Apple's 'Get a Mac' Commercials Discontinued?

[Kranchammer]

I agree that there is a segment of the population that were turned off by these ads.
They were funny and clever, yeah, but a large segment of people who knew Windows computers (but weren't MS fanboys) were repulsed by the smugness and falsity displayed in them and might have actually converted to Macs otherwise.
I did, eventually, because I used the things at work and the beauty of the hardware and useful simplicity of Mac Os X coupled with the power of Darwin overcame my distaste for the Apple attitude.
I hope the next run does not include the quota of massive smugness.

 

[NebulaClash]

It's called "living in denial." Which a lot of haters on MR happen to be "expert" at. At the core of this state of mind is envy and frustration. Frustration that Apple doesn't give them what they think they're entitled to, like a do-it-yourself Windows box they can hack to run OS X legally so they can play WoW and Crysis and show off to their friend in the basement next door.

It always warms my heart to see Apple prove them wrong time and time again.

That certainly explains some of the haters, but I think there is another group that is visible across the Web that runs Apple down every chance they get. Set up directly by Microsoft, or set up through a series of groups, I don't know. But they are consistent in their misinformation that always tries to make Apple look bad, so I suspect it's their task (if not their job) to roam the Web and spread their lies.

 

[NebulaClash]

I agree that there is a segment of the population that were turned off by these ads.
They were funny and clever, yeah, but a large segment of people who knew Windows computers (but weren't MS fanboys) were repulsed by the smugness and falsity displayed in them and might have actually converted to Macs otherwise.
I did, eventually, because I used the things at work and the beauty of the hardware and useful simplicity of Mac Os X coupled with the power of Darwin overcame my distaste for the Apple attitude.
I hope the next run does not include the quota of massive smugness.

You do realize that all advertising, on its most basic level, is designed to make you think that if you choose a product from Vendor A you are smart and likable, but if you choose from Vendor B you are an idiot and a loser? What you describe as smug, the market described as genius and award-winning.

Anyone who would reject Apple on the basis of those ads (and note, that did not include you) is someone who was prejudiced against them. I never found anyone that though they were smug. They all thought they were hilarious, that the PC guy was endearing in his loserness, and the ads were simple but clever ways of showing the differences.

If the ads were really turning people off from Apple, they would have been discontinued. That they went on for years tells you that your views were not the dominant views.

 

[*LTD*]

That certainly explains some of the haters, but I think there is another group that is visible across the Web that runs Apple down every chance they get. Set up directly by Microsoft, or set up through a series of groups, I don't know. But they are consistent in their misinformation that always tries to make Apple look bad, so I suspect it's their task (if not their job) to roam the Web and spread their lies.

MS needs to shill, and shill hard. No joke.

Apple has stolen the limelight from MS for years now, has been the one creating all the buzz and excitement, has been crowned the tech innovator by the industry, has been the Apple of the consumer's eye for years now, and has made MS look like an old man easing into a bathtub: slow and sloppy. MS can't create excitement to save their lives, while a mere announcement from Apple is enough to kill competitors' products in the womb.

You can bet MS sends out their taskforce of "Brand Perception Officers" overtly or covertly to do damage control.

If I was as wonky and flat-footed as MS, it's certainly what I would do.

 

[ecapdeville]

Maybe they owe us a goodbye spot...

Nice and functional "going to remember for years" aid campaign.

And it is ok to finish it, time to come with new ideas.

They were so good that here in mexico, many commercials were a copy of that campaign (even the music!)

Is there a way to copy all the spots? they deserve a place in the world´s aid campaign history.

 

[kirky29]

Well, it's good to end on a high, but sad also, I loved those commercials. Funny and right to the point. Apple.

Nice to see something 'new' and innovative from Apple though.

 

[Fast Shadow]

Good. So much of the information in those commercials was wrong that it was embarrassing.

 

[LOLaMac]

At the pwn2own contest Windows 7's defenses were bypassed completely. Now factor in the several hundred thousand Windows viruses out there, and you't got the same sticky situation you've always had with Windows.

Ummm, I don't think the Mac fared any better in that contest. In fact, wasn't it the first to be cracked, in a matter of seconds?

 

[guzhogi]

While they were cute, I'm happy to see them go. Not only were they getting old, but they made Mac users look like smug jackasses. For most of the commercials, instead of showing the positives of using Macs, they bashed Windows. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of mudslinging. I get more than enough as it is with politics.

Discontinued....just like the Mac itself?

Looks like it

The future of Apple is in devices that are dumbed down to the lowest common denominator...Idiot consumption devices that stifle creativity.

Make something idiot-proof, and someone will make a better idiot…

 

[NebulaClash]

Ummm, I don't think the Mac fared any better in that contest. In fact, wasn't it the first to be cracked, in a matter of seconds?

No, it took weeks to set it up, and then the crack happened in a matter of seconds. It wasn't a practical break, and there are still no viruses in the wild for Macs.

 

[Kranchammer]

You do realize that all advertising, on its most basic level, is designed to make you think that if you choose a product from Vendor A you are smart and likable, but if you choose from Vendor B you are an idiot and a loser? What you describe as smug, the market described as genius and award-winning.

Anyone who would reject Apple on the basis of those ads (and note, that did not include you) is someone who was prejudiced against them. I never found anyone that though they were smug. They all thought they were hilarious, that the PC guy was endearing in his loserness, and the ads were simple but clever ways of showing the differences.

If the ads were really turning people off from Apple, they would have been discontinued. That they went on for years tells you that your views were not the dominant views.

I agree, the ads effectively targeted people who were otherwise ignorant of Windows PCs: I never said the ads were ineffective.
However, consider this: which is better: getting only people ignorant of Windows PCs, or confused by them, to buy Macs or getting those people AND the fence-sitters (for lack of a better term) to buy Macs?

And as far as letting the ads influencing people's decisions. People like me, when I used Linux and Windows-based PCs exclusively, saw these ads, and saw that same false smugness reflected in forums like this with people chanting "Windows? Blue screen of death! viruses! Bill Gates is the devil! derp derp!".
All I am saying that ads should do what you say: make Mac buyers feel superior, but without disgusting people who can see the value in both platforms.

 

[jragosta]

This is right - I think those ads were always more popular with people who have macs than with people who didn't. Unfortunately, you don't really need ads that appeal to people who are already buying your product.

I think for most people, John came off as being more likeable than Justin, which is not really ideal. Also, the caricature of windows that they kept pushing was not a reality for most MS users, so it didn't really encourage them to change OS's. I think the tiny increase in mac users during the vista era demonstrates Apple's failure in this area. (I think that the marketshare increases that macs did enjoy came about from people's exposure to ipods, etc.)

What apple needs is an ad campaign that focuses on why OSX is *good*, not why Windows is *bad*. This is the traditional way that ads work - car ads, for example, are all about how great the car in the ad is; they don't devote half of the ad to talking about other brands.

You're way off base. Advertising doesn't work that way. Few of the really great ads mention the competition at all. Look at the Mastercard 'Priceless' ads. Anything from McDonald's. Doritos ads. And so on. Side-by-side comparisons have extremely limited value even in print advertising. On TV, they're nearly useless.

The fact is that lots of people DID switch over the years the ads were running. That isn't proof that the ads caused it, but one can almost never attribute marketing success to a specific ad. Rather, the ad campaign is part of an entire media strategy and contributes to the overall success. Apple's media strategy for their products over the past 5 years has been phenomenal. Part of that includes making their products look hip. These ads did that. Whether some 50 year old who makes a career out of complaining about Apple products on MacRumors liked it is irrelevant. The target audience loved the ads.

I'll be sorry to see them go.

Discontinued....just like the Mac itself?

The future of Apple is in devices that are dumbed down to the lowest common denominator...Idiot consumption devices that stifle creativity.

Right. We should all be using pencils and paper. Or is that stone tablets? And cameras should be banned. Everyone should be using brushes and paint. Or chalk and cave walls. Cars? Newfangled nonsense. Feet are good enough for anyone. Books? Don't go there- people should make up their own stories instead of simply reading someone else's.

Apple devices don't stifle creativity any more than cameras, books, or schools do. To a large degree, Apple's history has probably been a net POSITIVE for innovation. They've made it easier for the world to access the world's information in a usable form rather than limiting knowledge to a small number of geeks.

I agree that there is a segment of the population that were turned off by these ads.
They were funny and clever, yeah, but a large segment of people who knew Windows computers (but weren't MS fanboys) were repulsed by the smugness and falsity displayed in them and might have actually converted to Macs otherwise.
I did, eventually, because I used the things at work and the beauty of the hardware and useful simplicity of Mac Os X coupled with the power of Darwin overcame my distaste for the Apple attitude.
I hope the next run does not include the quota of massive smugness.

A large segment of the population were repulsed by the ads? Then why is it that they were rated right at the top for advertising for several years? Why is it that Apple's results continued to grow? And why is it that Apple (one of the most astute marketing companies on the planet) continued to use them if they were repulsing potential customers?

And why is that you think anyone should take you seriously when all you can do is make up unfounded accusations that clearly have no bearing on reality?

 

[RebootD]

It's not about hating, it's about being numb to them after four years. They started off clever filled with valid reasons to choose a Mac vs Windows box but ended up with boring generalizations and tired humor.

Thanks for the memories but it was time to let go.

 

[*LTD*]

Ummm, I don't think the Mac fared any better in that contest. In fact, wasn't it the first to be cracked, in a matter of seconds?

All the malware out there is for Windows.

And as long as Windows 7 keeps selling oh-so-well like Wintrolls love to remind us, this situation will continue.

 

[LOLaMac]

No, it took weeks to set it up, and then the crack happened in a matter of seconds. It wasn't a practical break, and there are still no viruses in the wild for Macs.

Ahhh, gotcha. So you are saying the Mac exploit was meticulously planned for weeks in advance, while Charlie Miller and co. just showed up on show day, with no prior planning, and hacked into a Windows machine just like that? Is that about right?

 

[TeeJayEm]

+1




They were a key component in Apple's strategy that helped them sell record numbers of Macs (especially in a recession) and outpace the rest of the industry several years running. Not only were the ads so effective, they also earned several awards during their run.

You can hate them if you like, it'll just be a statement about your tastes. But ignoring their effectiveness is sheer folly.

I would like to see an article stating this. Last i read they were slipping. Also in fall didn't windows 7 sell more copies than snow leopard in the first month?

 

[skn]

Further proof that Apple is abandoning the Mac market

Spoiler

Just Kidding

You are not completely wrong... It's clear that Apple's main focus is no longer the Mac... Computers now is only a small part of their business...

 

[keypox]

Ahh this sucks.

Despite the commercials being blatant lies and false advertising. They are still super funny, and sell plenty of macs to morons lol. Probably my favorite set of commercials.

 

[Kranchammer]

...snip ...


A large segment of the population were repulsed by the ads? Then why is it that they were rated right at the top for advertising for several years? Why is it that Apple's results continued to grow? And why is it that Apple (one of the most astute marketing companies on the planet) continued to use them if they were repulsing potential customers?

And why is that you think anyone should take you seriously when all you can do is make up unfounded accusations that clearly have no bearing on reality?

Number one: I DID use the word large. Shouldn't have.
Number two: I don't give a damn if anybody takes me seriously,especially you.
Number three: This segment exists, because I and several of my friend held precisely that attitude about them. Therefore, even if that attitude did NOT extend beyond my friends and me, which I doubt, the segment exists. Unless I am lying about my friend's and my feelings (why would I?), I am not making anything up.
Number four: You have a lousy, defensive attitude.

 

[Wolfpup]

I guess three years is a good run, but it's too bad. They weren't remotely factually accurate, but they were some of the most fun commercials ever made IMO.

 

[JGowan]

I'm betting the actors are going to miss the money. National commercials all the time... wow... the money must've been incredible.

 

[MH01]

The same message holds true: There are an astronomical number of Windows viruses. And the only OS susceptible to them is . . . Windows. That hasn't changed.

First of all, astronomical does not mean what you think it does, and viruses are the least of your problems when it comes to security (less then 4% of security exploits these days are through viruses).

 

[keypox]

I would like to see an article stating this. Last i read they were slipping. Also in fall didn't windows 7 sell more copies than snow leopard in the first month?

Of course 7 sold more than snow. It (7) is the fastest selling OS of all time.

 

[TennisandMusic]

All the malware out there is for Windows.

And as long as Windows 7 keeps selling oh-so-well like Wintrolls love to remind us, this situation will continue.

Which is why Snow Leopard has malware protection built in.

 

[aaronsullivan]

I'll miss them, but the time has passed for those ads. It's time to link the iPhone and iPad experience back to the MacBooks and iMacs. Sell the whole Apple ecosystem and lifestyle. No reason to advertise Mac Pros on TV because it's so niche now, but they could throw one in, here and there.

It's hard to imagine ads as entertaining as these, however.

Speaking of ads, I'm already getting tired of that iPad ad and I own one. It needs a couple alternates that have less shrill music.

So, all of you saying that the commercials were full of false information and stuff that wasn't factual. Want to name a few? I remember some of the ads were somewhat misleading and below the belt, but I also remember them being very careful about their wording.