Poll: Do you feel Apple's Switch campaign was effective? [Archive]

MrMacMan

Jul 25, 2003, 12:42 AM

I thought they should have continued the same thing now that we have 'the fastest personal computer' etc etc. stuff.
So far 9 people voted -- 0 votes for 1/2 :p

I think it got the message out, but I think they should have an add, about how great Mac Os X is, in most of their Ad they never do this, they did it once, showing iDVD or iMovie, it showed a product at its simplist, we need more of those.

Flowbee

Jul 25, 2003, 01:02 AM

I guess it got me to take another look at Apple (along with the introduction of the iPod). But if it wasn't for OS X, I wouldn't have switched.

Nermal

Jul 25, 2003, 01:11 AM

I voted for 4. I think if it wasn't for Switch, then I'd still be on Windows. It's not the ads that got me (they didn't play them over here), but the stories. I had looked at the Mac beforehand but I wasn't too sure about it. Some of the stories on Apple's site helped a lot with overcoming the "compatibility worries".

The Switch stories by themselves didn't bring my over. Believe it or not, but it was the price that switched me. I know what you're thinking, how can the price have switched me when Macs are so expensive? It's because I looked closely at the specs. I wanted a laptop, and while I could've bought a cheap Windows machine, I see they've only got 8 meg video cards, or 20 gig hard drives, or other things I couldn't put up with. I needed at least a 32 meg video card, at least 30 gig drive, and a CD-RW/DVD combo drive was a must. What was the cheapest system to meet these requirements? The 12" iBook, for $1349 (256 MB). I decided to spend the extra $150 for the 14" model. I decided to "take the plunge", and if I didn't like having a Mac, I'd sell it on Trade Me (local equivalent of eBay).

That was nearly 6 months ago. I'm glad I switched. And if it wasn't for those Switch stories, I probably wouldn't be here.

Jerry Spoon

Jul 25, 2003, 01:25 AM

Originally posted by Nermal
That was nearly 6 months ago. I'm glad I switched. And if it wasn't for those Switch stories, I probably wouldn't be here.

Oh my God! The switch campaign saved this man's life! :eek:

There's a comercial for you!

macnews

Jul 25, 2003, 01:27 AM

Voted for 4 here. I think the switch ads did work. They were never going to get 30 or even 20% of the market to be Mac but they did create awareness, get people talking and some switching. Part of the problem was/is the Ghz myth. Prior to the G5 I don't think people saw much of an option. It all plays in to the pyschology of buying paterns.

I would hate to see them drop the "switch" campaign. They should update the look but keep up with the switching. Many windows users still worry about compatibility and the stories/videos helped earse that doubt.

ckwm

Jul 25, 2003, 02:53 AM

Yeah, I switched too. I saw some of the ads on the net (they weren't run in the UK) and also went through the whoe switching thing on the Apple webiste.

So here I am tapping away on an iMac and never going back.....

Nermal

Jul 25, 2003, 06:43 AM

Originally posted by Jerry Spoon
Oh my God! The switch campaign saved this man's life! :eek:

There's a comercial for you!

OK let me rephrase that...

That was nearly 6 months ago. I'm glad I switched. And if it wasn't for those Switch stories, I probably wouldn't be here on the MR forums, and I'd still be using Windows.

Happy? :)

scem0

Jul 25, 2003, 07:17 AM

4.

I don't know anyone who went out and bought a mac because of it, but there weren't so many 'macs suck' (without giving a reason) people at my school.

A guy who I have heard say **** about macs said iBooks were cool, which suprised me. So I think it introduced peopel who knew nothing about macs to the mac world.

It wasn't enough to convince any of them to switch, in my case.

scem0

MetallicPenguin

Jul 25, 2003, 07:46 AM

I voted Not Sure, even though it was the reason I switched. Well it wasn't really the reason, but it got me interested.

gotohamish

Jul 25, 2003, 07:54 AM

Originally posted by Macrumors
Vote: Poll: Do you feel Apple's Switch campaign was effective? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=234&ref=forums.macrumors.com)

No, because due to content and nature it isn't internationally viable as an ad campaign. I don't think Apple care, but the ads can't be shown in the UK due to competition law.

Thus Apple did little to no advertising at all, aside from the odd iMac/Powerbook add. Damn shame.

Mudbug

Jul 25, 2003, 08:30 AM

I think it was effective in and of the way that most advertising is effective. Sure the point of the ad was to get across the "switch" message, but the real point is to build the brand of Apple. And it did that well. Simple, easy to recognize commercials that were (at least when they were new) unlike any other commercials on the tube, and the end result is that when you saw one, you thought of Apple computer.

That's good advertising, no matter how you slice it.

MacFan25

Jul 25, 2003, 08:52 AM

I think that it was effective. I think that there have always been people who have wanted to switch over to Apple, but they weren't sure, and I think that the campaign let them know that switching can easily be done.

awinn233

Jul 25, 2003, 09:27 AM

I switched.

Potus

Jul 25, 2003, 09:45 AM

Three people I know switched because of the ads (Janie Porche and the camera was particularly effective). I got a kick out of them. So the ads were effective imho. The campaign is over a year old and few campaigns last more than three months unless they're hugely successful.

Capt Underpants

Jul 25, 2003, 10:43 AM

Alot of people did "switch" during the campaigns, but I am sure alot of people will also "switch" after they are gone. I voted 4. They very effective for some, but die-hard windows people still made parodies of them.

wdlove

Jul 25, 2003, 10:55 AM

From what I've seen of the results of the campaign, I says yes it was successful. I don't know any one personally. It's reading the posts of those that said that they switched.

IDTheft

Jul 25, 2003, 11:01 AM

Hi everyone, Just signed on to the forum and Yes! I've just switched!:D !

I've been lurking around this forum and looking for signs of the 15 AlBook like every other rumorites here. But I could not wait any more and got myself a 12" Pbook and I just love it.

Anyways, I love the site so keep those rumors coming, Arn;)

Sonofhaig

Jul 25, 2003, 11:12 AM

Think about it. These ads have been mimicked and copied by so many.
The style of the campaign is even being used for itunes. Buy.com certainly thought the look was effective......they've stolen the look for themselves.
So yes, the campaign had an overall POSITIVE impact for Apple.

Freg3000

Jul 25, 2003, 11:13 AM

I don't know how many people actually switched because of the ad campaign, but I do know it raised Apple's profile in the world. The ads made them more visible and in the eyes of some, a viable alternative to Windows.

Originally posted by IDTheft
Hi everyone, Just signed on to the forum and Yes! I've just switched!:D !

I've been lurking around this forum and looking for signs of the 15 AlBook like every other rumorites here. But I could not wait any more and got myself a 12" Pbook and I just love it.

Anyways, I love the site so keep those rumors coming, Arn;)

Welcome to the board. :) Good move with 12" PowerBook, it a great little machine. If you would have waited for the 15 AlBook, you might have been waiting for....well....indefinitely. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by scem0
I don't know anyone who went out and bought a mac because of it, but there weren't so many 'macs suck' (without giving a reason) people at my school.

If there isn't an old thread on this, I might create one, as I have been thinking about this for a long time. Although some think that Apple dominance (what used to be dominance at least) in the education market is good, I disagree. The astounding number of iMacs without floppy drives in schools running OS 9 just turn kids off. It really isn't fair for Apple; it's not like they are using Windows 98 at home, but at school they are subjected to an old and tired OS.

Many people here have already said here that they would not have switched unless it was for OS X. Ok, I'll go see if there is a thread on this, and finish my rant later.

Oh, and I voted for 3, not sure. :)

mcrain

Jul 25, 2003, 11:22 AM

Not only did I switch (not entirely b/c of the ads... I researched and included Apple in my search b/c of the ads), but my family is now considering Apples, as are a lot of people I've run across.

It seems to have affected the overall opinion about the brand.

bennetsaysargh

Jul 25, 2003, 01:25 PM

i've been a mac user my whole life, but i think it was a very good campaign because it got people to visit the site, and from the site you can access the online store:)
i don't know anyone personally who switched, but me and my brother have been asked by a few people around the apple store what we think about the mac. needless to say we told them a lot of positive things:)
without them, switchers will continue to decline, buti think that with another sucessful ad campaign, it will all work out.

macFanDave

Jul 25, 2003, 05:14 PM

People who say the Switch campaign was a flop pointed to the flat sales figures as proof, but that may be deceptive.

I'm amazed that the sales figures for the quarter that just ended weren't terrible. Since Jobs moved the WWDC to late June and said it was to demo Panther, rumors of the G5 (aka IBM 970) chip's arrival picked up a lot of steam due to sites like this. I'm sure that paralyzed a lot of savvy Mac users who were looking to upgrade. It sure stopped me back in April and now I plan to wait until Panther comes out to upgrade my equipment.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of that behavior wasn't offset by switchers. Without more data, it remains just a theory...

solvs

Jul 25, 2003, 06:27 PM

They were okay, but Apple needs more of a blitz campaign. Inundate PC users with the beauty of the Mac platform, and the ugliness of M$ with it's security flaws and restrictive anti-user ************. They could try going after Linux users more, too. Really show the people who hate their computers that there is a viable alternative.

Especially after the new stuff comes out. G5s, new 'Books (they should show something about how long the batteries last, etc.), maybe some cheaper headless Macs. Like the G4 Tower, but cheaper. Shouldn't be that hard. How many people say they'd buy a Mac, if only they didn't cost so much? Make it easy to upgrade. I'd buy one.

As Windows starts to suck more, and resellers like Gateway, Compaq, et al start to fall by the wayside, Apple has a good chance to make a dent here.

Here's to hoping they don't screw it up.

edit: Almost forgot, they should do more commercials like the iMovie and DVD ones. Like the kids movie with "Forever Young" playing in the background. Tug on the heart strings, while showing what the computer can do.

me_94501

Jul 26, 2003, 12:30 AM

Originally posted by Flowbee
I guess it got me to take another look at Apple (along with the introduction of the iPod). But if it wasn't for OS X, I wouldn't have switched.
Nice to see a fellow Alameda resident on these forums! :D

I voted 3 (not sure) because I think they shouldv'e hyped OS X more. Maybe they could've made a flashy commercial showing OS X doing all kinds of cool stuff.

gotohamish

Jul 26, 2003, 05:16 AM

Originally posted by me_94501
Nice to see a fellow Alameda resident on these forums! :D

I voted 3 (not sure) because I think they shouldv'e hyped OS X more. Maybe they could've made a flashy commercial showing OS X doing all kinds of cool stuff.

I agree - so many Apple innovations don't get seen by enough people. Look how long Airport's been around! Think how long' WE'VE known about wireless internet, but as soon as Intel released those Centrino adds a couple of months back the world's gone crazy for it - people saying "wow, I can use my notebook, outside, connected" - and because, as much as I hate to say it, Intel have good marketing. Why? BECAUSE THEY SHOW PEOPLE DOING STUFF!

That's what it's about - people DOING STUFF with their computers. Show them what they didn't know they needed to do, what they want to do, and what they;ll be able to do. And they'll want it.

cb911

Jul 26, 2003, 06:04 AM

i voted 4. i think it worked, judging by the amount of switch threads here in MacRumors and other places.

whooleytoo

Jul 26, 2003, 06:35 AM

I think the ads - coupled with increased Mac coverage in non-Mac media - have certainly had an effect.

I followed the G5 reaction on a lot of PC sites, and there are a LOT of PC users who'd like to switch (but won't simply because of price, nothing short of a moderately priced, expandable G5 box is going to do the trick)

Mike.

mjtomlin

Jul 26, 2003, 10:25 AM

I think, overall, the "switch" campaign did it's job. Maybe not as well as Apple hoped for, but as they stated, 40% of people who bought new Macs were new to the platform. That alone is an excellent statistic - sure the totals were low, but it shows that the Mac user base is expanding. This is extremely important in Apple's success, more so than perceived market share.

I do agree however Apple definitely needs to show what makes their systems better, other than just what the computer looks like. A lot of people don't really care what a computer looks like! They simply just want it to work. Which as most of us know, is the Mac's best feature. But Apple needs to market that to the rest of the world.

On a personal note, I'm not really concerned whether Apple attains world dominance (and really hope they do not). I would just prefer they become more profitable to ensure that they are still around when it comes time to buy another computer. And I will do whatever I can to make sure they do, including paying $99 a year for a mac.com account, and not fretting when it comes time to fork over $129 for another OS upgrade and buying most of my music from the iTunes Music Store.

Mikey T.

chmorley

Jul 26, 2003, 12:06 PM

I think it's hard to say. I know three people who switched--one because of the ads, and two more because of a combination of the ads and my badgering/educating them. On the flip side, by all reports, Apple's market share continues to drop. Regardless, now when I tell people that everything is easier on a Mac, they don't doubt it, just state other reasons they are fearful about switching (typically financial investment in the old platform/having to buy software for the new one).

Maybe market share would have dropped much more without the campaign. I don't know.

Chris

chanoc

Jul 26, 2003, 02:32 PM

I thought the ads with the cello player, cop, IT Admin, college professor, and a couple others were Switch classic. However others were mindless, verbose, hate PeeCee, and mindless advertising. :rolleyes:

So, overall they get a 2.0, hey it passes the course. :D

macHeaps

Jul 26, 2003, 03:49 PM

I know, I have sometimes been told I over-analyze things, but this poll needed to be split into at least two categories: 1) informed computer users and 2) uninformed computer users / non-computer users.

I voted 2 but, as I read the responses here, I may have been too critical. Then it came to me - those who said they switched (at least partially) because of the ads had one thing in common: They did research. They were informed users/buyers. Unfortunately I think this is the minority in the world. Those who are uninformed or do not take the time to do the research will usuall follow what they know (or at least see on t..v). That, my friends, is from the Wintel market place. I think (on t.v.) I only saw 3 commercials for the switch campaign during the entire run, but every day ( I may watch 2 hours of t.v. a day) I see at least 20 ads from MS, Intel, Dell, Gateway, Compac etc.

It's exposure - and Apple doesn't have it. Take some of that cash reserve and flood the airwaves with Apple ads and see if numbers change.

So, to make a long story short I give the ad campaign a 4 for the informed buyer and a 2 for the uninformed buyer (which I think is the vast majority)

bignumbers

Jul 26, 2003, 07:36 PM

I think the ads were lots of fun, and generated some talk, but I don't think they were particularly effective. Apple has a history of "soft sell" ads. They make Mac users feel good. They need more of the hard sell, to make PC users want to toss their PC in the trash and run right out and buy a Mac.

The only two ads that were effective, in my opinion, is the 1984 original (best ad ever) and the steamroller over the PC laptop. Hard-hitting, right to the point. The softer ads have some long-term benefit (get people talking about Apple) but don't enough people handing over their wallets.

I'm continually amazed they don't bring "1984" back. I mean, it's such a friggin amazing ad and they only used it once. The "big brother" is different now (microsoft, not IBM) but it's just as relevant and intense.