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'Think Different' Campaign Creator Suggests Apple Needs to Step up its Advertising Game to Counter Samsung

I've never understood why so many Apple enthusiast get so worked up over the advertising program. They brag about the "great Apple ads" and bash the competition no matter what. This thread is proof positive. A few hundred posts, over ten pages of Apple users arguing.

There's nothing like this going on in Android forums. The overall level of maturity is far higher.
 
maxosx said:
I've never understood why so many Apple enthusiast get so worked up over the advertising program. They brag about the "great Apple ads" and bash the competition no matter what. This thread is proof positive. A few hundred posts, over ten pages of Apple users arguing.

There's nothing like this going on in Android forums. The overall level of maturity is far higher.
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Thats because the typical Apple fanboy falls into two categories:

Religious:

Apple > God > Big Bang (caused by god) > Universe

Non-religious

Apple > Big Bang > Universe
 
2IS said:
And if they weren't attacking, what exactly would you call it? A comparison ad???
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That's exactly what they were... a comparison.

The PC had a problem... and the Mac said it didn't have that problem.

Or the PC said it's hard to do a certain task... and the Mac said it's easier on a Mac.

That was the basis of the entire multi-year ad campaign... telling the differences between Macs and PCs.

I wouldn't call that "attacking" as much as it was highlighting some features Macs have that PCs don't.

There were quite a few commercials talking about the built-in programs like iPhoto and iMovie... and even a commercial about the Magsafe connector.

Again... that's a comparison... not an attack.
 
He is right on 2 aspects:

Lots of ad money spending.
People, aka Social.

Apple recent focuses on the product, product, product.
More People + Product together, and more then just FactTime videos. Samsung showed a collaborative business environment, offering ideas how to get a job done (lost in Zombie Unicorn).


Remeber Apple used Scorsese. So Samsung used Burton.
 
JarScott said:
"Safe technology?" Spend billions on adverts that lie, good one Sammy.
Click to expand...

I'm going to start calling Apple Appy if you keep calling Samsung Sammy.

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Michael Scrip said:
That's exactly what they were... a comparison.

The PC had a problem... and the Mac said it didn't have that problem.

Or the PC said it's hard to do a certain task... and the Mac said it's easier on a Mac.

That was the basis of the entire multi-year ad campaign... telling the differences between Macs and PCs.

I wouldn't call that "attacking" as much as it was highlighting some features Macs have that PCs don't.

There were quite a few commercials talking about the built-in programs like iPhoto and iMovie... and even a commercial about the Magsafe connector.

Again... that's a comparison... not an attack.
Click to expand...

Saying PCs crash and Macs don't is an attack.
 
stuffradio said:
Saying PCs crash and Macs don't is an attack.
Click to expand...

It may not be 100% the truth... but it's not an attack. :)

And not every commercial was like that though.

I'm a Windows user... and I've cleaned hundreds of PCs with spyware. But I've never had to do the same with a Mac.

That was another point the commercials made... no spyware.

And a dozen other comparisons.

There were many commercials talking about software that comes on a Mac that PCs don't... are those attacks too?
 
Michael Scrip said:
That's exactly what they were... a comparison.

The PC had a problem... and the Mac said it didn't have that problem.

Or the PC said it's hard to do a certain task... and the Mac said it's easier on a Mac.

That was the basis of the entire multi-year ad campaign... telling the differences between Macs and PCs.

I wouldn't call that "attacking" as much as it was highlighting some features Macs have that PCs don't.

There were quite a few commercials talking about the built-in programs like iPhoto and iMovie... and even a commercial about the Magsafe connector.

Again... that's a comparison... not an attack.
Click to expand...

They were doing a lot more than simply comparing. So are you the religious or non-religious types I described earlier?
 
2IS said:
They were doing a lot more than simply comparing. So are you the religious or non-religious types I described earlier?
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I'm actually a Windows user... but I know what the commercials were talking about.

Out of the Box — Mac (in a white box) and PC (in a brown box doing some exercises) are discussing what they will do when they are unpacked. Mac says that he can get started right away, but PC is held up by the numerous activities that he must complete before being useful. Mac eventually leaves to get right to work, but PC is forced to wait for parts that are still in other boxes.

Is that really an attack on the PC?

Or just pointing out that the iMac comes out of the box and you can plug it in and go? And there is great software already installed... (and no crapware)

Look... I set up Windows computers for people all the time. And they are a pain in the ass.

I can only imagine what it must be like for a non-techie person.
 
Yes, I am very much in the market for a Samsung phone because I can swap playlists by touching phones with people. This is because I am stupid and cannot figure out how to use Spotify and Facebook.

...

Samsung's ads have made me think about not buying a Samsung TV next time I need one because of how stupid they are. I'm not going to buy an iPhone because my parents own them? Really? I'm the one who pushed them to buy iPhones so I wouldn't have to solve problems on their previous crap phones.

I have learned from my days using Windows. Apple makes things that just work way more often than other products. The times I have tried to figure out how to do something on a friend's Android phone, I felt like it was a knockoff of iOS made just different enough to not get sued. I have no desire in stuff like that without the confidence that it will work in six months. That's why I bought a new iMac two years ago instead of a crappy HP desktop.
 
Michael Scrip said:
I'm actually a Windows user... but I know what the commercials were talking about.

Out of the Box — Mac (in a white box) and PC (in a brown box doing some exercises) are discussing what they will do when they are unpacked. Mac says that he can get started right away, but PC is held up by the numerous activities that he must complete before being useful. Mac eventually leaves to get right to work, but PC is forced to wait for parts that are still in other boxes.

Is that really an attack on the PC?

Or just pointing out that the iMac comes out of the box and you can plug it in and go? And there is great software already installed... (and no crapware)

Look... I set up Windows computers for people all the time. And they are a pain in the ass.

I can only imagine what it must be like for a non-techie person.
Click to expand...

They were certainly comparisons made, and there were certainly attacks made too.

Crapware often times has an inverse proportion to the money you spend. Get a cheap retail computer, tons of crapware. Customize a workstation from HP, and there's none.
 
2IS said:
They were certainly comparisons made, and there were certainly attacks made too.

Crapware often times has an inverse proportion to the money you spend. Get a cheap retail computer, tons of crapware. Customize a workstation from HP, and there's none.
Click to expand...

Yeah... we don't need to go through over 100 "Get a Mac" ads to see which ones are evil... I watched a ton of them tonight and the majority of them are light-hearted (in my opinion)

Crapware needs to die in a fire, though. Turn on a brand new laptop from Best Buy and there is enough junk running to make the fans spin on high.

I don't care that it was only $499 :)

It's a shame that those are the ones people buy. But at least people pay me to take all that crapware off!
 
Michael Scrip said:
Revisionist history?

"I am a PC... I get computer viruses..."

"I am a Mac... I can organize your digital photos with iPhoto..."

In other words... the ads said "I am a computer..."

What exactly is the confusion? :D

As for attack ads... they're usually done by the underdog. The Mac was in 2nd place against the Windows PC. The "Get a Mac" campaign was an attempt to get people to try the Mac.

But Samsung is already the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world. Why are they attacking anyone?
Click to expand...

Right, but who makes PCs and Macs? Who is a fan of PCs or Macs? That's the implication. It worked both ways. Macs looked cool, so Justin Long looked cool, and vice versa. But they're avatars for their users. PC fans don't care so much about their looks or don't know how to dress themselves (that was the campaign's message) while Mac fans are hip, young, and have cute Asian girlfriends.

Again, I liked the ads but I'm not fooling myself into thinking they weren't attack ads. I think attack ads, used sparingly, can have their place.
 
No kidding....

That *would* be a "Think Different", as up until now its just "not thinking at all"
 
HenryDJP said:
Mountain Lion is not a "nasty mess". You probably don't even use it. :rolleyes:
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I've used it since it came out, approximately 14 hours per day. :rolleyes:

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spazzcat said:
Please show me where Apple is in a decline. They had a recorded breaking quarter just last quarter...
Click to expand...

I'm not talking about sales. Their product lines sales as a whole are doing awesome, but their desktop and laptop lines have been pretty shoddy, particularly from the standpoint of bugfixes. Their ability to release quality products has been compromised. Laggy rMBPs that had their battery life cut to 3 hours with Mountain Lion that took them 2 months to fix? And now it's been over four months since bugfixes for Safari, non-responsive keyboard / mouse, reseting desktop backgrounds? Non-retina iPad mini when the much smaller iPhone is retina? Oooh, the iWatch coming soon! Thin, non-upgradable iMacs and Macbook lines.... so exciting!!! :apple: :apple: :apple:
 
I actually thought the Samsung ads were pretty smart. Alienating fiercly loyal Apple customers is fine, they won't buy from Samsung anyway. But they push some negative stereotypes and convince their customers that if they want to 'break the mold' they need a Samsung.

However, the products are still poor, a stylus for your tablet isn't a feature it's a failure, and in the end I tend to prefer Apple. But that's alright, I don't tend to base purchases on Ads anyway!

I personally prefer product centric ads. I want to see the product, not unicorns. But, much like political ads, you rarely ever see what's advertised anymore; just 30 seconds of what's wrong with the competition.

The thing that's been annoying me lately is the not-so-subtle product placement. It's not just enough that the main character drives a Ford Taurus, but he has to spend 2 or 3 minutes every episode showing it off to other characters and detailing it's features while a camera pans in close. It's so gaudy! But that's the way it's going I guess.

-John
 
Counter?
No need to counter, a thoughtful campaign will trump anything.

This dude just wants his name out there.

I buy apple products because they don't need any advertising....

Samsung does, for refrigerators ...
 
Hulk Bash...

Jeaz said:
Apples ads have gone bland, indeed. But if that Samsung ad is the best they've got, I think both of them have issues.

I mean, I love Tim Burton. But that ad was nothing. It wasn't funny, it wasn't provocative, it wasn't even selling the product. Just bad.


But I do find it funny when Apple fans bash Samsung for talking down competitors, when that was what Apple was doing in all those I'm a PC-ads, that all seem to love.
Click to expand...

I think there is a difference between bashing your competition and pointing out real differences. Yes the I'm a Mac and I'm a PC ads poked fun at Windows - but not undeservedly so - and did so in a positive and humorous way - not putting down a user because they chose or were forced to use Windows - but rather to highlight the fact that there is a difference and there is a choice. That is very different than saying ha ha, losers, you're standing in line and we're not (which to me would be more accurate if they were really saying ha ha losers, you're standing in line for the most highly coveted items while we walked right into the competitors shop were they practically have to give their stuff away to get anyone interested).

And if you watch all the Mac vs PC ads you may see that the PC is nothing if not determined and resourceful but in the end the Mac user is much more pleasant and helpful.

And sure I may be biased - but I have used and supported users of both Mac and Windows and other operating systems for over 30 years - so any bias that I have is the result of real world experience rather than preconceived notions or media driven conditioning.
 
Samsung's campaign

If you can't say anything good about yourself, try to say something bad about your competitors. It just reminds me of politics.

Samsung - why innovate when you can copy and then make fun of the creator for the idea?
 
el-John-o said:
I actually thought the Samsung ads were pretty smart. Alienating fiercly loyal Apple customers is fine, they won't buy from Samsung anyway. But they push some negative stereotypes and convince their customers that if they want to 'break the mold' they need a Samsung.

However, the products are still poor, a stylus for your tablet isn't a feature it's a failure, and in the end I tend to prefer Apple. But that's alright, I don't tend to base purchases on Ads anyway!

I personally prefer product centric ads. I want to see the product, not unicorns. But, much like political ads, you rarely ever see what's advertised anymore; just 30 seconds of what's wrong with the competition.

The thing that's been annoying me lately is the not-so-subtle product placement. It's not just enough that the main character drives a Ford Taurus, but he has to spend 2 or 3 minutes every episode showing it off to other characters and detailing it's features while a camera pans in close. It's so gaudy! But that's the way it's going I guess.

-John
Click to expand...

Only to You and Steve..

Builddesign said:
Counter?
No need to counter, a thoughtful campaign will trump anything.

This dude just wants his name out there.

I buy apple products because they don't need any advertising....

Samsung does, for refrigerators ...
Click to expand...

The dudes name is out there he needn't inject it.
 
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