Microsoft is going to spend at least $500 million promoting Windows XP.  I don’t think I have seen a single OS X commercial yet.

I think we should get a “traitor cow” commercial, as a play on the Gateway ads.  The “traitor cow” calls Steve Jobs.  You hear this person explaining how Gateway never listens to all his good ideas, and how his good ideas have been wasted on just another box maker.  The cow wants a company that really listens to their customers.  Now released OS X 10.1.  Exactly what you have been waiting for.

I like, Scott.

On 2001-09-27 12:52, deepgeek wrote:
Umm, actually, Apples commercials have been really good up to this point… I don’t see why you would want to make them bland, boring, and like everyone elses.  Apples are different… Why shouldnt the commercials match… Apple = Style. 

Ehh… their ads fail on soooo many levels.  There was one here that just had a blast of speedy time-lapsed iTunes visualisations backed by a snippet of a thrashy litle punk song.  On the line ‘The radio’s cr**!’, which ended the song, there was a subtle little Apple logo on a black background and the tag line they were using (I remember noting it wasn’t ‘Rip. Mix. Burn’, but it wasn’t THAT memorable.)

It was very very brief. When it was over, the guy I was sitting next to said ‘Wow.’
I said, ‘Yeah.’
He said, ‘What was that for?’

Bzzt. Game over.  If you don’t recall the brand name ten seconds after the ad’s done, it probably failed.

Another one here was a billboard ad using a light globe icon, an speeding arrow, and a big green tick. Underneath were the words ‘Smarter. Faster. Better.’  Then there was an Apple logo, and the word Apple. No computer, no person, no nothing. Boring…

Another one, though, took advantage of the deregulation of Australian telephone service.  The first new company to pop up and challenge Telstra The Evil Telco Empire was one called Optus.  Optus’ advertising tagline is ‘yes’, and they initially made a big deal about how cool and alternative and different and friendly they are.  They had a businessy little spot about how Optus uses Macintoshes to deal with everything because they’re right in line with the Optus way of thinking.  Tons of Optus branding and corporate colours everywhere, plenty of Macs being shown.  The voiceover was enthusiastic without being too ‘yeehah!’

Now, THAT was clever.  It strongly associated a very high-profile telco known for being cool and different with a less-high-profile computer company *and* made it clear that Macs are great for the workplace.

Anyway.

Whatever happens with the ads, I’d love to see Fatboy Slim’s ‘Weapon of Choice’ used in one.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Raena on 2001-09-29 03:34 ]</font>

On 2001-09-29 03:31, Raena wrote:

Whatever happens with the ads, I’d love to see Fatboy Slim’s ‘Weapon of Choice’ used in one.

Hm, maybe Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Workin’” would be more appropriate?

My short response:

I like the current Apple commercials. I do think they should have a mix of what they have now and a few more technical looking commercials for placement in specific shows or channels, though. No one watching the CFN financial channel probably cares about burning a wedding to DVD—at least not at the moment they are watching that channel .

My longer response:

Actually Apple’s ads are fairly effective. I believe they are still getting kudos from various advertising groups/magazines, and the one’s they are being nominated for or winning are not just given away to anyone or handed out to the pretty boys. I can’t remember the article I read—I’ll post it if I find it—but Apple’s logo is growing again in recognition (it had actually dropped off during the ...ahem ... dark time a couple years ago ).

If there is any problem with Apple’s advertising it’s that the PC makers are so quick to copy them or begin to trumpet “ME TOO!” within mere hours of their release. These PC box makers have oodles of cash to throw at commercials (often put together on Macs ) that immediately say we have only a few parts, too, or you can use our box to get on the Internet and we made it easy by including “Free” ISP service, or we have CDRWs, too. I never saw a single commercial for CD burning before Apple’s iMac commercials. Now every commercial for a PC practically claims they invented it years ago and do claim they will make it easy for you—and even PC magazines have admitted iTunes is the only way to truly fly for the technically-challenged. (And since we all like to claim consumers are mindless penny-pinching drones, we can agree they’re technically-challenged, eh? Wait… Aren’t we consumers? But I’m digressing…)

My point here is that the sheer volume of PC commercials muddies the whole playing field. People get to the stores wanting to do the latest greatest thing they’ve seen or read about, and they dutifully pick up a Windows PC because, well, it’ll work about the same as a Macintosh, right? Blah. And, unfortunately, PC makers can throw money until they file Chapter 11 and have to merge with each other, and they still get good press, so Apple will always be playing the game of “We’ve now made it easier for you to [fill in the blank]” as the PC makers copy them and out announce them.

Weird. I was certain I was logged in, but my last message with the short response and long response was attributed to “Anonymous”. It should be signed: