Those ads are the natural progression from the more basic informative ones. I think they are effective, in the surface very simple and follow a well tested method. They also have a twist of humor which helps them and takes them beyond other similar campaigns.
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Apple Posts Three New iPhone Ads
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Terrible, cheesy and do not show originality of iPhone
These are embarassing. There is nothing original about the features they highlight as any phoned from the last 5 to 6 years has the ability to achieve what these models were doing. Who uses voicemail anymore anyway? If they want to show off a revolutionary and useful feature, how about the way emails are erased by simply dragging them to the side or show Grandma using multitouch to browse and pinch zoom a series of photos of her grand kids? These ads will put off the UK buyers too who have a disdain for cheese. A total contrast to the fantastic introductory and 'how to' videos on the Apple website.
These are embarassing. There is nothing original about the features they highlight as any phoned from the last 5 to 6 years has the ability to achieve what these models were doing. Who uses voicemail anymore anyway? If they want to show off a revolutionary and useful feature, how about the way emails are erased by simply dragging them to the side or show Grandma using multitouch to browse and pinch zoom a series of photos of her grand kids? These ads will put off the UK buyers too who have a disdain for cheese. A total contrast to the fantastic introductory and 'how to' videos on the Apple website.
Yeah I noticed that, does apple think women can't use the iPhone?!
Good ads, it's nice to see some really raw basic adverts from apple but all the same, be nice if there was something about leopard....
Great Idea. Poorly Executed...
'Everyman' marketing works really well - telling consumers real stories works.
It gives them sense of attachment and makes them feel 'wanted' and part of something.
The ads work on that level - but don't go far enough in telling more interesting stories. The one that works best is 'Stephano' - he actually has the most real story to tell - the other two ads are about features, that we then don't get to actually see. There is no pay-off from them at the end.
I can imagine, as with other Apple adverts, we'll see more released over time that will tick more boxes - and tell more stories.
Now if Apple could just nail down some OS X adverts...
'Everyman' marketing works really well - telling consumers real stories works.
It gives them sense of attachment and makes them feel 'wanted' and part of something.
The ads work on that level - but don't go far enough in telling more interesting stories. The one that works best is 'Stephano' - he actually has the most real story to tell - the other two ads are about features, that we then don't get to actually see. There is no pay-off from them at the end.
I can imagine, as with other Apple adverts, we'll see more released over time that will tick more boxes - and tell more stories.
Now if Apple could just nail down some OS X adverts...
Sorry but those ads just won't sell the iPhone.
We need more catchy ads like the iPod Nano (1-2-3-4------).
We need more catchy ads like the iPod Nano (1-2-3-4------).
don't agree...... what the iPhone suffers from now is that some potential buyers may see it as a gimmick. A good looking blonde with no brains .. ie the touch interface looks way cool but really I just want to make calls and that gesturing looks complicated........ well.... bring in the human element and talk how the device really is a practical piece of machinery..... Im sure this is a multi-strategy marketing campaign . They are positioning it to the post 25s next up iPhone Nano for the kiddies and teens
nice commercials
Guys,
These are actually very well done. The ad agency, not Apple mind you, took a hackneyed concept, "Man on the Street", and made it Apple's version. It was brilliant the way they set it up. How? Wel,we're all used to black backgrounds on Apple commercials, right? Well they did that with the payoff being the last shot revealing where they were... just a typical location with a guy who just walked off th street to give his testimony. Boring concept, executed perfectly.
To see the difference between Apple's ads and everyone else, witeness the current "man on the street" ads from one of the other phone companies. There's one to do with a guy running around asking people what they would spend the $300 they would save a year (another crap concept) on. Some answer are "oh yeah, MP3 player" and "salsa lessons". LOL It's laughable how terrible they are. Now go look at these new Apple ads again and you'll come to see how brilliant they are.
These new ads are set up like a great joke... a one-two punch with the payoff at the end. While I only find the first one amusing, they do the job they are intended for and they do it well.
Quit bitching because they don't make you rofl or have some emo punk crying about not being able to hack it for some suck 3rd-party apps. Good grief.
Besides, there ARE going to be some great spoof of these. Yet another way they are perfect and successful. Sorry haters.
Guys,
These are actually very well done. The ad agency, not Apple mind you, took a hackneyed concept, "Man on the Street", and made it Apple's version. It was brilliant the way they set it up. How? Wel,we're all used to black backgrounds on Apple commercials, right? Well they did that with the payoff being the last shot revealing where they were... just a typical location with a guy who just walked off th street to give his testimony. Boring concept, executed perfectly.
To see the difference between Apple's ads and everyone else, witeness the current "man on the street" ads from one of the other phone companies. There's one to do with a guy running around asking people what they would spend the $300 they would save a year (another crap concept) on. Some answer are "oh yeah, MP3 player" and "salsa lessons". LOL It's laughable how terrible they are. Now go look at these new Apple ads again and you'll come to see how brilliant they are.
These new ads are set up like a great joke... a one-two punch with the payoff at the end. While I only find the first one amusing, they do the job they are intended for and they do it well.
Quit bitching because they don't make you rofl or have some emo punk crying about not being able to hack it for some suck 3rd-party apps. Good grief.
Besides, there ARE going to be some great spoof of these. Yet another way they are perfect and successful. Sorry haters.
What's disappointing about it? Or do you feel that Apple should display their "gender-equality" through superficial things like the actors in their ads?
Agreed. Also the ads are not aimed at those on this forum. They are aimed at those who know little or nothing about the iPhone. ie not those who spend 6 hours a day on internet forums but those who actually need the internet quickly to get a vital piece of information.....
That's because our cancers are colons, prostates and testicles. No one wants to wear a ribbon about that! LOL. Ick
p.s. these are only the first three... I'm sure there will be a whole series of ads... and of course there will be women.
They were definitely shot in a studio. The "sun" is coming from exactly the same angle and direction in all three spots. Some people said the lighting was "bad" and "too harsh"... but obviously... they were trying to make it look like they were standing in bright sunshine. And in the Stephano spot... he's supposedly standing right beside a building to his right. So unless the sun can shine through a brick wall... these were shot in a studio.
I think it may have been cooler if they were actually shot on the street... with some street noise... wind ruffling the backdrop... etc. But then it would have ruined the "reveal" at the end. I get the concept... make it look like they are in a studio but then it turns out they are just a "man on the street"... but it doesn't "read well"... as they say in the ad biz... and it doesn't have much punch. I'd forget the reveal and just do actual "man on the street" spots... maybe. As with anything... a LOT of it is in the execution. I think the execution was lacking.
As for the ads themselves... I think the acting / casting is not so great. Again... not well executed. Doug is kinda funny... but the kid seems really fake / stiff / trying too hard / overacting.
Oh... and one last point... Stephano said his other phone was for "texting and emails and stuff"... so he's talking about a Blackberry.
I get that... but I don't think the reveal / payoff at the end has much punch / power. It's a neat idea... a way to do a 'man on the street' ad that's classy... not cheesy... but I'm like 'oh... ok... they were supposedly on a street' (NOT)... whatever.
-- "Boring concept, executed perfectly."
I can see the ad presentation now:
Ad agency creative director, "Here's the concept: A turd with a
black background and your logo."
Apple marketing guy, "Brilliant!"
-- "These new ads are set up like a great joke."
It's not a great joke if nobody wants to listen. And even you admit that you only find the first one amusing.
-- "They are perfect and successful."
Successful? These ads are only successful if they significantly contribute to iPhone sales and strengthen the Apple brand. Judging by the replies on this thread, I'd say they are a flop. if Apple has resorted to watering down their ads & image in order to appeal to more people, they are in big trouble and risk becoming as bland a brand as my local bank - or even worse, Microsoft - while alienating there core customer base.
I am a MacRumors forum geek, iPhone owner, and at some level a (not completely apologetic) Apple fanboy. My wife is an ordinary person who does appreciate the elegance of being in a Mac family and tolerates my strange religion with an amused eye-roll attitude.
When we saw the Stefano ad last night during "Family Guy" she said "That was a terrible ad" and my gut feeling was the same...since on TV the AT&T logo was revealed first and for a bit longer, I immediately defended my Applehood telling her "Must have been an AT&T ad trying to capture the Apple feel" but then I wasn't so sure...
I will say this, somehow, boring as it was, the ad caught our attention and we both watched it through kind of like "What is this...?"
"One of the greatest advancements in the history of mankind"
Ummm....no it isn't, not even close
Ummm....no it isn't, not even close
I agree. Cheesecake is... by far... the greatest advancement of mankind! Preferably with cherry's on top. And like visual voicemail... you can also eat it in a non-linear fashion.
+1 for oversimplification. They probably had 10 mock-ups ready to go and showed 3 and even then I'm sure the ad guys hate to present to Apple ecause there is no playing fast and loose with that brand.
Just because nobody wants to listen to a joke doesn't lessen the quality of the joke itself. So...anyway.
Also, yes I only found the first one amusing. That's the only one I believe that was even meant to try and get chuckles. But just because one of the three was humorous means nothing. Man on the street concepts are meant to inform customers of a product's features and benefits, and how an average person can take advantage of those qualities. That's the premise of every man on the street commercial. They're not meant to be humorous, just happens the one is, slightly.
Not every commercial is meant to strengthen a brand. There are many times other more significant objectives. Your last sentence makes zero sense... they are "watering down their ads & image in order to appeal to more people, they are in big trouble and risk" what? Becoming successful? Gaining marketshare? Becoming top-of-mind in a demographic previously unattainable? Simply appealing to more people, as you put it? I think that's the name of the game, yes?
I'm actually shocked that Apple actually greenlighted such a concept. It shows they are interested in appealing to normal everyday people and how the iPhone can enhance their normal, everyday lives. They're not meant for MacRumors forum junkies so quit acting like they're supposed to appeal to you too. And becasue you're not the target demographic in this case, the bitching and moaning and negative votes even further reinforces my assertion that these commercials are/will be successful.
While I agree that these ads are a bore what's the deal with your bizarre visual voicemail comment? Ummm, everyone uses voicemail. Who quit using voicemail? That's the oddest thing I've ever heard. Email and texting are great for sending data, but one of the worst types of communication for conveying feeling, meaning, emphasis. They are not good for important business communication. In person, or at least the spoken word are much better for conveying context.
AND, visual voicemail is really the only revolutionary thing on the iphone. The only thing nobody else can do yet. So obviously they should show that off at some point. And they do demonstrate it on camera decently.
If I were apple I wouldn't touch deleting emails. The next thing you know a competitor will point out how it takes 2 motions to delete one email and how with 2 or 3 motions or clicks they can delete multiple emails. Then they'd probably show how to search email, which apple can't even do. Yeah, Apple should pretty much stay away from their email tech except for how nice it is to look at and scroll through.