Get a Mac Ad: 'Now What'

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Apple has released another Get a Mac Ad entitled "Now What (http://movies.apple.com/movies/us/apple/getamac/apple_getamac_nowwhat_480x272.mov)".


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2007/12/07/NowWhat_400.jpg
(http://movies.apple.com/movies/us/apple/getamac/apple_getamac_nowwhat_480x272.mov)

The ad focuses on Apple stores' personalized shopping experience, where Apple aims for trained staff to be ready to assist customers when they have bought their computer and ask the question: "now what?"

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2007/12/07/get-a-mac-ad-now-what/)

[xUKHCx]

At least they are showing something positive about the apple experience and they do have shop assistants in pc shops.

[iTeen]

not the best ad :cool:i have ever seen...

[Doctor Q]

Mac mumbles when he talks. E-nun-ci-ate!

Why does PC do almost all of the talking in so many of these commercials? I'd like to hear more about what's great about Macs, and Mac barely gets a word in. Maybe if he had more lines, he could practice his speaking style.

[adrianblaine]

Mac mumbles when he talks. E-nun-ci-ate!

Why does PC do almost all of the talking in so many of these commercials? I'd like to hear more about what's great about Macs, and Mac barely gets a word in. Maybe if he had more lines, he could practice his speaking style.

Maybe it's a subliminal thing. Mac doesn't need to say a lot to get the point across while PC is always yammering on and on and on... If I had to choose between 2 computers, I would choose the one that quietly does its job well.

[happydude]

. . . now release the subnotebook!!

[Draddy]

Maybe it's a subliminal thing. Mac doesn't need to say a lot to get the point across while PC is always yammering on and on and on... If I had to choose between 2 computers, I would choose the one that quietly does its job well.

when's the last time you saw a windows commercial?

[adrianblaine]

when's the last time you saw a windows commercial?

I was jokingly making it deeper than it really is. forgot to throw the nifty ;) in there.

And yes, MS is blessed with the ability to have all the computer manufacturers do all the advertising for them. If we are going to go down that route, Dell's commercials used to sound like car commercials. I hate car commercials

[synth3tik]

meh, a rather boring Apple ad.

[DMann]

. . . now release the subnotebook!!

This January 15th, most certainly......

[DMann]

when's the last time you saw a windows commercial?

WOW

[longofest]

meh, a rather boring Apple ad.

I knew this was on page 2 for a reason :)

[matthewHUB]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/3B48b Safari/419.3)

these are getting old, but at least the marketshares are decreasing/increasing so they must be working.

[xUKHCx]

these are getting old, but at least the marketshares are decreasing/increasing so they must be working.

i haven't been eaten by a gorilla, my anti-gorilla shampoo must be working.

[Yuppi]

Hmm, that is a boring one..

[Osarkon]

The last 2 adverts haven't been all that funny. But they come in sets of three normally, so maybe the next one will be okay.

[MisterToad]

I see many of you think these ads are a bit lame, but personally I like them. They are short (totally agree with adrianblaine), punchy, light humoured and tell the viewer how laid back and easy life is with a Mac and I think this one actually speaks volumes (no pun intended... well okay maybe:D) about the bookshelf of a PC user to that of a Mac user. As a switcher in early 2005, I still have around 25 PC books on my shelf (gathering dust :)) as opposed to 7 Mac based books that I got in 2005 when I got the first Mac. Where I think many of us will agree is with Mac it is so intuitive you just really don't need a book to learn the product.

Really don't want to kick Windows, I honestly think it has its place along with Linux etc, but this ad says to the millions of parents who go into a store every year knowing they want a computer, but not much more:confused:, that Mac is a simple platform and easier to learn than Windows.

I may be wrong on this and you may well lay into me, but I am going to say what I believe and not what I think will get me favour here ;) My experience of real people is that many parents don't actually buy a computer with gaming in the forefront of their mind. They are thinking about a big purchase for many of them and primarily as an investment in their kids. They will also be wanting to use it themselves but the kids are the first in mind in justifying this purchase. They see the computer as giving their kids some sort of an advantage academically, the games then tag on the end of the conversation or via the salesman.

If there is an ad that is now familiar, short (really important) and light, that tells them the Mac is easy, they are going to get the message. The sales mentioned by matthewHUB seem to show that is working, albeit slowly.

What Apple need to tackle now are the people who still only see the cost and say "I can get a PC for 200 quid, why would I pay 700 quid for a Mac?:confused:" I would like to see ads showing Windows running on the Mac, showing how well and easy it works.

That's just what I think.

[TheSpecialist]

That wasn't the best ad I've ever seen... Man that was boring..

Now what:rolleyes:

[adrianblaine]

What Apple need to tackle now are the people who still only see the cost and say "I can get a PC for 200 quid, why would I pay 700 quid for a Mac?:confused:" I would like to see ads showing Windows running on the Mac, showing how well and easy it works.

I don't know if I want to see that commercial. I like them standing next to each other, not Mac giving PC a piggy back ride. Or, I guess it has the possibility to be the funniest commercial ever.

I think people don't like some of the commercials because now that there are so many of them, some just stand out as duds. Like the boxing one. I hate it so much, I try mute the TV when it comes on.

I love the podium one though. "Ask not what Vista can do for you, but what you can buy for Vista". My other favorite one is "Choose a Vista"

[jellomizer]

Mac mumbles when he talks. E-nun-ci-ate!

Why does PC do almost all of the talking in so many of these commercials? I'd like to hear more about what's great about Macs, and Mac barely gets a word in. Maybe if he had more lines, he could practice his speaking style.

It is the point of the commercials. The PC Guy is actually the better actor and comedian. Their are two ways of advertising Make people feel good about the product, or feel feel bad about what they have.
Because more people use PCs, You will need them to realize that their PCs are giving them pain and show that the Macs are much easier. Saying how great Macs are won't do anything really because if people are happy with their PC's then there is no reason to switch.
This PC Guys job is to show the faults in the PC and the Mac guy just needs to say this isn't a problem.

[JoeG4]

Mac mumbles when he talks. E-nun-ci-ate!

Why does PC do almost all of the talking in so many of these commercials? I'd like to hear more about what's great about Macs, and Mac barely gets a word in. Maybe if he had more lines, he could practice his speaking style.

Ever use Windows XP or Windows Vista? The damn thing won't shut up about things you already know.

OS X is getting worse though, the fact that the OS has to remind me that I killed an app because it was being unresponsive gets on my nerves.

[MikeTheC]

While this is certainly not the best ad Apple's put out in this campaign, it does make a fair point.

The problem is the general public is so used to how things are with Windows (and so unfamiliar with anything else) that you need something they find as approachable to explain to them the heavy burden they are being forced to carry (with respect to all the factors and elements of system maintenance, defense, etc.) are, in fact, optional, rather than a "normal part" of computer ownership.

A friend of mine recently observed that Vista is doing more for Apple than almost anything Apple's ever done, short of perhaps the iPod. I mean, how telling is it when WinXP is considered by many an upgrade from Vista?

It's taken a fair amount of pounding from all sides, but people are just finally starting to get the message that there are alternatives, and that those alternatives are viable ones.

[DMann]

It is the point of the commercials. The PC Guy is actually the better actor and comedian. Their are two ways of advertising Make people feel good about the product, or feel feel bad about what they have.
Because more people use PCs, You will need them to realize that their PCs are giving them pain and show that the Macs are much easier. Saying how great Macs are won't do anything really because if people are happy with their PC's then there is no reason to switch.
This PC Guys job is to show the faults in the PC and the Mac guy just needs to say this isn't a problem.

This is true. PC users often need to be reminded of the hell they've become conditioned to tolerate, and come to realize that suffering isn't really necessary.

[DMann]

I don't know if I want to see that commercial. I like them standing next to each other, not Mac giving PC a piggy back ride. Or, I guess it has the possibility to be the funniest commercial ever.

I think people don't like some of the commercials because now that there are so many of them, some just stand out as duds. Like the boxing one. I hate it so much, I try mute the TV when it comes on.

I love the podium one though. "Ask not what Vista can do for you, but what you can buy for Vista". My other favorite one is "Choose a Vista"

Hating the commercials makes them that much more effective for consumers - the more annoying - the more successful in the retail world.

[EricNau]

Mac mumbles when he talks. E-nun-ci-ate!

Why does PC do almost all of the talking in so many of these commercials? I'd like to hear more about what's great about Macs, and Mac barely gets a word in. Maybe if he had more lines, he could practice his speaking style.
John Hodgman (PC), ironically enough, offers more for the commercials than Justin Long (Mac). ...He's the comedian, Long is simply the actor. ...Without Hodgman, these commercials wouldn't be nearly as successful.


As far as this ad goes: meh.

[eric55lv]

eh seen to much they should just make ads for mac separte by type of mac

[Jonx]

in those ads i hate to say it but i love pc more than mac lol

[Quillz]

I honestly cannot remember the last time I ever saw a commercial from Apple that focused on their products and what they can do. For the past decade, it seems they are obsessed with Microsoft and bashing them every chance they get. I don't care how well this has affected their market share, their advertising has sunk to all-time lows.

[wiz7dome]

I honestly cannot remember the last time I ever saw a commercial from Apple that focused on their products and what they can do. For the past decade, it seems they are obsessed with Microsoft and bashing them every chance they get. I don't care how well this has affected their market share, their advertising has sunk to all-time lows.

I don't see it as a "low" at all. There are different forms of marketing that must take in to account the product in question. When was the last time you sat and watched a software commercial? How well did it stick out in your mind? What did it convey in 30 seconds? The earlier posters are correct in stating that these commercials are designed to remind Windows users of the hell they've become used to and to convey that it isn't necessary.

Unlike a brand new, never before seen, "hey what's that" kind of product, many people already have a computer. That's what makes the Get a Mac ads more effective than the "switch" ads. They are touching on things that Windows users find normal that you just don't experience with a Mac.

[BKKbill]

Well put me down on the side of liking the ad and I've already got the books. :o

[Jetson]

when's the last time you saw a windows commercial?
Yeah, Microsoft doesn't even HAVE to advertise, yet they still rake in the $billions.

[chris200x9]

i haven't been eaten by a gorilla, my anti-gorilla shampoo must be working.

hmmmm.....this anti-gorrila shampoo intrigues me.....I'll give you 5 bucks for it :p

[Quillz]

I don't see it as a "low" at all. There are different forms of marketing that must take in to account the product in question. When was the last time you sat and watched a software commercial? How well did it stick out in your mind? What did it convey in 30 seconds? The earlier posters are correct in stating that these commercials are designed to remind Windows users of the hell they've become used to and to convey that it isn't necessary.

Unlike a brand new, never before seen, "hey what's that" kind of product, many people already have a computer. That's what makes the Get a Mac ads more effective than the "switch" ads. They are touching on things that Windows users find normal that you just don't experience with a Mac.
That you just don't experience *as often with a Mac. Since I've had my iMac, I've had system freezes, kernel panics, even the BSOD while installing Leopard.

[pagansoul]

John Hodgman (PC), ironically enough, offers more for the commercials than Justin Long (Mac). ...He's the comedian, Long is simply the actor. ...Without Hodgman, these commercials wouldn't be nearly as successful.


As far as this ad goes: meh.

Justin is also a comedian. He's just very low key. John bounces off him. What makes them work is that they are different but still likable. Try out some of the movies Justin has been in, Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball, Die Hard 4. He's great.

[LizKat]

... with Mac it is so intuitive you just really don't need a book to learn the product...


There's a book???? ;)

Back in '84 we were on our own... but no matter, and i watched a five year old kid from next door figure out in two minutes how to use MacPaint options I had not discovered for myself after a couple days. Apple realized that humans are naturally curious until they have a "hot stove" experience, and their focus on human interface in design has turned that awareness into a goldmine.