That new Mac ad.

[snoopy369]

They're mostly trying to indicate that Macs can do the things that PCs can do, but easier/simpler/better. Mostly easier, really.

[Dis]

well I can't get the other ads to work with internet explorer either. I guess I need a mac to do it.

And yes the ads are implying that Macs can do things better than PC's which indicates they aren't going for the niche market. They want to increase their market share.

[snoopy369]

NOT better, mostly. Easier. It's a very important distinction.

Though I'd agree that niche is not exactly the right word; it's right in general concept, IE Apple understands that certain users are their market, and that group of users != the entire market, but it's a rather 'large' niche.

It's like saying Tylenol or better yet Midol is a niche market product. In one sense it is, it's just a very ... large niche.

[Asher]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Ahh... just the thing after a hard, stressful day at work.

Reading an Asher pwning

I have to say the most convincing argument i've read in this thread is that the commercial is in its eighth 'episode' or whatever. Any commercial that makes it that far, is clearly a success by whomever's figuring that's doing the actual figuring.

There were about that many Carrot Top AT&T commercials...the off-lipsync Gillette commercial still airs regularly...

That's not so much a metric as it is collective incompetence. There are reasons why Apple can't get itself out of a niche marketshare, and this is one of them. They do not understand the reception to their ads from the general public and the brand implications it has.

Instead, the ad-men all probably think similar to you and -Jrabbit. Which is why this supposedly highly reputable ad firm has got Apple nowhere in the 22 years they've worked together, other than hammer home the ideologies of Macs as a niche product rather than a mainstream one.

The pwning in this thread was all one-sided. No competent arguments have been made contrary to mine, -Jrabbit spews rhetoric and you say "if they're still being made clearly they are effective". You have too much faith in people who make a career out of picking jingles.

The simple fact is while sales are good, Apple will likely keep up these ads. That doesn't mean it's good for Apple's image or its long-term health, in any way.

For what it's worth, these ads are still better than Apple's prior "Switch" ads and "Macs are supercomputer" ads, which were also so clearly very effective so as to be mocked relentlessly and not dent their marketshare.

[Ari Rahikkala]

Originally posted by Asher
The problem is if Apple is offering a "superior product" in the same pricerange people spend on PCs (and they do), then they should certainly not be relegated to a niche market.

It makes sense for companies to be in a niche market if it fits them (eg, $15,000 gaming computers), but not if they make products priced in the mainstream. The only reason Apple's in a niche market is ads like this which are offputting to the broader market. There is no other limitation.

Their limitation is ineffective ad campaigns and, if what you're saying is true, fundamental corporate strategy. But I've seen Steve Jobs talk in meetings, I know he doesn't buy this for a second that they're destined for a niche market.

But if they stop putting off the mundanes, those smug bastard Mac users won't have a reason to use a Mac anymore

[Elok]

Originally posted by Ari Rahikkala
But if they stop putting off the mundanes, those smug bastard Mac users won't have a reason to use a Mac anymore

...you know, that might actually be the best argument in favor of those ads. You can't sell yourself as a smarmy counterculture POS and not follow through, after all. If Apple didn't keep doing these spots, they'd lose people to Linux or something.

[Asher]

Hey, check this out.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/2/17/7101

"Get a Mac" ads doing more harm than good in UK

Get a Mac UK Media Week is reporting that, instead of improving their image, Apple's "Get a Mac" ads are actually hurting the public perception of the company, at least in the UK. Since the UK specific commericals premiered in late January, YouGov’s BrandIndex indicates that Apple's "buzz" factor has dropped 6 points from +14 to +8 on the far side of the Atlantic.

BrandIndex is a "a daily measure of public perception" and is calculated by conducting "more than half a million interviews per year." It's a little tough to quantify what a "buzz" point might really be worth, but this statement from the BrandIndex site did catch my eye.

Most brands do not shift very much from month to month, let alone day to day.

By my calculations, it's only now late February, so losing nearly half your value in a single month cannot be good. On the other hand, "buzz" is only one of seven criteria profiled by BrandIndex, so it may not paint a complete picture.

There's certainly no shortage of criticsm for the ads on either side of the pond, but the fact that they continue to make new ones here in the US certainly seems to indicate that at least Apple believes they are a success. As for the fate of the UK editions, we'll just have to wait and see how they pan out in the long run.

[DRoseDARs]

Thread necromancy



Oh, and your avatar? It works well enough.