I’ve said before that I think Apple’s “Mac vs. PC” ads don’t sell Macs. If you own a Mac, they make you laugh. If you don’t, they’re still pretty funny. If you own a PC and you’re angered or embarrassed, you weren’t going to switch to Mac anyway, I suppose.
However, I have to say that Apple certainly seems to be leading the discussion. Their competitors can’t come up with anything genuinely funny themselves, so all they do is respond to Mac. Like the laptop shoppers who decided that Macs were too expensive and bought a PC. Like Verizon, whose new catch phrase is, “There’s a map for that.” Which apes Apple’s iPhone commercials.
There’s a lot to be said for having a position in marketing that is so good and well known that all your competitors can come back with is, “Oh yeah?”
I have to say something about Windows 7 here: Those new ads that say the consumers are designing the software? That explains a lot.
November 2, 2009 at 7:16 am |
I’m sure the Mac vs. PC ads are like political ads in that they’re not aimed squarely at the people who are 100% sure what they’re going to buy but are instead targeting the “undecided voter.” Gosh, I don’t know much ’bout ‘puters, but Elly Mae says I need to get one and that cute li’l Mac guy sure seems honest!
On the bright side, at least they don’t call me asking for my purchase.
November 2, 2009 at 8:26 am |
Or, for example, “Have you accepted Steve Jobs as your personal savior?” right there on your doorstep.
November 2, 2009 at 11:05 am |
I think they do sell Macs indirectly, simply by keeping the idea “Mac = friendly and useful” in the public mind. And as a conversation starter, it lets people say “yeah, I’ve got one”. (I think the best recommendation I’ve seen for one is that our company’s entire IT department – responsible for maintaining a few hundred PCs – all run Macs at home.)