Details on Upcoming Mac Ads?

[MacRumors]

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

According to one unverified report, Apple has completed filming a new series of advertisements promoting the Macintosh platform. Recent analyst comments (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2005/05/20050504112959.shtml) have speculated that Apple would proceed with heavy ad campaign focusing on Macs. Indeed, Apple has drawn criticism from users about the lack of Mac and Mac OS X based advertisements in recent years.

The new ads take a page from Apple's old Switch Campaign (http://www.apple.com/switch/) by again featuring users who have switched from Windows to Mac. Of particular note, it appears that Apple may specifically hilight users who have switched to the Mac after purchasing an iPod -- articulating the "iPod Halo Effect" (http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/02/25/oppenheimer/index.php).

The iPod Halo effect is a term that has been used by analysts and industry experts to describe the eventual conversion of iPod sales into long term Mac sales as consumers slowly adopt more Apple technology.

It is unknown when the ads will air.

[arn]

not reliably confirmed, but of interest, and "fits" with Apple's M.O.

arn

[iostream.h]

I thought the original switch ads were great!

[~Shard~]

Thank God, let's hope Apple does it right! The switcher ads were good, but not good enough in my opinion - they seemed to focus too much on the pro users, whether they meant to or not...

[Phat_Pat]

Well it would be nice to see something besides those siloette ads.

[johnbro23]

Awesome news! I can't wait to see what this does to my Apple stock :)

[jtgotsjets]

here's to bringing ellen feiss back!

[blasto333]

To tell you the truth I was not a big fan of the "switch" commercials, the music was really annoying and I don't think those commercials would have convinced me to switch. They just seemed very boring and not exciting.

Maybe something similar to the iPod commericals would work better. They are more fast pace and uplifting, which might get people excited about getting a mac.

[ham_man]

I hope that they bring back some ads about switchers. I think that it will put the nail in the coffin for people wanting to switch when they here success stories.

On a sadder note, I am kinda bummed that Apple didn't want to pick my story... :rolleyes:

[Daveway]

This is probably right on because I know Apple was contacting people about PC-Mac switching and the ipod, aswell as me. Unfortuanately I didn't go through. :eek:

[joemama]

I thought the original switch ads were great!

I thought the ads were very inneffective. Let's hope these are not exactly the same. booo.

[poundsmack]

phase 1 of world donimation plan in effect...."excellent" (Mr. Burns voice)


(edit) lousy typos

[G5Unit]

They should make the commercials like the ones on this site:
http://www.esm.psu.edu/Faculty/Gray/movies.html

[~Shard~]

phase 1 of world donimation plan in effect...."excenent" (Mr. Burns voice)

I thought Mr. Burns said "excellent"... :confused: :p

[oskar]

I hope Apple doesn't focus too much on the iPod with Mac. Macs were great before the iPod although a lot of people never noticed.
I'm not into advertising but an iPod-like commercial for the Mac wouldn't seem like a good approach, IMO. Although I've never personally liked Apple's tv ads before the iPod commercials. They need something even better...

[Josh396]

phase 1 of world donimation plan in effect...."excenent" (Mr. Burns voice)
I believe you meant "excellent" :p

[samh004]

I wasn't a big fan of the switch ads either, they lacked a few things, can't put my finger on what though...

I would hope the new ads focused on the OS and the ease of use and showing off the cool but at the same time functional applications on the mac. Also throwing in that macs and M$ Office compatible wouldn't hurt (although they're likely to promote pages and scare away any potential customers :( )...

[Abstract]

The switch ads made me want to switch my TV off.

[rendezvouscp]

Go Apple! It's about time you had some new ads for the Mac, and I hope they came out well.

The switch ads were alright, but I wouldn't have switched because of them. Like other posters have said, I hope they're upbeat, but not particularly ghetto like their iPod ads are becoming. Not trying to offend anyone, but Apple is already "ghetto" and "kid cool," so hopefully they'll focus at the home.
-Chase

[Billicus]

Thank God, let's hope Apple does it right! The switcher ads were good, but not good enough in my opinion - they seemed to focus too much on the pro users, whether they meant to or not...


See... I got the exact opposite opinion coming out of the Switcher commercial stage... they didn't focus on the high end enough... maybe that's just me. :p

I hope to see commercials highlighting the flaws in Windows and the usability of the Macintosh... It's a great platform, and we don't need another set of stupid switch commercials to bomb... We need feature analysis and highlighting. In fact, I would prefer if they left switchers out of it completely.... I know it adds a human touch to the story that Apple is trying to sell, but it's a little too much for my tastes. ;)

[Dm84]

I hope Apple doesn't focus too much on the iPod with Mac. Macs were great before the iPod although a lot of people never noticed.
I'm not into advertising but an iPod-like commercial for the Mac wouldn't seem like a good approach, IMO. Although I've never personally liked Apple's tv ads before the iPod commercials. They need something even better...OS 9 sucked. OS 9 was the reason many people in their late teens and 20's never chose the Mac platform in the first place. Without OS X, I wouldn't have switched to the Mac platform, as any version of Windows after 3.1 was superior to Macs until OS X was released. Coincidentally, the iPod was released in 2001, the same year as OS X. Apple would've gone down the crapper if they hadn't came out with the iPod and OS X. Unfortunately at my school newspaper, I still have 2 iMacs running OS 9 with 768 MB of RAM; they're the most unreliable pieces of crap ever made. The other 2 machines I have at the office (2 Powermac G4 dual 867's) running Jaguar are so much better.

If using the iPod in ads for OS X is what it takes to get people to switch to the Mac platform, then so be it.

[MacPhreak]

OS 9 sucked. OS 9 was the reason many people in their late teens and 20's never chose the Mac platform in the first place. Without OS X, I wouldn't have switched to the Mac platform, as any version of Windows after 3.1 was superior to Macs until OS X was released.

Many, many people on here will disagree with your last statement, especially since Windows 3.1 wasn't an operating system, it was a shell. You must not have used WinME. OS 9, as bad as it was, was still better than XP, IMHO, as far as reliability and usability goes.



Back on subject, I have long thought that Apple should adverstise on Sunday Morning on CBS, since it seems to have a more 'intellectual' audience. Plus, I'm tired of watching the Microsoft ads during the show every Sunday. M$ sponsors it..."the realm of possiblity" or some such tripe. The possiblity of a blue screen, maybe.

[Kerry Sanders]

This is sort of what happened to me. I purchased an iPod Mini back in February. In early April, I told my wife jokingly that I was thinking about purchasing a Mac. On April 29th, I ordered it. I got it Wednesday, May 11th, and I have been having fun ever since. :D

[broken_keyboard]

I think they should have an ad where the screen is all white, and there is an iMac sitting on a table. And then Steve Jobs walks in from the right and scratches his chin and and turns to face the camera and says:

"iMac. Buy one or I'll f*ckin' kill you."

And then he walks off to the left, fade to logo.

Sweet. :)

[slb]

I'm disappointed to hear that the new ads are in the vein of the old "Switch" campaign. Even Mac users made fun of those commercials.

I was hoping for something more fresh and hip, like the iPod commercials. Just show OS X in action and the gorgeousness of Mac computers with cool music playing.

I was also hoping for funny commercials comparing a giant, ugly, virus and spyware ridden Windows XP tower compared to a tiny, quiet, secure Mac mini. A lot of current Windows users would take notice if they found out about a $500 computer with no viruses and no spyware at all that takes up 1/20th of the space of their big gray Dell tower. No more calling up the IT guy to fix your computer.

Heck, I can think of a whole series of funny commercials involving a bored IT guy explaining how he has nothing to do now because the company just switched to Macs. There are a hundred possibilities here.

"Windows viruses to date: 56,738 Mac viruses to date: 0"

You get the idea.

[Flying Llama]

I hope, as others have said, that the new ads will be more fast-paced, but slow enough to atleast understand. I also hope that this time they show actuall clips of osx, mention that as of now there is not one single virus, and maybe some other cool tricks (show eye candy in some of the spots, some people switch just for the minimization of windows and magnification of the dock! :rolleyes: )

EDIT: Or as slb has posted while I was writing this post. :o

[polyesterlester]

OS 9 sucked. OS 9 was the reason many people in their late teens and 20's never chose the Mac platform in the first place. Without OS X, I wouldn't have switched to the Mac platform, as any version of Windows after 3.1 was superior to Macs until OS X was released. Coincidentally, the iPod was released in 2001, the same year as OS X. Apple would've gone down the crapper if they hadn't came out with the iPod and OS X. Unfortunately at my school newspaper, I still have 2 iMacs running OS 9 with 768 MB of RAM; they're the most unreliable pieces of crap ever made. The other 2 machines I have at the office (2 Powermac G4 dual 867's) running Jaguar are so much better.

If using the iPod in ads for OS X is what it takes to get people to switch to the Mac platform, then so be it.

OS 9 did suck, that's true. I preferred it to Windows, but it still sucked.

[scotty321]

The switcher ads were very ineffective switching people across America to Macs, even though I personally enjoyed them. I actually think they were too "intellectual" for most of America -- a talking head is probably not the best way to get information across since (let's face it) most people just tune it out. Dancing silhouettes are such a great easy sell... but then again, that's a musc product, not a computer.

[gwangung]

In my book, Apple's campaign will be

a) NOTHING like anything mentioned so far on this thread...and
b) Be twenty times as effective as anything anyone's mentioned. As marketing experts, most Mac fanatics make....good Mac fanatics....

[slb]

The switcher ads were very ineffective switching people across America to Macs, even though I personally enjoyed them. I actually think they were too "intellectual" for most of America -- a talking head is probably not the best way to get information across since (let's face it) most people just tune it out. Dancing silhouettes are such a great easy sell... but then again, that's a musc product, not a computer.

That's the thing, you could totally make a great hip commercial like that showing off the beauty of the iMac and the Mac mini, how great OS X looks and feels, and how there are no viruses or trojans for the Mac at all. You wouldn't need talking heads, just cool commercials with color and music.

The "Switch" ads were annoying. People don't want to hear Mac users talk to a camera about why they switched. They want to SEE why they switched. Show 'em!

[slb]

In my book, Apple's campaign will be

a) NOTHING like anything mentioned so far on this thread...and
b) Be twenty times as effective as anything anyone's mentioned. As marketing experts, most Mac fanatics make....good Mac fanatics....

Apple's track record on Mac commercials isn't exactly stunning. iPods, of course, are a different story.

I'm no "Mac fanatic." I'm a normal person who knows what would work for other normal people. Watch an iPod commercial and see how unbelievably hip and great they are. Then go watch an old "Switch" ad and see how decidedly deflated, bland, and boring it is. Apple has to show, not tell. Why are these people going on about Macs? Let me see them.

Show someone a virus-free Mac mini next to a Windows PC tower and they're sold. Show them an iMac G5 and their jaw drops as they look for the computer and realize it's in the screen. A Mac commercial should be as visceral and revealing as it is for Windows users who enter an Apple store for the first time and try out the Mac computers there and leave astonished and wanting more.

Would you want to hear some person off the street telling you how great a new Mac is, or would you want to SEE the Mac for yourself with color and music? I don't need Ellen Feiss to tell me how great Macs are; remove the middle man and show me the Macs.

[auxplage]

OS 9 sucked. OS 9 was the reason many people in their late teens and 20's never chose the Mac platform in the first place. Without OS X, I wouldn't have switched to the Mac platform, as any version of Windows after 3.1 was superior to Macs until OS X was released. Coincidentally, the iPod was released in 2001, the same year as OS X. Apple would've gone down the crapper if they hadn't came out with the iPod and OS X. Unfortunately at my school newspaper, I still have 2 iMacs running OS 9 with 768 MB of RAM; they're the most unreliable pieces of crap ever made. The other 2 machines I have at the office (2 Powermac G4 dual 867's) running Jaguar are so much better.

If using the iPod in ads for OS X is what it takes to get people to switch to the Mac platform, then so be it.

OS 9 is fine IMO. I have used it a bit, and I encountered no problems. While it is vastly inferior to OS X, I still like it better than Windows.

I cannot wait to see the new ads. Hopefully, as mentioned in other posts, OS X will be highlighted, and the great computers Apple makes for it to run on. Do not focus on the computers; focus on the OS.

[~Shard~]

Apple's track record on Mac commercials isn't exactly stunning. iPods, of course, are a different story.

Mac commercials specifically, no, that's true, but there have been a number of excellent Apple ads over the years - take a look at some of them here (http://asp.cis.pitt.edu/thinkmov.html).

Show someone a virus-free Mac mini next to a Windows PC tower and they're sold. Show them an iMac G5 and their jaw drops as they look for the computer and realize it's in the screen. A Mac commercial should be as visceral and revealing as it is for Windows users who enter an Apple store for the first time and try out the Mac computers there and leave astonished and wanting more.

Exactly. These new ads don't have to be complicated and convoluted. Just say it the way it is, Apple. Keep it simple. Just like your user experience. :cool:

[CubaTBird]

apple should kick it old school, like they did with those old pc vs mac commercials.. i can just see it.. "want a computer without the spyware and adware? the choice is clear... macintosh" that would rock.. :)

[Kerry Sanders]

I had forgotten about seeing the Power Mac G5 commercial. It has been a while, so that is why I forgot it. That was a good commercial.

[oskar]

OS 9 sucked. OS 9 was the reason many people in their late teens and 20's never chose the Mac platform in the first place. Without OS X, I wouldn't have switched to the Mac platform, as any version of Windows after 3.1 was superior to Macs until OS X was released. Coincidentally, the iPod was released in 2001, the same year as OS X. Apple would've gone down the crapper if they hadn't came out with the iPod and OS X. Unfortunately at my school newspaper, I still have 2 iMacs running OS 9 with 768 MB of RAM; they're the most unreliable pieces of crap ever made. The other 2 machines I have at the office (2 Powermac G4 dual 867's) running Jaguar are so much better.

If using the iPod in ads for OS X is what it takes to get people to switch to the Mac platform, then so be it.

That was only your experience. I on the other used Macs since OS 8 and I always liked OS9 better than any windows before XP.
And... for some weird reason you could still use OS9 apps in classic mode under OSX ever since the first release, which obviously means something good about it. I don't know anything about security issues or stuff like that, but before XP, I never saw Windows as a respectful OS, unlike OS9.

But, I also agree that OS X is the best reason to switch to a Mac today and if it wasn't for OS X, Apple wouldn't be where it is and neither would Microsoft.
Microsoft probably "would've gone down the crapper" also if OS X wasn't released. XP obviously appeared thanks to that.

[AndrewMT]

I was never a big fan of the switcher ads because, if I remember correctly, the products advertised were never shown. And for Apple to not show their beautiful hardware and software is just plain stupid.

[fpnc]

In case anyone is keeping "score," I didn't care much for the original switcher ads either. I'd prefer that Apple try to show (briefly) actual solutions using the Mac. Maybe show a technical solution (yes, people actually use Macs to solve problems) and then show a "simple" user doing something basic -- like sending a picture to their grandparents. Same OS and basic hardware where in one case a doctor is doing research on the human genome and then we switch to a home user sending an email to "grandpa" (that same doctor).

Or how about a director cutting a film with Final Cut Pro followed by a young user searching the internet for information about that very same film.

They should show the products, maybe a Power Mac for the doctor, a 20" iMac G5 for the director, and a Mac mini or iBook (or another iMac) for the home users. And make it look cool with a flyby from the outside of the Mac followed by a zoom inside the Power Mac, down the wire, to the other user sitting at his Mac mini/iBook/iMac (or vice versa).

OS 9 sucked. OS 9 was the reason many people in their late teens and 20's never chose the Mac platform in the first place. Without OS X, I wouldn't have switched to the Mac platform, as any version of Windows after 3.1 was superior to Macs until OS X was released...
I'd say any version of Windows prior to Windows 95 was an absolute joke. It was only after Microsoft released some of the later versions of NT that the Mac OS started to look bad (in comparison).

[Avicdar]

Apple's track record on Mac commercials isn't exactly stunning. iPods, of course, are a different story.


I don't exactly remember her name, but didn't a fairly high up marketing genius from HP join Apple in the last several months? This, from my understanding, was the person responsible for those HP ads featuring digital photography (people jumping around, picking them as snapshots out of the air, etc - sung to 'Picture Book' or some such) Anyone who I have talked with about those commercials think they are pretty cool.

Anyways - my point is that there is new marketing blood at Apple, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if what comes out of it is pretty darn good. Apple has virtually no gaps in its product line now, something for everyone at every price point. They have a new OS thats gotten amazing press, and Apple is better known than ever because of the iPod.

The time is absolutely right for a major Mac marketing push. The real challenge is going to be managing to sell the Mac based on the things that we all know they do so well. Its hard to encapsulate that convincingly in a small, quick ad. I am hoping for a series of ads with a single common character throughout them that addresses the strengths of the Mac throughout the campaign.

They really DO need to get this right, though. I hope they focus group the hell out of it with windows users, and make sure it blows them away. Mac users are already convinced - these ads shouldn't be for us.

[mymemory]

If Apple had a computer equivalent to the iPod it would de a G5 dual 3.6 Ghz at list!

That support my old signature when I said: The king has no clothes. The G5 is not "such" incredible computer and is way overrated! Many people tell me... but did you add more ram? Do I need to ad 2 extra GB of Ram to get some "decent" speed? That is around $4000 already! and the speed everybody is braging about is just Video Ram!

Without the iPod and the iTMS Apple would be in bankropsy! and every Mac user in their right mind should be aware of that.

Now, do not come to me about Tiger, yes is the new OS but is less than a month old and the 64 bit G5 lie is more than 2 yeasr old.

I am just telling based on my 10 yeasr of experience using Macs.

[~Shard~]

I had forgotten about seeing the Power Mac G5 commercial. It has been a while, so that is why I forgot it. That was a good commercial.

But if it was a good commercial, shouldn't you have remembered it? :p ;)

[bentley]

But if it was a good commercial, shouldn't you have remembered it? :p ;)

it was so good it got banned for being misleading.

[~Shard~]

it was so good it got banned for being misleading.

Now that I remember! What was the claim again, fastest desktop in the world?

[swingerofbirch]

when i was in the 8th grade, i sent apple an e-mail telling them an idea for a great ad, i vaguely remember it (i am now 22), this was long before ipods, mac os x, and imacs, but here's the jist:


there's this guy painstakingly eating a window he's holding in his hand. a close up shows him munchin on the wood and the paint chips stuffed in his mouth,

then cut to a guy taking a clean crisp bite of an apple sitting in front of an imac (i'm updating this part), where lots of cool stuff is happening on the screen, the camera spins around him and then the apple with the bite taken out and the apple with the bite taken out morphs to the apple logo, with below, Apples Taste Better Than Windows

[bbyrdhouse]

Well it would be nice to see something besides those siloette ads.

I concur!

I thought the "Switcher" ads were pretty cool.

[bbyrdhouse]

when i was in the 8th grade, i sent apple an e-mail telling them an idea for a great ad, i vaguely remember it (i am now 22), this was long before ipods, mac os x, and imacs, but here's the jist:


there's this guy painstakingly eating a window he's holding in his hand. a close up shows him munchin on the wood and the paint chips stuffed in his mouth,

then cut to a guy taking a clean crisp bite of an apple sitting in front of an imac (i'm updating this part), where lots of cool stuff is happening on the screen, the camera spins around him and then the apple with the bite taken out and the apple with the bite taken out morphs to the apple logo, with below, Apples Taste Better Than Windows

I like it.
Apples taste better than penguins too.

[beatle888]

i wish they had a REASON to do an "i switched to mac cause apple had the best tools for me to run my business" commercial. yet all we get are consumer iApps and such. apple needs to give professionals some meat instead of all this candy. try running a business with ical as your calendar, address book and mail. i realized this today and its the second time i wrote it in a post. i now see that apple is a powerful consumer product. and can be used in some pro aspects as far as production and creation. but as far as RUNNING the business...apple doesnt even attempt to address these needs unless you consider iwork an attempt.

[Kerry Sanders]

But if it was a good commercial, shouldn't you have remembered it? :p ;)

I should have remembered it, but since I am pretty old [37 :D] and it has been a while, I did not remember it until I watched it again from the video archive link that was posted earlier in this thread. :)

[slb]

Do not focus on the computers; focus on the OS.

They should focus on both, not only because the computers are beautiful and cool-looking and take up much less space than a PC, but you kinda have to buy the computers anyway to run OS X. :)

Nobody will know what "OS X" is but they'll definitely enjoy seeing an iMac. OS X should just be portrayed as part of it, which it really is any way (Windows users also consider Windows to just be a part of the computer and not a seperately installable piece of software).

[Thataboy]

Lame. Those ads DID NOT WORK.

Windows users don't care about what some hippy says. "Like, I used the iPod, and thought, wow this is so cool and so easy, what else can Apple do??" Pathetic.

The ads need to show, up close, in detail, OS X. Show someone USING it. Don't TELL us that they are easy to use, SHOW us. Hook up a digital camera and show how it imports to iPhoto. Show us iTunes/iPod integration. Show us Spotlight. Show us Dashboard. Show us using MS Office 2004. SHOW US.

People are blown away when they see OS X in action. But most people don't ever bother looking because they think Mac = OS 9.

[Tamer Brad]

I think they should have an ad where the screen is all white, and there is an iMac sitting on a table. And then Steve Jobs walks in from the right and scratches his chin and and turns to face the camera and says:

"iMac. Buy one or I'll f*ckin' kill you."

And then he walks off to the left, fade to logo.

Sweet. :)

Someone give this guy a contract at Apple.

[bbyrdhouse]

i wish they had a REASON to do an "i switched to mac cause apple had the best tools for me to run my business" commercial. yet all we get are consumer iApps and such. apple needs to give professionals some meat instead of all this candy. try running a business with ical as your calendar, address book and mail. i realized this today and its the second time i wrote it in a post. i now see that apple is a powerful consumer product. and can be used in some pro aspects as far as production and creation. but as far as RUNNING the business...apple doesnt even attempt to address these needs unless you consider iwork an attempt.

This is a great point. I mean there is Photoshop, and the other Adobe Apps, but there does seem to be dearth of programs available to actually "run" a bussiness. Such as Alpha 5.

Of course the more people that switch to Mac platform will naturally lead to more software avilable for the Mac user.

[snkTab]

Just one of the great features you'll find on Mac OS X

[snkTab]

You know, I wish I could find the link, but I'm too tired. But the iMac G5 promo video wasn't that bad. Long for a commercial, but it had shine. Just edit out Phil, he's used to having the limelight taken away from him.

[AndrewMT]

when i was in the 8th grade, i sent apple an e-mail telling them an idea for a great ad, i vaguely remember it (i am now 22), this was long before ipods, mac os x, and imacs, but here's the jist:


there's this guy painstakingly eating a window he's holding in his hand. a close up shows him munchin on the wood and the paint chips stuffed in his mouth,

then cut to a guy taking a clean crisp bite of an apple sitting in front of an imac (i'm updating this part), where lots of cool stuff is happening on the screen, the camera spins around him and then the apple with the bite taken out and the apple with the bite taken out morphs to the apple logo, with below, Apples Taste Better Than Windows

Now that, I like. I'm assuming Apple never responded.

[ramuman]

The switch ads made me want to switch my TV off.

Agreed - the message I got from it was that if you're a moron who can't save a document properly or what have you, then a Mac is right for you. Apple should go one of two ways - one just go for style (ala the iPod commercials, the original 1984 commercial, or their Think Different campaign) - two, push the Mac OS X platform and programs like iLife, iWork and perhaps even FC etc.

Apple should not be making the case of being a company to whom people who can't find the any key turn.

[aswitcher]

I really hope they make a number of decent adds explaining macs and mac apps so I can burn them to disc and give them to potential switchers...

[MontyZ]

It will be interesting to see what gets more focus in the new Mac commercials: Hardware or Software.

[toneloco2881]

Agreed - the message I got from it was that if you're a moron who can't save a document properly or what have you, then a Mac is right for you. Apple should go one of two ways - one just go for style (ala the iPod commercials, the original 1984 commercial, or their Think Different campaign) - two, push the Mac OS X platform and programs like iLife, iWork and perhaps even FC etc.

Apple should not be making the case of being a company to whom people who can't find the any key turn.

I totally agree. I remember watching the switch ads on tv before making the switch(10 months now), and thinking to myself it gave off the impression that if you used Windows you were somehow intellectually inept. It only reinforced the "false" impression that Mac users are elitist bigots. :) My turning point was seeing the Yao-Mini me commercial in 2003 and thinking that the 17 inch powerbook was the most beautiful piece of electronic equipment i had ever seen. I then went down to Compusa and was in there for hours being amazed at OS X.Once I was able to save a few pennies I have now fully converted. I think Apple should lay it's focus in illustrating the functionality and seamlessness of the OS, instead of making people feel like idiots for choosing Windows. It rubs some persons the wrong way.

[nagromme]

Highlighting the benefits of Mac vs. the "old way" of Windows is a good principle. Maybe the old Switch campaign would have been better done now than back then--the time is right. And maybe they can improve the concept and make them less goofy/disjointed this time :)

[Xtremehkr]

It's about time. There is no reason why the Halo doesn't cover all of the Apple lineup, with the exception of underachievers like iWork and .Mac.

I'm a loyal .Mac subscriber but for $100 I feel that it is about $95 too expensive for what is offered. I hope Apple has big developments in the pipeline for .Mac. There is potential in .Mac but if it is left untended much longer Google is probably going to capitalize on it.

In the meantime, it would be nice to see more people expressing favorable experiences about Apple products.

It's nice to see that analysts have picked up on the term 'Halo Effect,' maybe next they will understand how that effect comes about and take the consumers side in promoting hardware and software worthy of that term.

That at this point would heavily favor Apple. But, Apple needs to be kept on its toes as well. OSX is a great platform, but now it needs great applications to run on that platform.

And, no. I will never get off Apples ass. I will gladly realize the achievements but will not readily forgive their shortcomings. The worst thing that could happen is for Apple to become lazy and/or complacent, like that other company has been.

/Just bein' a good consumer!

[lostngone]

I think they should have an ad where the screen is all white, and there is an iMac sitting on a table. And then Steve Jobs walks in from the right and scratches his chin and and turns to face the camera and says:

"iMac. Buy one or I'll f*ckin' kill you."

And then he walks off to the left, fade to logo.

Sweet. :)

Hell yea! now all we need is some killer background music.

or

How about Steve walk in frame and give the camera the finger and then say "Bill Gates copy this!"

[fpnc]

...how great OS X looks and feels, and how there are no viruses or trojans for the Mac at all...
If Apple has an ad where they try to tout the lack of viruses and malware on the Mac then you could almost bet that within two weeks of its airing that someone would release a virus for Mac OS X. My suggestion is that they don't advertise for that to happen.

[dejo]

While I'm not a fan of Microsoft, I think their new Windows XP ads are not that bad. They are not apples-to-oranges comparisons, or even show the OS. But they do get the point across of what you can ("supposedly") accomplish with the OS.

[GorillaPaws]

I agree with what most of you have been saying; especially about focusing on OSX, iLife, compatibility etc. I have another area of marketing that they may want to consider pursuing in addition to mainstream media: some of the home shopping network stuff/3am informercials.
Now I know that most of the stuff sold on these channels is pure garbageola (to put it nicely), like 300 of the same model of pocket knives for $50. But realistically, the target audience for this stuff is the good old fashioned middle of america types, who (to be stereotypical) enjoy a simple lifestyle, free of complications and the hustle-bustle of urban craziness. Can you think of a better audience for a virus free, simple computer that you can hook up to your old mouse, monitor, printer and keyboard with microsoft office installed for a "mere payment of $30 a month for the next year and a half? or a package deal with everything you need for $45/month? if you have a full half-hour to actually demo OSX and all of the great apps on the Mac, some people may reallly see how easy this stuff is.
On a similar vein of thought, Apple should open up and expand the content of their learning center to everyone (not just .Macers). Heck, put it on the front page of the website and have MUCH more indept content. Show us all the cool stuff built into my computer that I'd normally have to buy a "secrets of OSX" book or magazine to find out. After all, they spent the resources to add all of these great little hidden features, why keep them a secret, SHOW IT OFF!!!
Ok, I'm done.

[dejo]

I have another area of marketing that they may want to consider pursuing in addition to mainstream media: some of the home shopping network stuff/3am informercials.

Oh no. Please no infomercials! Everytime I see those things I think of snake-oil salesmen and shysters. Why would I consider a 30-minute Apple ad any differently?

[nero007]

Lame. Those ads DID NOT WORK.

Windows users don't care about what some hippy says. "Like, I used the iPod, and thought, wow this is so cool and so easy, what else can Apple do??" Pathetic.

The ads need to show, up close, in detail, OS X. Show someone USING it. Don't TELL us that they are easy to use, SHOW us. Hook up a digital camera and show how it imports to iPhoto. Show us iTunes/iPod integration. Show us Spotlight. Show us Dashboard. Show us using MS Office 2004. SHOW US.

People are blown away when they see OS X in action. But most people don't ever bother looking because they think Mac = OS 9.

Apple already did the iLife commercials, although it seems those are the commercials you don't remember. I guarantee the number one way to fail is to bore people with the OS details. Apple's task is a tough one is finding a way to show the OS is superior without losing the viewers attention. IMO, the switcher ad's stood out in that sense.

[solowCX]

While I'm not a fan of Microsoft, I think their new Windows XP ads are not that bad. They are not apples-to-oranges comparisons, or even show the OS. But they do get the point across of what you can ("supposedly") accomplish with the OS.

What Windows XP ads? I sure havn't seen any.

[GorillaPaws]

Oh no. Please no infomercials! Everytime I see those things I think of snake-oil salesmen and shysters. Why would I consider a 30-minute Apple ad any differently?

2 points:

1. It could be done in a classy/tastefull Apple way (the first classy infomercial)

2. As someone previously stated, You don't need to consider it, you're already sold. This is targeting a different audience. Showing the less technologically sophisticated people out there how easy and (potentially cheap) mac's really are. They could show what comprable pc software would cost to what's included in OSX and in iLife.

[slb]

It will be interesting to see what gets more focus in the new Mac commercials: Hardware or Software.

You have to buy the hardware to run the software. To most users, the OS on the computer is another part of the computer.

[dejo]

What Windows XP ads? I sure havn't seen any.

I see at least one a day during prime time. For example, there was one on tonight during the Survivor finale.

Microsoft Launches Global Campaign Inspiring People to "Start Something" With Windows XP (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/Apr05/04-18StartSomethingPR.asp)

[iMeowbot]

Nice, these ads seem to be aimed at reinforcing the trends that Apple suits have noted in the last few quarterly talks.

I wouldn't worry much that these will be a reprise of the Switch campaign. Those were clearly meant to match the first iPod campaign, and since then they've been trying really hard to look slick.

[G.Kirby]

It's about time Apple advertised their other products. After all Apple is not a one trick iPod pony. :D

[polyesterlester]

2 points:

1. It could be done in a classy/tastefull Apple way (the first classy infomercial)


I thought the Land Rover infomercials were pretty classy. They were the first infomercials I ever saw that made me think, "Apple should do this."

[homerjward]

I see at least one a day during prime time. For example, there was one on tonight during the Survivor finale.

Microsoft Launches Global Campaign Inspiring People to "Start Something" With Windows XP (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/Apr05/04-18StartSomethingPR.asp)
is that the one with the guy talking about his kid being interested in space so they have a telescope hooked up to his computer? i actually like that one :eek: before i saw the lappy, then the "windows xp" i thought it might be an apple ad :eek::eek::cool:

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

New ads would be great. And since this page (http://www.apple.com/switch/tell/us.html) appeared some time ago I have half expecting a new series of switcher ads. Just hope they doesn't just focus on the switchers, but also manages to spread some knowledge about the Mac platform in general. :)

[Darwin]

Just one of the great features you'll find on Mac OS X

That looks like an idea, they are showing off a feature, a simple one at that and you get that amazing cube effect

That could be what Apple will do, show a feature of OS X but have some eye candy connected to it

[Squozen]

OS 9, as bad as it was, was still better than XP, IMHO, as far as reliability and usability goes.

That would explain why I could crash our OS 9 machines in 5 minutes yet have no problems with Win XP. Oh wait, no it wouldn't, you're talking bollocks.

OS 9's UI was very usable, but it was too unstable for that to matter. W2k/XP is usually the other way around (assuming no spyware/viruses/trojans/bad device drivers/etc).

[Dunepilot]

For me, one of the killer features since 10.3 is Expose.

Why not focus on things like 'no more minimise, maximise, I can't locate that file I was working on...' we've got Expose and Spotlight as part of Mac OS X.

Also, I think it's time there was some kind of slightly aggressive advertising again, taking us back to the Intel Snail and burning Intel dancer. I like it when the gloves are off :D

I also think that Apple could take a leaf out of every ad that features an Intel-related product where they show that 'Intel Inside' logo for a couple of seconds, and play the bing-bong-bong-bong tune. If each Apple ad started with the Mac OS Startup sound and the Mac logo, it would help tie the campaign together.

[imz]

Will we get these ads in Australia? Haven't even seen the new iPod ads yet...

[gekko513]

... (show eye candy in some of the spots, some people switch just for the minimization of windows and magnification of the dock! :rolleyes: )

Window minimization and magnification of the dock was the things that caught my attention. Secondly I love that it starts up without any silly text mode. Text mode boot has always seemed so primitive to me for some reason.

The things that sealed the deal was iLife and that OS X is unix based and has bash.

So, I really hope they show actual screen videos in the ads with all these things that caught my attention and of course all the eye-catching stuff that was added in Panther and Tiger: exposé, spotlight and dashboard.

[gekko513]

... If each Apple ad started with the Mac OS Startup sound and the Mac logo, it would help tie the campaign together.

If it's as loud as the Mac mini startup BONG it will make families across the U.S jump in their chairs/couches/sofas. :D Expect heart attack law suits.

(I assume it will only run in the U.S as always)

[jwhitnah]

I thought the original switch ads were great!
I thought the consensus was, they were not helpful.

[jwhitnah]

Lame. Those ads DID NOT WORK.

Windows users don't care about what some hippy says. "Like, I used the iPod, and thought, wow this is so cool and so easy, what else can Apple do??" Pathetic.

The ads need to show, up close, in detail, OS X. Show someone USING it. Don't TELL us that they are easy to use, SHOW us. Hook up a digital camera and show how it imports to iPhoto. Show us iTunes/iPod integration. Show us Spotlight. Show us Dashboard. Show us using MS Office 2004. SHOW US.

People are blown away when they see OS X in action. But most people don't ever bother looking because they think Mac = OS 9.

Exactly. Stop pandering to idiots.

[Zaty]

The whole idea makes sense to me. Apple have got a lot of good press lately. So they should take the opportunity to get as many people to switch as they can.

[longofest]

Apple needs to Think Different (unlike this line) and do something different than the stupid switch ads. Ads for Mac are needed, but Ads via Switch aren't. Those were sooo stupid, as previous posts have said.

[Dunepilot]

If it's as loud as the Mac mini startup BONG it will make families across the U.S jump in their chairs/couches/sofas. :D Expect heart attack law suits.

(I assume it will only run in the U.S as always)

Until recently I had my Powermac set to auto-startup in the mornings, acting as a very loud, startling alarm clock.

BONG

I am really attached to that sound, though

[Dr.Gargoyle]

About friggin time if you ask me. I am quite sure there are people out there ignorant that Apple makes computers.
Lets just hope that they do i right. I inform people that:

Tiger is a very stable and intuitive OS.

Much easier to handle than Windows.

You can run Office on Macs


Just that nothing more

[lokey]

Honestly, I say just play a quick 30 second clip from one of Steve's keynotes. Those are always enough to make me want to go out and buy the newest Apple product. :D

[ZLurker]

Honestly, I say just play a quick 30 second clip from one of Steve's keynotes. Those are always enough to make me want to go out and buy the newest Apple product. :D
I agree!
Steve can turn anything into gold :)

I want a Powermac and an iMac. Why have one when you can have both? :D

[Platform]

Bring them on........ :p

Hopefullly this will make people a bit more aware of apple :rolleyes: ;)

[nomore]

I agree that the new ad compaign needs to show the Mac for what it is and why it's superior.

An example, look back at Amiga OS. Back in the day it was superior to both MacOS and Windows. It had pre-emptive multitasking in 1985. It was light weight, lightning fast, intuitive, very clean architecture and fully customisable GUI... but it wasn't advertised properly. Windows 3.1 was a horrid OS but it sold. People don't realise what they're missing out on unless it is shown to them.

Switch ads... they say talk is cheap... just show us the goods.

[nomore]

For me, one of the killer features since 10.3 is Expose.

Why not focus on things like 'no more minimise, maximise, I can't locate that file I was working on...' we've got Expose and Spotlight as part of Mac OS X.

Also, I think it's time there was some kind of slightly aggressive advertising again, taking us back to the Intel Snail and burning Intel dancer. I like it when the gloves are off :D

I also think that Apple could take a leaf out of every ad that features an Intel-related product where they show that 'Intel Inside' logo for a couple of seconds, and play the bing-bong-bong-bong tune. If each Apple ad started with the Mac OS Startup sound and the Mac logo, it would help tie the campaign together.


You should be hired by Apple. Great ideas.

[Dunepilot]

You should be hired by Apple. Great ideas.

Why, thank you. I've been thinking the same thing myself <conceited smiley>

[lokey]

Lots of good ideas in here, but it seems Apple is set on bringing back the "Switch" campaign... so how about revolutionizing that same campaign.

It could still be the same user on telling us about how they switched on a white background, but this time lets sit them infront of a iMac and show them doing the things they love about OS X. I'm just saying... show the computer, show the OS, and you can keep your white background ad with one person talking about how they made the switch.

[iGary]

Bring on the "reality distortion field."

[kerryb]

Apple has to advertise beyond the iPod and the timing has never been better. The old switch ads were entertaining (for mac users to watch) and did make most people take notice although I doubt they really made a big difference. I remember Jay Leno showed a spoof of the those adds, that's pretty mainstream. Hopefully the new ads will make it very obvious that the beloved iPod also can be used with this computer called a "Mac" and it works just like a PC but is even better because of..... Seriously most people still have no idea what a Mac is.

[cubist]

... was that they never showed a Mac. They might have been advertising hemorrhoid cream. Stupid.

[~Shard~]

... was that they never showed a Mac. They might have been advertising hemorrhoid cream. Stupid.

Agreed. It's tough to effectively sell a product when the consumer can't see what that product is. If you're using a visual medium like television to promote your product, you need visual representation of said product or else it won't cut it. Let's hope Apple is smart with this new campaign - with the success of the iPod right now, it could actually have BIG effect on things - things are different than they were 2-3 years ago...

[amac4me]

... was that they never showed a Mac. They might have been advertising hemorrhoid cream. Stupid.

Yeah totally. I think that was a mistake and it failed to show the elegance and beauty of Macs. You don't see people in any of Dell's ads, all you see are computers, monitors, and printers.

I think Apple needs to highlight Macs in these ads ... show the iMac and the Mac mini. Show how easy they are to use. Show how easy it is to take your existing monitor, mouse, keyboard .... hook it up to a Mac mini and show how easy it is to get up and running.

Perhaps show statistics for the number of Windows based viruses and spyware and demonstrate how safe one's computing experience can be on a Mac/OS X.

I don't want to see another round of people talking in front of a white background. Apple needs to make a strong pitch to get people to use their systems and grow the bottom line. The iPod can only do so much !

[Porchland]

If there is a new Mac campaign, I think we'll learn a lot about where Apple sees the product line going.

There's probably some new products coming in the next month -- Airport Express promotion ending next week, WWDC in June -- so we may see some advertising focus on wireless.

A PowerBook G5 would get the faithful excited, but it's also a potential prestige product to center a product-line campaign around.

iChat AV for Windows would give Apple an outlet to PC/iPod users that Apple could bring further into the fold.

A Tiger-oriented spot would be harder to pitch -- nerdy, inert -- but that's why the big boy copywriters get the big bucks.

Apple could go any number of ways, so a new campaign should make Apple's hardware vision a little clearer.

[macmax77]

To tell you the truth I was not a big fan of the "switch" commercials, the music was really annoying and I don't think those commercials would have convinced me to switch. They just seemed very boring and not exciting.

Maybe something similar to the iPod commericals would work better. They are more fast pace and uplifting, which might get people excited about getting a mac.

they were somewhat boring as most of Apple's.

Com on Apple , hire the Bud guys, thy make great campaigns.

I think the problem with Mac adds is that we know what they are and might even find then good , but only because we know the products, but PC users that don't have a clue can't find anything special in them

[macmax77]

ok, here's mine.

You can hear the keyboard as someone is writing something on a powerbook-ibook-imac, the one you prefer.

then this woman comes into the room and shouts , stop!!! told you to go about your things!!!, then as the camera approaches the machine from the top you start seeing these little ears moving while he is writing that are starting to become big ears as you come closer to the machine and voilá, it is not even a human being, but a Chihuahua using that Mac while he stares at the woman with this kind of look

I have the perfect chihuahua for that, hehheheheh

Yes the look of the Cat in the movie, hehehhehhe

[Windowlicker]

Anyone remember the Classic commercial, where they have a PC and then a Mac.

"To learn to use a PC all you need is this (a huge pile of books falling on the table). To learn to use a Macintosh all you need is this (a very small booklet falling on the table)."

It could quite easily be transferred to modern world:

"To keep a PC virus free all you need is this (lots of software boxes falling on the table). To keep a Mac virus free all you need is this (…)."

[Angelus520]

I don't exactly remember her name, but didn't a fairly high up marketing genius from HP join Apple in the last several months? This, from my understanding, was the person responsible for those HP ads featuring digital photography (people jumping around, picking them as snapshots out of the air, etc - sung to 'Picture Book' or some such) Anyone who I have talked with about those commercials think they are pretty cool.

The song was "Pictures of You" by The Cure from the album "Disintegration," which was hailed by Kyle on "Southpark" as "the best album ever!"

The Cure are major Mac fans so it would be cool if Allison Johnson (the ex-HP exec) could work her magic again and get them to license a song for another ad. The switch ads sucked, except for Janie Porche saving Christmas.

Here's a link to the Allison Johnson story:

http://news.com.com/HP+exec+follows+Fiorina+out+the+door/2100-1010_3-5575413.html

HP marketing exec heading to Apple
Published: February 14, 2005, 12:59 PM PST
By Ina Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Excerpt:
Allison Johnson is leaving HP to take a top marketing post at Apple Computer. She will become vice president of worldwide marketing communications, reporting to CEO Steve Jobs, an Apple representative told News.com.

At Apple, Johnson will be responsible for the company's global advertising and related efforts. She joins as Apple's image is soaring. The Mac and iPod maker earned the top spot in a recent survey regarding corporate brands.

Johnson had previously worked at Apple and also has held posts at IBM and Netscape Communications before joining HP in 1999.

[Zigster]

I know a local producer who has done many mac ads...sometimes apple doesn't air everything they make.

[Eric5h5]

OS 9 is fine IMO. I have used it a bit, and I encountered no problems.

Well, yes...as long as you only use OS 9 a bit, it's tolerable. Otherwise, it's a flawed, buggy, dead-end OS and there's no way I would have bought a Mac if it hadn't been replaced by something usable like OS X.

--Eric

[swingerofbirch]

There is an inherent problem with the switch idea, and that is that most PC users are not ideologues. They wouldn't consider buying a Macintosh as sanctimonious as some of us might consider buying a PC to be. So these ads make this big deal about switching as if someone is converting from one religion to another. Of course, we might see it that way, but to PC users who use Windows, but would never even consider themselves as having an allegiance to Windows, the ads are likely offputting.

Most people are very hands off when it comes to buying a computer, they just look for a good deal at their computer store, with what they have been told are the components to look out for.

I think that if you were to market Mac OS X as a vital component, albeit a component that only comes on Macs, it would be more effective.

For example, you could have someone at work on a computer yelling at it and getting mad cursing hte computer, with a message, maybe it's not the computer but the Operating System.

And so you can start to get people to think of the OS as a vital component, where they need the best.

A lot of Windows users aren't even aware they are using Windows. They think it's just Dell or whatever........

[fixyourthinking]

Does anyone here know where the homebrew ad that featured a kid cleaning up their room by throwing things away in the trashcan on their iBook?

[swissmann]

I liked the switch ads but they missed a big point - why they are better. OK they touched on things like style, and not crashing, and no viruses but no one ever saw a computer in those ads. Tell the story, keep the personal side of it, but then show off the sexy computer, OS X, etc. that is being talked about.

[Dr.Gargoyle]

I still argue that Apple should try to focus on clearing up the most common misconceptions about Macs. Such as:
a) There are no programs for Macs
b) An old and unstable OS
c) You can not use Office on a Mac
d) Expensive machines
e) The platform will expire soon

If you concentrate your efforts on that you will target the big mass that is totally unaware of an easy-to-handle alternative to Windows.
However, I don't think Apple should focus too much on the absence of virus and spyware. This could encourage nutcases to have a go at OSX, and we don't want that, do we? ;)

[pcharles]

What is it with Apple and their boring Macintosh adverts? Sure, to a Mac user they may seem cool and sophisticated, but they need to take a leaf out of the iTunes ads and make them fun and eyecatching.

[FF_productions]

Anyone remember the Classic commercial, where they have a PC and then a Mac.

"To learn to use a PC all you need is this (a huge pile of books falling on the table). To learn to use a Macintosh all you need is this (a very small booklet falling on the table)."

It could quite easily be transferred to modern world:

"To keep a PC virus free all you need is this (lots of software boxes falling on the table). To keep a Mac virus free all you need is this (…)."

I think just about everyone has seen the AOL commercials comparing high speed internet, (the guy pours "spam" and "viruses" on the other guys food), then compares it to AOL with High Speed Internet, and it has a cover over it. They Have to make the Mac look solid, as a rock...and windows look crappy..

[pcharles]

I think just about everyone has seen the AOL commercials comparing high speed internet, (the guy pours "spam" and "viruses" on the other guys food), then compares it to AOL with High Speed Internet, and it has a cover over it. They Have to make the Mac look solid, as a rock...and windows look crappy..

Have you seen the "The Digger the Dermatophyte" advert for Lamisil, or something like that. They could have lots of little viruses boring in the the Windows desktop and along comes the big apple logo to cleans the desktop of viruses and leave the tiger desktop behind.

[FF_productions]

it would work, but then again, we'll have to see what apple does

[mac-er]

I think they should have an ad where the screen is all white, and there is an iMac sitting on a table. And then Steve Jobs walks in from the right and scratches his chin and and turns to face the camera and says:

"iMac. Buy one or I'll f*ckin' kill you."

And then he walks off to the left, fade to logo.

Sweet. :)

Sidenote: I'm laughing my ass off.

Why? Apple? Why?

Fire your ad agency. The original Switch commercials didn't work. Neither will these.

[Manuel Moreno]

mmm talking about HP marketing... i love the lastest hp tv ads.
Apple iPod ads are always the same, i expect that apple do better for mac ads. The major target for advertising should be mac os x, but not in the way that some video clips showed years ago published at apple.com (talking about mac os x jaguar).

they will need more creatives to show off the powers of mac os x, and therebefore a mac. (yes, macs are simple and elegant, but we all know this!)

[whatever]

Last March my sister bought her husband an iPod Mini. Of course being the token computer geek in my family, I was summoned over to help him get it running on his WinTel machine running windows '98.

Alright, did everyone see the first hurdle that I had to jump over? iPod's require Windows 2000 or higher. He never upgraded to 2000, because he lives by the philosophy of "if ain't broke why fix it!". Hey, in his defense, this philosophy got him this far (and this not to say that he doesn't use his computer, he makes pretty good money on eBay trading sports cards).

So I upgraded his computer with 2000 and loaded all of the patches. In less than 24 hours he got his first virus, which messed up explorer. I switched him to Firefox, but he just couldn't believe how vulnerable 2000 made his machine.

Well, a week ago, I showed him the new G5 iMacs and on Saturday he bought one. He couldn't believe how much faster and easier it was to use.

If that's not an example of the Halo effect then I don't know what is.

[bbyrdhouse]

There is an inherent problem with the switch idea, and that is that most PC users are not ideologues. They wouldn't consider buying a Macintosh as sanctimonious as some of us might consider buying a PC to be. So these ads make this big deal about switching as if someone is converting from one religion to another. Of course, we might see it that way, but to PC users who use Windows, but would never even consider themselves as having an allegiance to Windows, the ads are likely offputting.

This is true I never thought of it that way. I was a potential switcher when these ads came out, but I was already running Suse Linux for a few years anyway.

A lot of Windows users aren't even aware they are using Windows. They think it's just Dell or whatever........

This is so true. I know folks that will tell you with a straight face that they don't have Windows they have Dell or Compaq.

[sigamy]

2 points:

1. It could be done in a classy/tastefull Apple way (the first classy infomercial)

2. As someone previously stated, You don't need to consider it, you're already sold. This is targeting a different audience. Showing the less technologically sophisticated people out there how easy and (potentially cheap) mac's really are. They could show what comprable pc software would cost to what's included in OSX and in iLife.

I agree. My first exposure to TiVo was a 30 or 60 minute infomerical for the first Philips boxes. I watched that thing over and over and after I got over the initial "this is a cheesy infomerical, I shouldn't be watching it" feeliing I started to really watch and I was blown away. I now own 3 TiVos and I know a bunch of people who bought from that infomercial.

[Rocket Rion]

Testimonial ads don't work. They are dumb and lazy.

[Jalexster]

Dear Apple:
NO
Please do not advertise Macs! I would much prefer it if we stayed under the radar, out of sight of the virus, malware and everything else makers! We are safe because of a good OS, but also because of obscurity! Don't kill our perfect world, by inviting viruses, malware, and a torrent a new users who don't understand anything, and who will flood our forum, and reduce it to non-stop flaming, like on PC-centric forums!

[slffl]

This is bad news. I really prefer the way it is now. Apple is making healthy profits, they continue to produce innovative hardware and software, and it's users are comprised largely of smart, free thinking people.

Now if they start to switch the masses, IMO, they're prices may go down, but so will the quality. Not to mention all of fanboys and horrible programming from the PC world.

[Dr.Gargoyle]

Dear Apple:
NO
Please do not advertise Macs! I would much prefer it if we stayed under the radar, out of sight of the virus, malware and everything else makers! We are safe because of a good OS, but also because of obscurity! Don't kill our perfect world, by inviting viruses, malware, and a torrent a new users who don't understand anything, and who will flood our forum, and reduce it to non-stop flaming, like on PC-centric forums!
5% of the market... even a 100% increase (which would be a huge market success) would leave 9 out of ten computers sold be non-Macs. I doubt this would mean the community would be flooded by fanboys. I doubt that Macs ever will be up to par with for example alienware when it comes to gaming, so that crowd wont invade us. Since Macs IMHO are high end machines, my guess is that more professionals would switch over if they where convinced that OSX was a viable platform and they where able to use office. I doubt these people would impose a serious threat to the community.
The positive side would be that hardware/software manufactors would give OSX much more attention. We would probably see lower prices since they would be able to spread out the development cost over more customers.
Ok, I wouldnt want Apple to become the new Dell/Mircosoft, but I really dont think there is and urgent need to worry about that. Again 5%.

[Sox]

The song was "Pictures of You" by The Cure from the album "Disintegration," which was hailed by Kyle on "Southpark" as "the best album ever!"

The Cure are major Mac fans so it would be cool if Allison Johnson (the ex-HP exec) could work her magic again and get them to license a song for another ad. The switch ads sucked, except for Janie Porche saving Christmas.



And the other song was, in fact, "Picture Book" by The Kinks. As you were.

[neutrino23]

Honestly, I say just play a quick 30 second clip from one of Steve's keynotes. Those are always enough to make me want to go out and buy the newest Apple product. :D

Are you mad! Who knows what would happen to this nation if Apple unleashed the full force of Steve's RDF on prime time. :eek:

[dejo]

is that the one with the guy talking about his kid being interested in space so they have a telescope hooked up to his computer? i actually like that one :eek: before i saw the lappy, then the "windows xp" i thought it might be an apple ad :eek::eek::cool:

Yeah, that's the one I've seen most often. They also have another one where they have a bunch of people saying "Start..." in different languages. So, that's 2 down. 49 to go...

[neutrino23]

One of my favorite ads was "Curveball". A boy asks his father why a curve ball curves. The father starts talking about spin and he's twisting his wrist and twisting his ideas. Then he takes the boy over to a Macintosh and they find the support information the dad needs to help him teach his son. It was warm, it was realistic, it was not condescending. They had another in the series where a girl asked her mother about how fish breathe.

I think that kind of approach, showing the Mac as a real world tool doing real things for real people (not rock stars or Einsteins) could get the message across.

They could do a series of them.

Small business person relying on the Mac to "just work" and do simple email, web support.

Teacher doing grading, making up tests, preparing presentations, etc. without a hitch.

A salesman making a book with iPhoto to give to a customer as a follow up to a presentation.

Sell the reliability, the breadth of features, the ease of tying those features together, the support from Applecare, the support from the genius bar. It's not just that you could possibly make a DVD (if the stars align properly) but that you can do so reliably and with relatively little effort.

The genius bar is a powerful plus for Apple. I've heard numerous stories of windows users paying big bucks to have their computers cleaned of malware or other problems. You can schedule an appointment with the local genius and solve lots of problems for no charge.

[Dr.Gargoyle]

You can schedule an appointment with the local genius and solve lots of problems for no charge.
Assuming you live close to an Apple store. My closest is one hour away.... by airplane mind you. I wished Apple would open up stores here in europe. (one does not count)

[SiliconAddict]

apple should kick it old school, like they did with those old pc vs mac commercials.. i can just see it.. "want a computer without the spyware and adware? the choice is clear... macintosh" that would rock.. :)


Yah and next week the first spyware apps for Mac shows up. :rolleyes:

[SiliconAddict]

[QUOTE=MacPhreak]OS 9, as bad as it was, was still better than XP, IMHO, as far as reliability and usability goes.
QUOTE]


LOL. I would debate that point into the ground. usability is subjective. reliability? Hell NO. Sorry but my XP system has been up for months. My 2K system has been up for.....damn. No idea. I think it was shut down when I went on vacation in October. :eek:

OS 9 did NOT have that kind of uptime and did not have protected memory which is a mandate for ANY current OS. Sorry but if you want to liken it to something how about OS 9 to 9x and OS X to NT/2K/XP.

[MontyZ]

Dear Apple:

Please do not advertise Macs! I would much prefer it if we stayed under the radar, out of sight of the virus, malware and everything else makers! We are safe because of a good OS, but also because of obscurity! Don't kill our perfect world, by inviting viruses, malware, and a torrent a new users who don't understand anything, and who will flood our forum, and reduce it to non-stop flaming, like on PC-centric forums!
I don't really think one advertising campaign is going to make THAT much of a difference in Apple's market share. Perfect World? Where? I think you're over-reacting a bit.

[MontyZ]

Yah and next week the first spyware apps for Mac shows up. :rolleyes:
Exactly, this isn't a good way to sell the Mac, because you know that as soon as that kind of commercial is released, a major virus will start spreading among Mac users, many of which are not using virus-protection software. This will make headline news because of the ads and destroy the Mac's reputation instantly. And you know MS will be taking advantage of that kind of situation if it occurred. Not a good marketing strategy.

[rockthecasbah]

All I can say is, it's about time Apple!! :)

If it has flashy silhouettes, it will flop. Thankfully it appears to be taking a note from the switch campaign. Im sorry, what was the reason they stopped those ads?

[danbalsh]

Shameless plug here, but these are some adverts 'iMade' (pieced together) late last year; these are the sort of adverts Apple NEEDS to be doing!

Born to Reign (http://homepage.mac.com/daniel.balshaw/iMac/Born-to-Reign.mp4) I used this music for the words, just listen to them, they are so powerful

iMac + iPhoto (http://homepage.mac.com/daniel.balshaw/iMac/iMac+iPhoto.mp4) We've seen iPod + iTunes adverts, now we need to show off iPhoto

P.s. I take NO credit for any of the images used, I just ripped them from the iMac promo video(s), but I DID piece the good bits together and fit music.

[wdlove]

All I can say is, it's about time Apple!! :)

If it has flashy silhouettes, it will flop. Thankfully it appears to be taking a note from the switch campaign. Im sorry, what was the reason they stopped those ads?

I wish that I knew. Apple never has advertised that much. The iPod ads are the most that I have ever noticed. I don't like Windows, but I'm always impressed when I see one.

[~Shard~]

Thankfully it appears to be taking a note from the switch campaign. Im sorry, what was the reason they stopped those ads?

Read the mulitple previous posts in this thread to find out why they were judged so ineffective by many people. Apple will have to put a serious twist on the "switcher" ads for them to be more successful this time around. :cool:

[hulugu]

OS 9 sucked. OS 9 was the reason many people in their late teens and 20's never chose the Mac platform in the first place. Without OS X, I wouldn't have switched to the Mac platform, as any version of Windows after 3.1 was superior to Macs until OS X was released. Coincidentally, the iPod was released in 2001, the same year as OS X. Apple would've gone down the crapper if they hadn't came out with the iPod and OS X. Unfortunately at my school newspaper, I still have 2 iMacs running OS 9 with 768 MB of RAM; they're the most unreliable pieces of crap ever made. The other 2 machines I have at the office (2 Powermac G4 dual 867's) running Jaguar are so much better.

If using the iPod in ads for OS X is what it takes to get people to switch to the Mac platform, then so be it.

Slow down there, if you think Win 3.1 - Win98 was ever better than OS9 you need to stop drinking. OS 9 ruled in its day: it was very stable—if you knew how to maintain it—fast, and was much easier to use than Win98 (anything before that is a bad joke).
However, OS 9 is a legacy OS and was rightfully buried by Jobs when it was time, OSX is a much better system and I don't miss OS9 at all, but give the dead some respect.
Incidentally, those iMacs can run Jaguar with aplomb, you might want to try it.

[hulugu]

Many, many people on here will disagree with your last statement, especially since Windows 3.1 wasn't an operating system, it was a shell. You must not have used WinME. OS 9, as bad as it was, was still better than XP, IMHO, as far as reliability and usability goes.


Now, I just wrote a quick post defending OS9, but as much as I loved OS9 at the time, as smooth and easily as it seemed, OS9 cannot hold a candle to XP's reliability. Remember extensions? Seriously, OS9 was great until the later iterations of Win2k and even then it was starting to show its age.

LOL. I would debate that point into the ground. usability is subjective. reliability? Hell NO. Sorry but my XP system has been up for months. My 2K system has been up for.....damn. No idea. I think it was shut down when I went on vacation in October. :eek:

OS 9 did NOT have that kind of uptime and did not have protected memory which is a mandate for ANY current OS. Sorry but if you want to liken it to something how about OS 9 to 9x and OS X to NT/2K/XP.

While OS9 is not as powerful or stable as OSX or even WinXP, it was perfectly stable if you knew what you were doing—not as Apple-like as it should have been—and could run for months while being used to do hard-core graphic design. It was a good system, but was tempermental, and you're right it did lack at lot of important technologies, but it was a good system for the time.
I think you're comparison OS9 = Win98, OSX=XP is probably about right. However, I would like to point out that networking two Win2k/NT machines together still takes more work than setting up two OS9 machines, and the internet utilities were actually very well-designed. OS9 deserves a better legacy than what many people here are giving it, it was a good OS for the time.

[nutrix]

I have not had time to read the whole thread so I may just be repeating an idea.

I was thinking earlier about an effective idea for potential switchers.

Why not have two computers on screen, one a windows PC massive box, and the other a mac mini. Both side by side. Then with some text over the top explaining that they both have the same size hard drive and completely the same data.

"We took two computers with the same hard disks and same data and did the same search on both."

Then zoom in on both of them searching and watch the mac mini do it quickly while windows struggles.

Then zoom in on a close up of the mac mini.

"OS X Tiger with Spotlight on the new mac mini - Think Different"

This kind of thing would highlight how macs can do things better than pcs can, expecially for low end users. And the mac mini is an ideal advert for potential switchers.

[slb]

Apple just needs to show people, not have others tell them. That's why I hope they don't do "Switch 2" here.

Showing people how that beautiful iMac G5 can find their files with the type of a single phrase, will securely protect them from the bad guys on the internet, and is extremely easy to use with no more headaches is enough to convince people. Like I said, it just has to be the same jaw-dropping experience as getting to play with your first Mac in the Apple store. Show the thing off! I don't understand why Apple's holding back on this. The look and feel of OS X decimates Windows, the features crush it ("Search your computer like you search the web, thanks to Spotlight"), and the computers themselves take up much less space and are cheap (Mac mini).

But instead of all that, if they give us, "I'm a random dork from so-and-so, and I really like Macs," it won't have the same effect. :)

[reyesmac]

If they do not show video of Mac OS in action, it will be just another switcher commercial. I don't know what keeps Apple from showing off their OS. It should not be up to the users to advertise for Apple.

[GeoffM1968]

My wife works with a family which was flown out to California to addition for an ad. They were selected from the registration information because they were exclusive Windows users and then bought an iPod. They liked the iPod so much they went out and bought a Mac Mini and now do everything with their Mac (.mac, iTunes, ect...).

Geoff

[MontyZ]

OS9 deserves a better legacy than what many people here are giving it, it was a good OS for the time.
I agree. I used OS9 until 6 months ago when I finally made the leap to OSX. I could have easily continued with OS9 if necessary.

[z.j]

Hi all. First time posting here. I've been silently watching for a couple months now. I saw this and really thought I ought to contribute.

About a month ago, I saw on Apple's website that they were looking for people who "Bought an iPod, then got a Mac?" So I told them my story.

In a nutshell, I bought a iPod because I thought they were the coolest thing on earth. I had used iTunes on my PC before I bought the iPod for a couple months. I liked iTunes, and that also influenced my descision for the iPod. A couple months after the iPod purchase, I happened to be in the market for a new computer. Because I heard from friends (even PC users) that they were really nice, and after liking the iPod, I bought a eMac 1GHz G4 512MB RAM CD-ROM for $650 off of an online authorized reseller. I now love the Mac and my iPod.

Anyway, I submitted that story to Apple and soon forgot about it. About a week later, Apple e-mailed me and wanted to talk to me on the phone. After getting details set up, they called me and talked to me for about 15 minutes about what I do with it, how often, et cetera. I think they really liked it. Later that week, they e-mailed me asking for a short video. When I explained that I didn't have an accessible camcorder, they asked for some pictures of me with my iPod. I then explained that I didn't have a digital camera either. When I asked what this was for, they told me it was just to know their audience - market research. After all, I have been getting all of the e-mails from "market_research@mac.com". I was then disinterested. I believed that I was going to be part of some huge advertising campaign or switch webpage. I told them "Hey, I saw some of your switch stories online. You can use me as one of those if you want." They said no, they just wanted market research.

Skip ahead a month. I go online and see this topic. So I e-mailed them back yesterday and told them that I recently acquired a digital camera and could now send them some pictures. I was very insistent that they want them. I'm still waiting for a reply. They were pretty quick usually, sometimes responding withing an hour, so I don't really know...

Thanks in advance for the welcome to the MacRumors community.

[MacPhreak]

That would explain why I could crash our OS 9 machines in 5 minutes yet have no problems with Win XP. Oh wait, no it wouldn't, you're talking bollocks.

OS 9's UI was very usable, but it was too unstable for that to matter. W2k/XP is usually the other way around (assuming no spyware/viruses/trojans/bad device drivers/etc).

Yeah, I'm talking bollocks. :rolleyes: No, wait, I actually USED it. It came on my Pismo, and I used 9 up until Panther (about a year ago). I bought OS 10.1 & 10.2, and uninstalled them both and went back to 9. I never had crashes, lock-ups, etc.

But then, I used my machine for work, I didn't load a ton of themes (Kaleidescope, remember that?), extensions, etc on it. If Adobe, Deneba, or M$ (shudder) didn't install the extension, it wasn't on my computer, and it didn't crash.

Sorry your experience was different, but to say I'm talking "bollocks" when I've been there and done that just ain't right.

And XP isn't stable...at all. I have a spyware/virii-free XP box that I use for UT2004 that BSOD's quite often. I bought it to do ArcView on, but have given up on XP and am running ArcView, on the rare occasion that I need it, in RealPC (remember that one?) running Win95, under Classic.

[macmax77]

believe it or not, wee only need to show them we can right click with a mouse,

it freaks me out that pc users don't know

[Daner]

Switching can be scary. It involves giving up something that you are already familiar with. It involves moving out of a psychological comfort zone, and many people just won't do that, no matter how bad things happen to be.

Adding is a lot less scary. You get to keep everything that you already have, but explore new possibilities without fear of losing that which is familiar.

Obtaining an iPod does not require one to stop using every other music playing device that they might have acquired over a lifetime. Likewise, obtaining a new Macintosh computer running Tiger, iLife and iWork does not require one to swear allegiance to Steve, thus forsaking all others forever and ever, Amen.

(You may end up wanting to do that after a while, but maybe not. In any case it is optional, not required.)

The point is that Apple needs to show people what they are missing, foster an awareness and desire for their solution and assuage people's fears regarding the uncertainty of taking such a step.

Make your next computer a Mac

[macmax77]

[QUOTE=MacPhreak]OS 9, as bad as it was, was still better than XP, IMHO, as far as reliability and usability goes.
QUOTE]


LOL. I would debate that point into the ground. usability is subjective. reliability? Hell NO. Sorry but my XP system has been up for months. My 2K system has been up for.....damn. No idea. I think it was shut down when I went on vacation in October. :eek:

OS 9 did NOT have that kind of uptime and did not have protected memory which is a mandate for ANY current OS. Sorry but if you want to liken it to something how about OS 9 to 9x and OS X to NT/2K/XP.

well dude, good for you, but my story with the Xp pc i owned was far from that, it was a real nightmare, it always crashed and freezed, i had it .

Meanwhile my Macs are always working , except for the one that was stolen from me , my child, i hope she is fine thou...

[immac]

Just like the original G5 ads
I think apple could generate alot of FREE XTRA PR and BUZZ by bragging about the recent MOTHER_OF_ALL WAIT 10 MONTHS SUCKER A$$KICKING 200Mhz upgrades on the UBER HI_END WROTE _THE_BOOK on personal SUPERCOMPUTING POWER_MAC G5 2.7 WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!!
WE'LL EVEN THROW IN A STOP GAP QUESTIONABLE WATER COOLING SYSTEM AT NO EXTRA CHARGE!! AND worried about those legacy hard drives and peripherals?? NO PROBLEM WE'RE KEEPING PCI & PCIx just the way you remember it.With all the money you'll save on fancy PCIe devices and cards and fancy new DDR3 memory you can buy an XBOX 360 for some REAL graphics entertainment.
GIDDEE UP, sign me up, where's my Fu@&ing credit card??.......

Can I get one of them cool little halos, too??
...and hand me my G5, I got a bunch of papers blowin around my desk.

[MontyZ]

Switching can be scary.
I found it to be an easy and rewarding experience moving from Windows to Mac (and that was with OS9). Lots of people are just fed up with Windows and won't consder it scary, they'll consider it a huge relief!

[Daner]

I found it to be an easy and rewarding experience moving from Windows to Mac (and that was with OS9). Lots of people are just fed up with Windows and won't consder it scary, they'll consider it a huge relief!

I was referring to switching in general from that which is familar to that which is unknown, not just moving from Windows to Mac.

[wdlove]

I was referring to switching in general from that which is familiar to that which is unknown, not just moving from Windows to Mac.

Yes, it's normal to have a certain amount anxiety. It's helpful to keep us alert.

[iMeowbot]

Hmm. "Switch" ads might be a little awkward right about now.

[MontyZ]

I was referring to switching in general from that which is familar to that which is unknown, not just moving from Windows to Mac.
Okay. But this is on a Mac site, so, I assumed you meant switching to a Mac, not to decaf.

[jesuisme]

Well, I'm actually someone who decided to switch THEN decided to get an iPod. Those switcher ads annoyed me. Still, if they chose me for one of those ads now, I would probably sound just like those folks :p

The thing that started me even considering Mac was that the laptop was beautiful (yeah, I know...shallow :rolleyes: ). Then I found out it had Unix without having to make a dual boot. Then, when I stared comparing laptop specs, the weight, resolution, and graphics card, that put it over the top. So whatever new ads Apple makes, I think they should focus on performance comparisons while showing the sexy laptop :D

[~loserman~]

LOL

They will probably extoll the virtues of a G5 vs a P4...
Now that they are switching...... hahahaha

[wdlove]

Apple may need ads of some kind to continue sales. It might help to steady the nerves of Wall Street.

[Applespider]

I'd like to see something along the lines of what's playing in the Apple Store windows about now.

For those who aren't near a store, it's 3 iMacs mounted on a wall. There's a big + sign between the first 2 iMacs and an = between the 2nd and 3rd one.

It comes up with images and then text to show things you can do on your Mac. Examples are...

Digital Camera + iPhoto = Photo Books
Camcorder + iMovie/iDVD = DVD
CD + iTunes = iPod
Keyboard + Garageband = Music

It's quite clever although I suspect it would have a better effect with some music and voices to grab attention.

[~Shard~]

I'd like to see something along the lines of what's playing in the Apple Store windows about now.

For those who aren't near a store, it's 3 iMacs mounted on a wall. There's a big + sign between the first 2 iMacs and an = between the 2nd and 3rd one.

It comes up with images and then text to show things you can do on your Mac. Examples are...

Digital Camera + iPhoto = Photo Books
Camcorder + iMovie/iDVD = DVD
CD + iTunes = iPod
Keyboard + Garageband = Music

It's quite clever although I suspect it would have a better effect with some music and voices to grab attention.

That does sound quite neat, I could see something like that translating well into an ad. Simple, to the point, yet effective - just the way Apple does things. ;)

Let's hope we see some new Ads soon!

[Lunja]

Switching can be scary. It involves giving up something that you are already familiar with. It involves moving out of a psychological comfort zone, and many people just won't do that, no matter how bad things happen to be.

Adding is a lot less scary. You get to keep everything that you already have, but explore new possibilities without fear of losing that which is familiar.

Obtaining an iPod does not require one to stop using every other music playing device that they might have acquired over a lifetime. Likewise, obtaining a new Macintosh computer running Tiger, iLife and iWork does not require one to swear allegiance to Steve, thus forsaking all others forever and ever, Amen.

(You may end up wanting to do that after a while, but maybe not. In any case it is optional, not required.)

The point is that Apple needs to show people what they are missing, foster an awareness and desire for their solution and assuage people's fears regarding the uncertainty of taking such a step.

Make your next computer a Mac

Very well put - I agree. The average Joe, aged 40 (since this age group is likely to have the most disposable income) and buying a computer for the family may not be familiar with PC's at all, so 'switching' to Mac will be daunting. What Apple should do is market the fun factor- show how much media can be produced with iLife, the presentations 'junior' can make for his science project, how the wife makes a photo album of the family holiday with iPhoto... It's a bit of an underhand tactic, but if Apple can play on the 'pester power' factor and promotes towards kids, 'Dad' is more likely to be encouraged to buy a Mac...

Although they could go the iPod way, and go completely abstract. Ads these days will rarely promote the functions of the product, and instead show the feelings the user will get from ownership of the product. The iPod ads, to me, promote the idea that an iPod is funky, cool, fresh, fashionable etc... whereas it gives no impression that its USB cable makes it easily compatible with PC's and Macs, if you get what I mean...

By the sound of it, I wouldn't have thought 'Switcher' ads would be the most effective srategy...

[roadapple]

Apple may need ads of some kind to continue sales. It might help to steady the nerves of Wall Street.

I would love to buy back in to aapl at around $20 sometime in the next 6 months. Then when the new intels, movie store and wireless ipods take off, $85-$100!

I bought aapl at $14 and sold at $28 (before the split) after buying my first mac in '02. Could not believe how much better mac osx (and my TiBook) was then the pc junk I was using. With the low stock price I knew it would be a good investment in a solid product. If only I had been able to see the ipod explosion, still can't complain about the return :D

I have faith in apple to produce an outstanding intel product, but hope the market has its doubts so I can buy a new intel pbook with a dell investment next year!

[obeygiant]

I think they should have an ad where the screen is all white, and there is an iMac sitting on a table. And then Steve Jobs walks in from the right and scratches his chin and and turns to face the camera and says:

"iMac. Buy one or I'll f*ckin' kill you."

And then he walks off to the left, fade to logo.

Sweet. :)



srsly, you should work for chiat-daye