable in corporate environments.
My 2 cents.
One thing of note is that Apple's positioned the ads in the "prime" spot in primetime. The first ad after a program segment is generally more expensive and/or lucrative because it's the one the most people will see. They're serious about this.
IMHO a lot of wasted money on purchasing all this airtime for what I have already (probably too much) have mentioned are too self-indulgent ads.
After that one couldn't mention Macs or Apple around me without getting a bash-fest. I never would have come into the fold if it weren't for the fact that I was required to get my hands on them for extended periods of time in order to get my broadcasting degree.
This new campaign is more balanced and "nicer" than the old one that irritated me so much, but I still think that old arrogance slips in from time to time. I think a fair number of potential switchers will be turned off by this. I know it's irrational, but people can take ads personally. When done well, that's what makes them effective.
I think it's refreshing. No statements of PCs being boring, insults against PC users, or anything like that. I think these will be well received.
Originally posted by Cory Bauer
I'd like to see a follow-up commercial where the PC is played by a loud obnoxious hyper-spastic six year old child, the Mac is played by the same guy, and there's a third party person (the user). The user pokes both the Mac and PC to turn them on. The Mac says, "hi, I'm a Mac". and the PC says, "Hello, I'm a PC. New Hardware has been detected! New updates are available for Windows! There are inactive icons on the desktop, click now to see what they are! A wireless connection has been made! etc." Meanwhile the user hands each of them a Photo CD. The Mac in turn silently hands the user a stack of beautifully printed photos. The PC, still bombarding the user with information, detects the CD and says, "Windows can perform the same operation everytime you insert this kind of CD, What would you like Windows to do? Would you like to import the photos with Microsoft Photo Editor? Would you like to Open the CD as a Folder? would you like to view a slideshow, would you like to take no action? Windows can perform this action everyti....A new virus has been detected...". The child then breaks into a tantrum, throwing the CD against the floor, jumping up and down on it. All the while the Mac and User are admiring the photos together.