The Mac Commercials And Ads In General
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I read a post this morning about why the new Mac ads don’t work. I suppose it was an interesting article. It’s basically a PC guy saying that PC guys don’t like to be made fun of. I suppose that’s fair.
(Note: Although I do think the ads are good. I’ve had more friends ask me about Macs than ever before because of these commercials.)
But, it got me thinking about advertising and public relations in general. Not counting the continual great advice from Seth Godin, it’s mostly a sad state.
I am offended when marketers and PR people think their audience is dumb. Marketers will tell you that you want their product, and if you don’t than you aren’t thinking straight. ( Example: The LG Chocolate phone has had incredible marketing, but it is still a cell phone with bad reception and hard to use music options that cost too much and keep you tied to a two year contract.) When a sports figure does something inappropriate, his public relations person will try to spin it for the public. (Example: Terrell Owens and his ridiculous public relations agent.) A politician tells you how well they are doing their job and how the other candidate wouldn’t be able to do the job. (Example: Read anything about Las Vegas politics and you’ll know. Scandal after Scandal.)
This makes me wonder if it has something to do with human nature. I think that most humans feel that they have something to teach and that others may not know as much. I think this is a prerequisite for marketers, public relations agents and politicians.
Just for kicks, please participate in this poll:
October 16th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
That’s a tough poll. Everyone has their own intelligence level for different things. We may all me equally intelligent but too different or too busy to realize it.
What’s nice about the apple ads is their playfulness. Instead of flashing lights and crazy music and people raving in the background to show off the latest and greatest, apple has decided to keep it simple. And it seems to have been working. Maybe LG will learn something and change their approach to marketing phones.
October 16th, 2006 at 6:43 pm
I forget who originally phrased this, but I really believe it is true, “Advertising on TV isn’t for future purchasers; it’s to make you feel good about the purchase you’ve already made.”
Considering you agree with that ideology, that’s what makes these ads so good. In any of them, you feel as though with the metaphors created, you’re now in a better place than you were with the old MS computer.
October 16th, 2006 at 7:09 pm
What you need to remember is that the function of advertizing is to raise awareness of your product. When a person goes shopping for a PC, whether they liked or disliked the ad is often irrelevant. Even if their response is to go to a Mac store as a joke “just to see what they offer” then the ad has done its job. These ads are doing that job very, very well. Since these ads have debuted, more people have asked me about my Mac than ever before and are seriously considering a switch.
October 16th, 2006 at 7:59 pm
I agree with you Brau. They are certainly making Macs visible.
Mark, interesting point of view.
October 17th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
The Mac Commercials aren’t insulting PC user, but rather the tools they use. And in this case, the tools they use, pretty much pale in comparison to a Mac!
These commercials are actually doing quite well. I liken them to the Vonage commercials. One smart decision amoung many, many stupid ones.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:03 am
There are more Mac users now than ever, so Apple must be doing something good. My entire French class is full of Mac users, except for one lonely Windows girl who “really, really” wants a new Mac.
Besides the feel of the OS, I like how Unix allows an app to crash without crashing the OS. A Windows app crashes, you usually have lots of other problems. Plus, I know where to find everything I need in the directories. That’s why I switched over.
October 20th, 2006 at 2:11 am
It doesn’t make much difference here, because the ads aren’t being shown in the UK yet (something to do with stricter competition laws).
As for the poll I voted the first option. From the IQ tests we all had to do at school I know I had the (joint with one other) highest IQ out of my year group, so I know I’m more intelligent than most people of my age… it doesn’t make any difference to anything, it just means I can vote on polls like this without arrogance :p
October 27th, 2006 at 11:47 am
The Mac ads are brilliant, in my opinion. And if PC fans don’t want us making fun of them, per se, they should practice what they preach. After all, how many of us have heard the “mac makes a great doorstop” comment from our PC programming friends? Younger and older generations are enjoying these spots. It’s the PC curmudgeons who will never consider anything else anyway who complain about these fun commercials. I applaud the efforts of the ad agency.