Just because nobody wants to listen to a joke doesn't lessen the quality of the joke itself. So...anyway.
If nobody wants listen to the joke (pay attention to an ad), what's the point of telling it (why bother producing it)? People will just be trained to ignore you the next time you open your mouth (make an ad).
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.
Really? You've seen
every "man on the street" ad ever produced? That's sad. And if true, your life is more pathetic than mine.
But promoting a product is not unique to this type of age-old execution. ("Step right up and try
O'Brien's Snake Oil Elixir ! It cures bad breath, cancer, impotence, and it makes you better at gunslinging. Care for a demonstration? Step right up.")
Also, promoting a product's or service's benefits is the goal of most ads, no matter what the style -- man on the street, testimonial, parody, music video, fart joke, etc. It is not exclusive to "man on the street." It just so happens that Apple chose this execution for this campaign. And I think they could have done something much better.
For example,
look at the new AT&T ads produced by Wes Anderson. They use actors extolling the virtues of the ATT network. They are well-written, well-casted, well-directed, and uses captivating backgrounds to make the ads more powerful. It's an incredibly strong concept that sells ATT from start to finish while keeping the viewer's attention. The new Apple iPhone spots do none of this. They make me change the channel or go take a whiz.
Not every commercial is meant to strengthen a brand. There are many times other more significant objectives.
Every ad Apple makes and airs during prime time or runs in national magazines is made to strengthen its brand. The Apple brand is one of the strongest brands in the world because they have always done this so well. And whether it's Apple or Jerry's Squirrel & Mole Control, strengthening the brand is ALWAYS the most important marketing objective when you are trying to grow a business. Everything else is built on the brand's foundation. This is Marketing 101.
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?
Apple doesn't need to appear so desperate by producing such common commercials; The company is already extremely successful. My gosh, you could stick an LG or Motorola logo in place of Apple's on the end of these ads and I'd believe it.
When you water down your image, you commoditize yourself, and risk being perceived as no different from any other business in your sector. This would be disastrous for Apple, a company built on the mantra "Think Different."
And assuming it is Apple's objective in these ads to cast a wider net, I don't believe these ads will do well. Apple's already done a great job growing market share with past game plans. Why are they suddenly straying from their bread and butter and doing ads that are so un-Apple?
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.
That's interesting logic: "We don't like the ads. Therefore, other people will."
Where did you get that nugget of wisdom? Plato? Socrates? Jim J Bullock?
I don't mean to hurt feelings or anything...
