New Apple commercials

[mynameis]

Their advertising campaigns are a prime example.

So their national primetime TV advertising campaigns are designed to do what if not to tell products? Do you believe that with proper advertising OS X would gain market share?

 

[baggss]

They tell about the product, but they don't show how good it is. Mac advertising, unlike iPod advertising, is more indirect. As folks have said, they don't show you how easy it is to use iLife or OSX or things of that nature, they tend to poke fun at the PC using community instead.

As for your second question, I don't really know if it would or not. I don't think it could hurt though.

 

[techster82]

Apple is a company, but with a bit of a twist. While they would willingly sell computers to anyone and everyone I don't think their goal is to become market dominant or supplant MS. I think Steve is still a Hippy at heart and the goal is still to "Make a dent in the Universe", not own it. Much of that shows in the styling and marketing of Apples products including the new ads.

Heck, with the amount of money Steve made off of the Pixar deal with Disney you could say that Apple is just something to take up his free time now. :black:

Although I can understand how you view Steve as a hippy who doesn't make Profit his top priority, try to tell that to the stockholders of Apple. Profit is the driving force in ANY company, regardless of how the founder or CEO feels.

Here is somebody elses point of view on the ads, and I think he is right on the money. Review of ads

 

[baggss]

Although I can understand how you view Steve as a hippy who doesn't make Profit his top priority, try to tell that to the stockholders of Apple. Profit is the driving force in ANY company, regardless of how the founder or CEO feels.

It's not just me, and I am one of those Stockholders.....

What many people fail to realize is Steve is Apple and Apple is Steve....

 

[campayne]

i only really likes 2 of the 6 the other 4 seemed to lack creativity, i really enjoyed the WSJ and the viruses one

 

[Redeemer]

The guy that plays the "PC" is on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (I think). Looks very similar.

http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/news_team/contributors/john_hodgman.jhtml

Yup, that's him all right. I was suspecting that too, but that's him alright.

 

[kaidomac]

i only really likes 2 of the 6 the other 4 seemed to lack creativity, i really enjoyed the WSJ and the viruses one

I thought the programs one was hilarious...imovie, iphoto, and whatnot. "I've got some cool apps too...calculator..." haha

 

[Pierre]

Interestingly enough... to me, I don't like these commercials. Lemme just play the 'average' (if there is such a thing) guy here. No idea what a Mac is, nor what a Mac does better than a PC. I see a commercial for the new Mac and I don't get it. I really don't, except for the fact that one guy is 'hip' and one is 'old'.

I don't really know why I should get a Mac.. other than a PC keeps restarting? Honestly, I think that these commercials are more here to entertain the Mac fans (that, huh, already have Macs) as apposed to attracting more PC users. This is good for us Mac Users... but the market share is still at 2.5%.

Apple really just needs to do something a lot better in marketing. Between the dancing iPod people and bare Mac vs. PC no one is getting more Macs (at least not because of those commercials).

I may be completely wrong, since these commercials only just started airing. However.. I have the feeling that the Think Different commercials were a lot cooler than these were.


Note: As a Mac fan, I love the iLife one, because the clock and it's 'hours of fun'.

I'm just not sure how many switchers this will attract that's all...


Wow, could that be considered a rant, oh well. I guess i haven't been updating my blog lately anyway

Pierre

 

[baggss]

Between the dancing iPod people and bare Mac vs. PC no one is getting more Macs (at least not because of those commercials).

Actually, Apple is selling more Macs because of those "Dancing iPods"....

 

[WhiteYfz]

Those are some slick adds!

:black:

 

[Pierre]

Actually, Apple is selling more Macs because of those "Dancing iPods"....

Point taken. But I still don't think the new Ads are very effective. Amusing. Not effective. This might turn out similarly to the Mac Mini and integrated graphics. Apple shouldn't be on the offensive all the time--just compare the features. If someone saw a side by side comparison they would realize why Macs are so much better.

 

[lil]

Hear Hear Pierre!

 

[Thad]

give anyone a mac for a day and theyre hooked. It doesnt even have to be the newest iMac or MBP either. Give anyone a 350mhz iMac and theyre like, wow this is neat and really easy to use and i cant believe how fast I learned it. Then tell them its 6 years old and theyll crap themselves "how is it still alive and not crawling along at a snails pace?"
I think the the biggest thing with (some) "switchers" is theyre always after the newest product, which cost out the butt, when they can get a great macintosh experience at just about any price. You dont HAVE to have the newest Intel core quintuple (mmmmm... quintuple) to be ushered into the world of mac. Of course after 2 weeks of using a Lombard the "How fast can a 2.16ghz mbp possibly be, I HAVE TO KNOW. And then Ill get that 30'' display and a iMac and a mini to hook to my tv and a wireless keyboard and mouse setup ohhh and a 60gb ipod" itch kinda takes hold.

 

[Pierre]

Quite true. If the ads held that 'essence' of mac, by tempting PC users to try one out, it would be a lot more effective. It's all good though. I do agree... give anyone a CRT iMac and they'll be tempted to switch.

 

[MJGUK]

and rather work from the standpoint that the Mac is different, interoperable but should be justified and judged upon its own merits

Likewise, purely for the sake of playing devil's advocate:

I would argue that Apple have been pushing this angle for years and years and the consequence? A 3-4% market share.
Now as I said I'm not necessarily subscribing to this view, I'm merely offering further possible explanations etc.
But for years, Apple has promoted itself and Macs especially along the lines of 'Being Different' - 'Think Different', individuality etc. Now personally whilst I like that, I'm not sure it appeals to the 'average' consumer so sits at their Windows box. In many ways, I think they are happy with what they have....They just wish it would work 'better', smoother, quicker, with less bugs and errors. They actually 'like' Windows.....Its just that many of them wish it didn't crash as often, bring up bug reports and take half an hour to restart (exaggeration extreme!). In this way, in theory at least this style of marketing should be pretty successful. As it looks the consumer in the eye and says 'Ok so you like what you have but you just want it "better"? I have the answer, it's called a Mac'. Hey, if it was my show I'd stick with being 'different'. Macs ARE and SHOULD be different. That said, I'm not sure how my Board and Shareholders would feel about that

Currently I believe Apple are trying to target a wider audience than it ever has before and this is purely a consequence of that. Whether it will work or not, I cannot say. Although for the sake of pure speculation, I do very much agree with your conclusion on their delivery. Personally I think they are good adverts....But they've made better.

Maybe they are just trying something 'different' (no pun intended)?
Without doubt, I think it is at least pretty clear that they are targeting a lot more Windows users now and specficially, the average Windows user. As far as I am aware this is a little new for Apple? Or at least to this extent.

So lets watch that market share with excited anticipation
Certainly, their marketing efforts in general seem to proving pretty successful right now

 

[lil]

According to Gfx, Mac marketshare stands at circa 1.9%. We supply data at work to Gfx which they compile into sales trends, marketshare etc.

http://www.gfkms.com/

Vicky

 

[lil]

Oh and there is nothing new about Apple's Mac advertising being mostly about putting the boot into IBM/Microsoft.

Vicky

 

[MJGUK]

Well that is pretty surprising! Certainly a lot lower than most estimates? Not to suggest that it isn't correct though.

However it would be very interesting to see the statistics for the last fiscal year or something? I'd imagine a fairly sharp dip in sales around the time of the conversion. But I'd expect them to be climbing again around now? Although in terms of the new marketing campaign, I think we need to wait quite a while to be able to analyse the effects.

 

[Pierre]

Point taken. but is the average windows user (the not very techy ones.. the type of people who hire someone to get rid of a virus) really going to pay that much attention to two men talking on a white background. I understand the simplicity of Mac and the fact they have to reflect that on their commercials. But make it a little more eye-catchin and like a superbowl commercial. Make them watch it, and tempt them to switch.

 

[MJGUK]

Oh and there is nothing new about Apple's Mac advertising being mostly about putting the boot into IBM/Microsoft.

No clearly not, but personally as far as I can see this is verging on more extreme?
At least I don't think the Switch adverts were as 'focussed' as these current adds.

Like you rightly said, they've always played the 'Microsoft sux' angle. But they've also previously adhered to the 'Different, individual' angle a great deal too.
I don't see too much of that anymore in these current adds etc.
What do you think?