Apple iPod Marketshare and Future Ads?

[dernhelm]

Amen.

Please stop. 🙄

No kidding. So few consumers even care anymore about the speed of their computer. Spend 30 minutes with someone in front of iMovie, though, and all you'll hear is "man I wish my computer could do THAT!".

Even pro-sumers aren't looking at GHz anymore: they want a speedy whole-system performance - FSB, amount of RAM, speed of hard-disk, graphics card capabilities, SATA vs. SCIS, etc all factor into their decision as much as GHz ratings of the processor.

System performance is no longer a deal maker or breaker for the Mac platform. It will be the quality (and eventually) the quantity of the software that will end up being the deal breaker for most people.

 

[slb]

It would be nice to see ads with music in the similar vein of the iPod commercials, portraying the iMac and the Mac mini as hip gadgets to have that can make movies, CDs, has iTunes and connects to your iPod (of course), doesn't crash, finds all your files anywhere, and looks gorgeous.

The "Windows viruses: 12,375,000 Mac viruses: 0" line would also be very effective. I can see the Windows number on screen counting up, with the Mac number humbly appearing below it. 🙂 That would turn the heads of a few people I know.

Nobody's saying we're advertising experts, but we are consumers and we know what would be cool to see on television. I really hope Apple has something incredible up its sleeve. It needs to hit one out of the park with a new ad campaign, if there is indeed one in the works.

I don't know how effective the "Switch" ads were--most of them were mocked even by Mac users. But that was before Apple suddenly became the hippest brand name out there. So I'm sure Apple's marketing droids know how to capitalize on this since they've been doing so incredibly well with the iPod, and if they did do something, it would tie into the hipness of the iPod in some way.

Really, Apple has been lax in tying the iPod into the Mac. For instance, the iTunes Music Store could be rife with Apple Mac ads all over the place, and Mac brochures could be included in every iPod box, but they're not. Cool of Apple to keep all the advertising out of it, though at the least, iPods could come with a mention of iMacs or something, like a flyer. I don't know.

 

[JulesTM]

See, this I've never understood. Trying to build a stable and reliable Windows-based network is like entering the seventh circle of hell. I think M$ spends a lot of time and money convincing people that their way is the only way as part of those certification courses.

Plus, networking aside, there's never been a stable version of Apache that can run on a Windows machine (at least there wasn't the last time I looked in to it), and using a Windows machine as a mail server is just asking for trouble. These features come at no cost to OS X users, and benefit from the overall stability of the platform.

Network Technicians would be outta a job if they used macs, duh 🙂

 

[scarletbiro]

Switching seminars

I wouldn't mind some help showing people what's cool about my Mac. Having switched myself, I know I am amazed daily about how my PowerBook 1Ghz with Tiger is the best machine/gadget/software I have ever used -- what really gets me is how it's simultaneoulsy much more powerful and much more "beginning user"-friendly than Windows. But I don't think I'm an effective teacher when it comes to showing this off.

I have also come across people who ought to know better who think the Mac is not a "real" computer. And with Unix underneath, this is just not true. All the programmers I know are in love with OS X, and rightly so.

 

[xsnightclub]

Ad Slogan: Get Something Done

Show PC users frustrated having problems with crashing and viruses.
Repeatedly calling IT desk support personnal, over and over.

Then fade to IT guy still on the phone to users, replying to their issues on overtly verbose techie lingo.

Camera pans around behind to see IT guy using his Mac to finishing burning an iMovie DVD, complete updating his iTunes music library, emailing mulitiple Word and Excel documents, Print a photoshop picture, close out a video chat, and save a powerpoint presentation. Show him finishing these tasks in rapid fire succession: saving, burning, updating, emailing, chating, closing programs while on the phone to users.

Then he hangs up the phone, puts on his iPod headphones, turns out lights leaves office, Than the camera stays focused ON THE MAC.

Nicely this would show people Macs can do all the things the think they can't and ties in the iPod to remind users this is that company that makes that music device that everybody wants, and it still focuses ON THE MAC. (while taking a jab at MS start something ad campaign)

 

[Swinny]

For a start Apple DON'T want to start advertising the fact we are free of virusses etc at the moment...despite what we all like to think, it isn't an infallable system and public claims like that are only gonna wind up the virus-writing tossers to try and break it...which as soon as they did would make Apple a laughing stock. They do a very good job of letting the press and word-of-mouth tell the no-virus story and they shouldn't get involved.

It'd be nice to see these adverts centred around iLife I think - those are the things that people want to do with a computer afterall - maybe 5 seperate spots, each as a short testimonial type piece from someone who's done great stuff with one of the apps (ie written a hit song in garageband or won and award for an imovie produced piece etc)...all interspersed with lots of shots of various Macs and gratuitous shots of stuff flying about in Tiger (ie expose and dashboard) - simple point is people don't know there is an alternative to windows out there, so they'd be blown away by this free great software all running on an OS that, comparatively, looks like something out of a science fiction film.

...I remember seeing a news piece not too long ago where a guy basically used an expose screen expanging as a lead-in shot to his news piece - looked completely alien even to me who'd been using Panther for a year!

its a tricky thing...Apple need to sell the strenghts of the hardware and software, compatibility, pricing, links with the iPod etc etc all in a 30 secons!

I think the ex-HP woman is the key here...there have been quite a few ads on for them recently - some consumer focused, some more business orientated - but all doing the same thing - getting the name of HP out there and synonamous to the general public as involved with computing at all levels.

 

[SiliconAddict]

No kidding. So few consumers even care anymore about the speed of their computer. Spend 30 minutes with someone in front of iMovie, though, and all you'll hear is "man I wish my computer could do THAT!".

Well only to a certain extent. The disparity between the G4 PowerMac and the rest of the industry was a big enough deal that even nongeeks started asking the question...well aren't Macs slow. The G5 more then evened the playing field. I'm just amused by the people who were shocked at a 500Mhz difference between the supposed Jobs promise and the end result last year. And it continues to this day even though the difference is 300Mhz. For the love of god people do you think hitting 3000Mhz is going to cause the PowerMac to enter some temporal distortion zone that makes everything 10x times faster?!? Maybe that is where Steve gets his RDF? He’s been around too many 3Ghz PowerMacs. 😱
The PowerMac updates are solid. (Albeit a bit short on the tech. Where's the PCI Express Apple!??) The iMac updates are solid. The low-end eMac updates are OK for the price and for what it is. The Mac Mini...well it could use a few tweaks.

Where does that leave us? The iBook but more importantly the PowerBook. They are the only major devices that haven't gotten a massive revamp. As much as its about the software, the software is only as fast as the hardware you run it on, and once again Apple is playing catch-up to the rest of the industry.

 

[ioinc]

AGREED! That's one of the frustrating things, the myths/preconceptions out there... Soooooooo many people think that Macs are the "incompatible" computer...

TV ads would be cool... I would actually look farward to commmercial breaks! 😀

What are the odds that apple really highlights such a basic concept of the Mac?

Apple is more likely to have an amazing visual concept that all the mac fans love.. but all the pc users don't understand.

They (the pc people) will simply walk away grumbling that they won't buy a mac until they can use it for word and excel.

 

[Doctor Q]

Abysmal marketing gets the entire blame for Macs tiny market share. It's 25 years of poor marketing that's killing them.

No, the Mac advertising doesn't stink, it's merely a) the wrong approach and b) nonexistent. And advertising isn't the same as marketing.

Apple Mac ads are stylish, clever, and say nothing. They don't say what the computer does, they don't say how it is better, they don't say anything except Macs are cool, Apple is cool, Macs will blow your mind, blow you away. This is utterly wrong. Apple already has the cool. The ads should NOT mention the cool. They should talk about functionality, reliability, completeness, ease of use, SECURITY, INTUITIVENESS, COMPATIBILITY, VALUE.

To a businessman, cool=toy, cool=flimsy, cool=style over substance, cool=expensive gloss. These things are fantastic general business tools and no one knows it. They will help you get your WORK DONE.

These things are not toys, they are not artsy-fartsy, they are not overpriced. STOP making ads that say this. Make ads that show people accomplishing things, and I don't mean making a home movie. Making a business document, a resume, moving seamlessly between PC and Mac, doing finances, presentations, doing things people mistakenly think it CAN'T.

Some of the print ads are more on target. Specs. Uses. Comparison. Value. Do some of that on TV for God's sake. Make it look like the thing can really DO something.

And take a tack from recent political campaigns. Marketing should be responsive to errors made in public by others. We have all seen TONS of times when a pundit, an ad, a reviewer says something that is outright factually wrong. CORRECT IT. Get in there and make sure these opinion leaders tell the truth. Let them have any opinions they want, that will eventually take care of itself, but every time a fact is wrong, get in there and correct it, right away. There is nothing wrong with the product, but misconceptions about it are rampant. Fix 'em!

Excellent post and good points.

I don't think watching somebody prepare a business document is going to score many points with business customers unless it shows something better about Macs. One way to do this is to show the easy integration of various applications, drag and drop, Expose, maybe even Dashboard, all being used together by a businessperson.

It would be good to contrast somebody struggling with a Windows system (installing countless patches and doing yet another spyware scan) with a happy Mac user smiling while getting his or her work done efficiently.

Even for consumers (home users), an ad showing somebody taking photos, transferring them to the Mac, and publishing them to the web all in 30 seconds should have more grab than an ad claiming it's the fastest personal computer or giving vague claims about it being easy to use.

 

[jayscheuerle]

Y'know.... A split-screeen ad might work well. Frustrated Windows user on the left, dealing with viruses, kludgy interfaces. Productive Mac user on the right, multitasking away...

 

[rogo]

On a loosely related note, as early as Monday, the 400 millionth song should be sold at the music store. In fact, it should really actually be Monday, or else sales there have slowed to a relative crawl -- i.e. below prior rates.

I note this because this thread is about a stock analyst and I think long term performance of the store is very important to the stock.

So here's rooting for Monday.

 

[0098386]

bloody hell, thats quite good. possibly because the iPod is the single greatest music player on the market? hmmm. but 90%... wow.

 

[le_bigMac]

Beat that iron

Apple advertises in a LOT of places.

They're just a lot more efficient than a lot of you marketing wannabes are. They've targeted specific markets such as high end scientific and general business (ads in BUSINESS WEEK and SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN).

And ads really AREN'T supposed to be "informative"....they're supposed to catch your eye so that folks who want to dig into the information can go get it themselves.

Apple is extremely inefficient in its advertising. If if wants to really reach out to windows users and grow market share, it's going to have to do a lot more than just advertise the way you are saying. They need to go on a massive marketing blitz, using TV, radio, the web, print etc. They need to put all the idiotic misconceptions behind like "Macs don't run MS Office", "Macs crash a lot", "its only for artists and scientists", "it doesn't read windows disks", "they're so expensive"...

At the same time, Apple needs to really show off its hardware- the laptocks rock, the iMac is a great all in one machine, the Mac Mini is a great value that will be more than sufficient for most home or even office users. Let's not forget it's software- iLife in itself is worth buying a Mac for, especially when intended for the mass market. Nothing on Windows comes within a thousand miles of it's sheer simplicity and how well all of its components integrate together.

To do all of this Apple will have to do a lot more than its traditional 'we are the coolest' advertising, with much style and no substance. The closest they've come to do that is their 'switch' campaign, but even that was weak.

Apple has amazing brand recognition right now, a fantastic operating system and so much going for it with its software and hardware, it would be a shame that they don't invest a good chunk of money to get more people on board.

 

[Phobophobia]

Apple is extremely inefficient in its advertising. blah blah blah

Its growing market share, brand value, and record sales would suggest otherwise. There is always room for improvement, but to suggest it as "inefficient" is complete BS. The statistics say otherwise, and I am sure Apple has some ads for Tiger etc. up its sleeve.

 

[Balin64]

While I believe that Apple could have better and more efficient adverstising, I believe that a major media blitz would be premature at this time. I would wait and let Apple's presence grow in the Market. Remember taht most people (at least in the U.S.) are not objective about computers. Most still think that Macs are underpowered, expensive and have no software. The iPod is making strides into this front of ignorance, but it will take more time... 🙁

 

[marmotte]

Play the Intel game:

I remember a TV ad by Intel a couple of years back, where they would show a 3D App with a cool visual effect, maybe a game snapshot, etc. and it would finish with the Intel logo, even though the Intel chip had absolutely nothing to do with those apps, which all existed on the Mac as well, and the Mac PowerPC, could run them just as well and maybe even better, but Intel was able to associate itself in that ad with cool applications. Apple just needs to do something similar. Let's face it,. they are hugely misperceived out there and claiming to be different and just not going to attract average buyers and uneducated buyers.

Intel did that again later with Centrino: they had absolutely nothing new there (and still don't) but for some reason (i.e. huge amount of $$$) they are able to make people perceive them as wireless champions...

Apple can just show what Macs can do (and now they have enough Apps themselves that they barely need to show third-party apps) and dismiss the myths.

I am always floored at how complicated things are on the PC side and just showing users how simple it is to build a DVD on a Mac would score big, if not done in some cheesy way (Apple had an ad like that a few years back and it was horrendous. Remember the first iPod ads, how bad some were?)

Apple has some real killer Apps, such as iChat AV. Put that on TV and every business traveller should notice. But right now they just don't know it exists. PC users have no equivalent that's as easy and intuitive to use.

MM

 

[oskar]

Apple advertises in a LOT of places.

They're just a lot more efficient than a lot of you marketing wannabes are. They've targeted specific markets such as high end scientific and general business (ads in BUSINESS WEEK and SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN).

And ads really AREN'T supposed to be "informative"....they're supposed to catch your eye so that folks who want to dig into the information can go get it themselves.

I've always seen Apple ads in provideo and graphics magazines. From the G4 PowerMacs until now. Mainly it's been only PowerMacs, Final Cut, and the rest of the pro apps.
I think the whole point now is that Apple will be trying to focus more on the consumer level with iMacs, mac Minis, and iBooks. Every pro knows when it's better to use a Mac and it usually depends on what specific app they'll be using. Studio Max, Maya, Shake, Final Cut, it doesdepend... and a lot of pros don't use Windows as the Mac alternative FYI.

It's been a while since I haven't seen a Mac on TV if it's not part of the set on some comedy/drama/whatever.

 

[amac4me]

Apple needs a Major Mac Pitch on Television

Apple needs to get an ad on television ... not just any network and not just any time slot. What they really need to do is pay for a slot in primetime during a major show ... something like NBC during the Apprentice or ER.

Until Apple makes a serious pitch on television, people won't switch. I'd really like to see the marketing department at Apple begin a serious advertising campaign on Television.

 

[le_bigMac]

Its growing market share, brand value, and record sales would suggest otherwise. There is always room for improvement, but to suggest it as "inefficient" is complete BS. The statistics say otherwise, and I am sure Apple has some ads for Tiger etc. up its sleeve.

Apple is efficient in raising the coolness factor, very inefficient in growing market share when it comes to anything other than ipods. But if Apple wants to reach out to Windows users, which it's obviously been trying hard to do, and get more people to buy macs, then their ads and their marketing strategy in general have been lousy. The reality is Apple's overall market share is still a drop in the ocean of the Windows world. Most Windows users haven't a clue as to what Macs can do- if Apple can address that better it might have a fighting chance of really growing their market share beyond the paltry single digit figure it lays claim to now.

 

[Porchland]

I think they definatly need to advertise tiger, because when longhorn (eventually) comes out people might not think Microsoft are so big and clever if they have seen some features in OS X before on TV, like expose and dashboard over a year earlier they are available on windows.

Like how the Start button directly ripped off storing apps "under the Apple." But Start is different because it's in the lower LEFT corner.

Riiiiight.

 

[Porchland]

Apple needs to get an ad on television ... not just any network and not just any time slot. What they really need to do is pay for a slot in primetime during a major show ... something like NBC during the Apprentice or ER.

Until Apple makes a serious pitch on television, people won't switch. I'd really like to see the marketing department at Apple begin a serious advertising campaign on Television.

Which one: Apprentice or ER? The Apple people are waiting!!

 

[amac4me]

Apple in Best Buy

Apple is efficient in raising the coolness factor, very inefficient in growing market share when it comes to anything other than ipods. But if Apple wants to reach out to Windows users, which it's obviously been trying hard to do, and get more people to buy macs, then their ads and their marketing strategy in general have been lousy. The reality is Apple's overall market share is still a drop in the ocean of the Windows world. Most Windows users haven't a clue as to what Macs can do- if Apple can address that better it might have a fighting chance of really growing their market share beyond the paltry single digit figure it lays claim to now.

Ok ... I was happy to see Best Buy carry the Mac mini. Best Buy is a great retail outlet to sell Mac's, much better than Comp USA. People go to Best Buy to purchase so many different things, Comp USA is essentially a store catered to computer users.

If Apple can get reps and demos of Mac's in Best Buy stores, I think they'd be able to convince more people to buy Mac's and you'll see Apple grow their market share.

 

[le_bigMac]

While I believe that Apple could have better and more efficient adverstising, I believe that a major media blitz would be premature at this time. I would wait and let Apple's presence grow in the Market. Remember taht most people (at least in the U.S.) are not objective about computers. Most still think that Macs are underpowered, expensive and have no software. The iPod is making strides into this front of ignorance, but it will take more time... 🙁

Errr... yes, this why it is vital for apple to seize the moment while its brand is ultra-hot to put some of those Mac myths to rest. It is not about people being objective, or drowning people in information. It's more about practical examples, like editing a video in iMovie, importing it into iDVD, grabbing some iTunes songs and burning a dvd, and showing how much work that would take on a pc. There's a reason why people who have used both platforms say they are more productive on Macs, and Apple hasn't been convincing in its advertising to say why that is the case.

 

[woodman]

Video Podcasting

How about a video iPod that you can play your own movies on?

Steve always bitches about content, but how many millions of people have home movies?

As I mentioned in another thread, Video Podcasting could help build market for video iPod. Content deals with studios could come later.

advertise different.

 

[FriarTuck]

Two words: infomercials.

Back in the day, an infomercial sold me my first Mac (a Performa).

For what they spend on primetime 30 second spots, they could buy mass quantities of cable informercials.