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Qualcomm Enlists 'I'm a Mac' Ad Star for Snapdragon PC Skit

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Justin Long, the face of Apple's iconic "I'm a Mac" commercials, now stars in a short Qualcomm skit promoting Snapdragon-powered PCs.


At the Computex 2024 keynote, Qualcomm unveiled the new skit featuring Long, who is well-known for his role in Apple's "Get a Mac" commercials nearly two decades ago. Long is depicted as being overwhelmed by a barrage of notifications about app compatibility, low disk space, and battery issues in macOS, prompting him to search for an alternative in the form of a Windows on ARM PC. The ad concludes with Long stating, "Things change," a sentiment echoed by Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon during the event's closing remarks. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips debut in new Copilot Plus PCs on June 18.

Long's participation in the skit is the latest development in a series of marketing strategies where tech companies use his association with the "I'm a Mac" persona to promote their products. The trend began in 2017 when Huawei featured Long in an ad for its Mate 9 smartphone. In 2021, Intel also employed Long to create commercials that praised PCs and mocked various aspects of Apple's M1 MacBooks, including the Touch Bar and its limited color options.

Apple launched the original "Get a Mac" ad campaign in 2006. Long played a personified Mac, characterized as easygoing and efficient, while John Hodgman portrayed a PC, depicted as conformist and prone to problems like viruses and system crashes. The ads ran for three years and consisted of 66 different commercials, although Long revealed in 2019 that approximately 300 were filmed.

Article Link: Qualcomm Enlists 'I'm a Mac' Ad Star for Snapdragon PC Skit
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/03/im-a-mac-snapdragon-pc-skit/
I always wondered but never cared enough to Google if the Ad made him somewhat famous (around that time) or if he was picked for that Ad BECAUSE he was already famous (again, somewhat around the time)
 
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contacos said:
I always wondered but never cared enough to Google if the Ad made him somewhat famous (around that time) or if he was picked for that Ad BECAUSE he was already famous (again, somewhat around the time)
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He was already somewhat famous. The ad made him more famous for a bit, and then they stopped when they became less effective.
 
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That companies like Qualcomm, Samsung and others use Apple related themes and copy certain aspects of Apple advertising is a testament to Apple’s influence on and dominance of the public’s mindset. I distinctly remember when the Bondi Blue iMac was released. Within months you were seeing the same industrial design in all manner of products from blenders to electronics. Apple has been the one to beat for a long time now.
 
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I would think that these computers are mainly competing with current X86 users upgrading their laptops, they usually not thinking of a mac, but they will definitely wonder if their software will run well on the arm.
 
attohs said:
He’s been a PC since 2021 https://www.pcmag.com/news/no-longer-a-mac-justin-long-ditches-apple-for-windows-pcs-in-new-intel
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Even in this article’s title there is a slap at Apple, and from pcmag of course. Justin Long “ditches” Apple for Windows. The intended message by using that term is that Long was dissatisfied with Apple and went with the superior product Windows. Why else would the author use the term “ditches”? Yet another confirmation that Apple is constantly on the minds of its competitors, that Apple is the one to focus on.
 
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atomwork said:
That's sad that he switched camp. He was an icon figure back in the good days for Apple.
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Yes, the good days of Apple are in the past. The absolute best days of Apple are now in the present. Fantastic products and stellar customer service. Can you take your Samsung phone to a Samsung store and speak directly with a Samsung employee about your device?
 
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Hmm. Around the time of those ads Microsoft were coming out of the Vista debacle IIRC.
Windows, Linux and X86/X64 are in a much better place in general now & both hardware and software stay out of people’s way. I’d be doubtful whether any similar marketing ploy will make a splash atal atal.
 
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