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Apple Introduces Three New Mac Ads During Olympics Opening Ceremonies

These are some of the worst ads I've ever seen and definitely the worst Apple has ever produced. What is this supposed to achieve? It isn't informative or funny, it's condescending at best.
 
sputnikv said:
these felt sort of like the kind of commercials at&t/verizon/sprint puts out.. it's unsettling
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Yea those were horrid. Cheesy is what first came to mind. The best thing about the top apple commercials is it drives home a point to the layman. I always use my parents at the benchmark for this, and they are gonna watch these and have no idea what this dude is talkin about.

Second, it reinforces that "smug" perception people have. I think this is a bad thing if you're trying to convert people over to the Mac platform.
 
ChrisH3677 said:
I thought you'd at least know the first rule of judging advertising success would be knowing the objective...

How can you *assume* the objective of these three ads is to sell Macs, and therefore judge that they've missed their mark?

You forget, Apple isn't in the computer business. Nor the phone business. Nor the software business.

Apple sells an experience. From the moment you see their ads, to visiting their web site, walking into their stores, ouching and holding their products, opening the packaging and so on, Apple is selling you an experience.

The Genius Bars and geniuses are a part of the experience that Apple obviously feels is being missed or undervalued, especially by existing customers.

The airplane and baby ones make no effort to sell Macs. Personally, I like these two ads, they create a warmth and friendliness around Apple with a bit of self deprecating humor thrown.

So, the "mark" these two ads aim for, to promote another segment of the great Apple experience, is indeed hit.

I do agree tho the third is much more about trying to sell Macs but is a bit arrogant, no matter how much they try to play it down, and does undercut the good work of the other two. Maybe it's aimed at a different market, because I wasn't even aware Mac fakes are an issue in the western world.
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When I said they don't make me want to buy a Mac, I was meaning buying into the Mac ecosystem. Obviously my opinion is just that, an opinion, but I feel that these ads do more harm than good. As others have pointed out, they portray the user as an idiot. The platform comes off as being hard to use, and Apple is made to look snobbish and awkward. These ads lack the emotion that has made Apple ads iconic.

Also, you say that the first two don't try sell Macs, but they do. They try to promote the idea of the Mac ecosystem, which you can only be a part of if you own a Mac. Its not direct, but it most certainly is trying to push the product.
 
Thoughts on the new Ad

First off, for those people whining about not receiving credit for pointing out an ad that about a billion people saw, get over it. As for the ads, I was a bit disappointed with the one about the guy who purchased a Macintosh knock-off. While it is true that many PC vendors are attempting to mimic the Mac hardware look, I didn't like the feel of the ad. The other two ads had me smiling though. They really do speak to the true power of the Macintosh and its built-in software along with the eagerness/expertise of Apple retail. Maybe the next series will have just other Mac users helping new Mac users. Certainly, the true power of Macintosh is that it doesn't take a Genius to make wonderful things.
 
slicecom said:
These commercials are horrible. They seem like something Microsoft or some other big, tasteless corporation would put out. I guess this is the future for Apple. :(
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Really???!!! These are designed to talk up the services of the Apple Store that you don't get by buying something else. On the basically there are lots of knock offs that proclaim to be as good as Apple products that aren't including people making hacks. I have actually had someone to tell me the device they had was just like having an apple, looks just like it, does the same stuff, but was a lot cheaper. I looked at it and it was not even close. They are even cloning the macbook airs and claiming they are as good or better in their commercials. These are good and effective.
 
Meh. That commercial was cheesy and not very humbling.

The 4S commercials are still the best in my book.
 
macingman said:
Jobs specifically said for Apple not to think "What would Steve Do? and just do what is right. Jobs passed away quite a while ago now, if Apple continue to "follow him" and don't move on they will fall behind.

As Apple continues to evolve they need to leave their past behind and do what is right.
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I'm not saying they are bad....I'm just saying I'm starting to see that change take place now.
 
Corny.

I've been using Macs since 1987, and have always preferred them to Windows, and I still do. Although I will continue to use Macs and iPhones, ads like this commercial make me feel a little embarrassed to use Apple products in public.
 
wickerman1893 said:
Is it just me or are these the first commercials that didn't seem "Steve Jobs like?"
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I don't really think its a fair assertion.

You have to see these ads as the new "I'm a Mac" kind of campaign, and not the replacement of "iPad technology manifesto" or any "specific product app with functions in front of a white background"

When you look strictly from the point of view of it replacing the "I'm a Mac" ad, which were basically big jokes about functionnalities of the Macs vs. PCs, this new campaign doesn't seem that different.

So no, I wouldn't say that they doesn't look "Steve Jobs like".

But anyway, I don't think that "what would Steve Jobs do" is the good attitude for Apple to embrace in the future.
 
The plane one I was ready to accept if the other two were good but they were worse, oh my apple, who did this.
 
zemaker said:
These are pretty horrid, this would have never made it onto the air in the Steve Jobs era.
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Apple would be crippled and bankrupt in no time if every decision was vetted based on what they believe Jobs would have done. Apple is going to need to adapt, for better or for worse--because the market is changing and is even different than in the short time since Steve Jobs died.
 
makes no sense

goodness that 'fake mac' makes my anger burn....

first, who buys a PC thinking that they'll get a Mac equivalent? everyone knows that Apple refuses to put top-tier GFX and RAM and other HW products into their amazingly built chassis.

next, and DEFINITELY worse, (I'm currently on a 17" MBP doing recording/music production + video/3d composition/photog so I'm not a perpetual Apple hater), is the banter about the machine coming with "great software" like iPhoto (elegant organization utility, but subpar processing), iMovie (what a joke), and Garageband (the music-making software that anyone who really gets into immediately outgrows)... REALLY? with the hundreds you save by going PC (for the HW equivalent) you can afford photoshop/bridge/LR/ableton, assuming that you aren't pirating.

the only way to reconcile this is to accept that Apple no longer sells to anyone but the iphone hip crowd... :confused:

now for that mac pro update...
 
sputnikv said:
these felt sort of like the kind of commercials at&t/verizon/sprint puts out.. it's unsettling
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No worries, just like the old "Hi, I'm a Mac...and I'm a PC" commercials, these will be copied by everyone...

I thought the ad I saw was ok. Better than most commercials but not as good as Apple's done in the past.
 
Hephaestus said:
These are some of the worst ads I've ever seen and definitely the worst Apple has ever produced. What is this supposed to achieve? It isn't informative or funny, it's condescending at best.
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That Apple will clearly help you achieve you goals. That you don't need to feel dumb because you don't automatically know how to do everything you want in your software. That Apple still cares about you after they sold you their hardware/software.
 
This may be obvious to some but...

There's a reason why most of us Mac fans dislike these ads..

The Ads are not designed for us

The only way Apple is going to make a faster significant dent on PC market share, is to steal more PC users.

Sure, Apple's typical ads are beautiful, subtle, and clever - easily appreciated by like-minded creatives and Apple aficionados. However sometimes a to befriend a duck, you have to quack like a duck.

And I mean no offence to tech savvy PC users or PC users in general - I'm just saying that different things appeal to different people, and this style of ad may appeal to a wider audience - thus attracting more interest in Macs.

Apple isn't stupid. I think the ads are perfect for what they are intended for (not us).
 
cgc said:
No worries, just like the old "Hi, I'm a Mac...and I'm a PC" commercials, these will be copied by everyone...

I thought the ad I saw was ok. Better than most commercials but not as good as Apple's done in the past.
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these ads gonna be copied? how is that possible since they are so generic to being with?
 
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