Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple
New Apple ads mean spirited?
Seth Stevenson, writing for Slate, makes a good point about the new Apple ads: John Hodgman (the actor portraying the PC) gets all the good lines. He's the funny, likable one. The Mac (played by Justin Long) is kind of annoying and not the least bit funny.
Sadly, I don't think Apple counted on Hodgman's rise in popularity before they shot these commercials, but does that mean the ads don't work? Since I am clearly already a Mac user I can't really judge if they work or not. I know there are a few switchers out there that read TUAW, so tell me: do these commercials make you want to buy a Mac?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Mike said 10:09AM on 6-20-2006
I am a recent switcher and I think they are great. The PC character is likeable but, to me, only 'cause I feel a little sorry for the dumb characters like his ...
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Thomas said 10:10AM on 6-20-2006
I would have thought pretty much all Mac users will want to buy another Mac in the future, perhaps a more apt question is: do these ads make you not want to buy a Mac?
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Damien said 10:13AM on 6-20-2006
If they gave the Mac guy the funny lines, then Apple would be accused of making the PC guy look humorless.
I personally don't like the scruffy gen-Y appearance of the Mac guy.
The one commercial that I think really works is the one with the printer - that one has a "get the girl" quality to go along with the "It Just Works" point that may make one want to get a Mac.
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mroach said 10:17AM on 6-20-2006
Yeah, I thought they were pretty funny, but now that you point it out, the "Apple" person wasn't funny and came off as a bit of a snob.
Regardless, I don't need an advert to make me buy a Mac. The machines and software sell themselves.
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Hank said 10:17AM on 6-20-2006
That's what you get with comparissons: you point the way to your compettitor, no matter waht you say or do. Besides, the Macguy is a bit of a know-it-all.
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Pandaface said 10:18AM on 6-20-2006
I recently switched to a Mac. Actually - I take it back. I didn't switch, I added the Mac to my computer arsenal. I love my new Macbook Pro. However, I think these commercials are annoying. They take some of the stereotypes and preconceived ideas of both machines and just try to minimalistically put them in the fore front. The reasons given in these commercials are not why I purchased my Mac. Plus, yes the Mac dude suck. I kind of want to kick him.
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Jen said 10:23AM on 6-20-2006
The commercials don't persuade me enough to want to buy a Mac. I think that's a decision that people make on their own. However, I think these commercials are entertaining. I laugh every time!
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ttfnRob said 10:24AM on 6-20-2006
I thought that they were bad ads. I mean they're funny from the outside but I agree that Justin Long comes across as a snob in the end.
They don't make me wanna buy a PC but they put me off becoming like the Mac people as they are portrayed in this ad. But then, aren't Mac people a bit like this anyway? Dig deep - how often have you felt a bit smug about being 'better off'?
They should have a Linux guy in the ad, he'd make the Mac guy look like a saint if my IT colleagues are anything to go by...
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mstockmyer said 10:25AM on 6-20-2006
Speaking as a long time Windows user (and new OSX user at work), the Mac guy comes across as terribly smug. It makes me less likely to switch to a Mac. It kind of reinforces the idea that Mac people think they're better than everyone else.
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unreal mccoy said 10:28AM on 6-20-2006
I think the "Mac" in the commercials reinforces a negative stereotype of Mac users: that we are pretentious, latte-sipping, uber-hipsters who look down our noses at everyone not using a svelte Apple machine.
The commercials make me uncomfortable when I'm watching them with non-mac users (like my inlaws). They all turn and look at me like I'm some kind of geeky snob...
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Leonard said 10:33AM on 6-20-2006
Years ago I saw a semidocumentary movie about Gates and Jobs' competitive fued over the years. In this movie, Jobs groused to Gates, "We make better stuff." And Gates shouted back, "You know what? It doesn't matter. IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!" Gates didn't care who built any kind of crappy computer that would run DOS/Windows as long as he got his software royalty, and we all know how that paid off for his bankroll, and how the entire world was saddled with a less-than-mediocre operating system as a result.
My fantasy is that Steve has been biding his time for lo these many years, waiting for the day when his computers might make a serious comeback and take a much bigger "bite of the apple." So if these ads are indeed "mean-spirited," (a debatable point) I would understand. I don't think they are deliberately, and, being a long-time Mac user, I have no idea how effective they are in boosting Mac sales. But once somebody actually goes into one of those incredible Apple stores, his chances of buying one goes way up!
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Dan said 10:33AM on 6-20-2006
ttfnRob is right about most (hardcore) mac users coming across as smug - myself included. but that's not the spokesman you want for your products, even if it is representative. after seeing the ads more than a couple of times I want to smack the 'mac' too.
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Lack said 10:40AM on 6-20-2006
Hell no.
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verma said 10:41AM on 6-20-2006
For some people, pc's is their best buy.I know I bought my mother
(a healthy citizen of 70) a Mac, and I wouldn't do it again.
I live 500 miles away from her, and she feels there's only me who
can answer her questions. The techies from all the "normal"
companies (banks, cable, health services websites ...) don't know
anything about the Mac, and aren't too keen on helping her out.
And if they do, they give the wrong information.
For those who really have to rely on other people in order to work with a
computer, I guess a pc is what still would be their best choice.
With a Mac, those people really feel marginalized.She didn't like
Apple's Mighty Mouse, and decided she would buy another one in a
supermarket. Of course, one with a PC plug... "but the lady said
it works on any computer". Clearly not. Same for computer courses
for senior citizens: all is based on Windows. She comes home and
tells me ... "I took an internet course, but I can't use it on my
computer". Or my uncle who burnt a CD with funny games ... she can't play since it's Windows only.
I guess the Mac target audience is somewhat "different" ?
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televator said 10:47AM on 6-20-2006
"the commercials reinforces a negative stereotype of Mac users: that we are pretentious, latte-sipping, uber-hipsters who look down our noses at everyone not using a svelte Apple machine."
Funny, that's EXACTLY who I am. I LOVE the commercials (as does my wife, a recent switcher). I think it's a brilliant strategy because the target market IS pretentious, uber-hipsters that look down at windows users....or at least the people that think that is cool and want to be like the mac guy in the commercial.
You will not undercut PC's on price, so you have to go for an emotional connection. Having a warm, fuzzy, and humble attitude would make the commercial like every other computer maker. Sure, some people will be offended, but those people are unwilling to pay a premium for the ultra svelte apple computers. Am I making any sense?
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Daniel Brauer said 10:47AM on 6-20-2006
I think the problem is that in an ad for computers, they don't have a computer until the end. Sure, they'd be cute to show someone who as in an Apple store, surrounded by the product and wondering "why should I buy one of these expensive things?", but they aren't appropriate for the home viewer. The iPod name has really penetrated the portable music market, but "Mac" is nowhere near that point in its own market. I have a feeling that a lot of TV watchers still don't have a good idea of what the ads are for.
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Jim said 10:48AM on 6-20-2006
A slightly different take on the ads from Superosity.
http://superosity.com/d/20060620.html
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John P said 10:49AM on 6-20-2006
They worked for my 50 year old father. Well that and me telling him I am tired of his calls about his broken windows machine. I am also a recent switcher and I am in love with my wonderful black macbook
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Jonathan Fingas said 10:52AM on 6-20-2006
My question is why Apple still insists on that old ad style. The white background, steady (though not static) shot, quiet-voiced Apple had has been around since at least 1998. It almost puts you to sleep.
Apple should take a page from its own advertising for the iPod. You obviously can't have silhouettes dancing to the latest hit with MacBooks in hand, but they're much more interesting: they have energy, they're stylistically unique, and they don't risk condescending the audience. Maybe Apple could have an ad where a silhouette sits down at an iMac, turns it on, and the screen overflows with light and colour.
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kevin said 10:57AM on 6-20-2006
jim, great link.
televator is right, and so is everyone else. its true that the mac does come across as "pretentious yet humble" but i think that's the gamble apple is trying to make to appeal to an audience. they're trying to get people to think that if they use a mac, they're better because they have ilife, no viruses, hassle-free computing, etc.. and to top it all off, they can use windows too if they so choose.
so the message is that macs are better than pc's. and any way you want to advertise that, it's always going to come across smug and pretentious when you're trying to show that something is better than something else (especially when you're talking technology).
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