NationStates Jolt Archive

Umm... I thought about it for a minute, and realized that it was kinda couterproductive to run a whole advertising campaign to point out Microsoft's advertisement costs (even though all they've done for advertisements lately is retaliation for the Mac+PC ads...) Anyone else notice this?

What advertising campaign?

What advertising campaign?

The ads from Apple. Two guys are supposed to be a PC and a Mac. The PC guy is always a whiny caricature of Bill Gates and the commercials play on this theme heavily.

Umm... I thought about it for a minute, and realized that it was kinda couterproductive to run a whole advertising campaign to point out Microsoft's advertisement costs (even though all they've done for advertisements lately is retaliation for the Mac+PC ads...) Anyone else notice this?
I know not what you're talking about!

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

Bean Counter, the second one from the right.

I agree, it's kinda ironic that Apple's paying for an advertisement that makes fun of Microsoft for spending on commercials

EDIT: Even more so, in fact, in that I see Mac commercials on all the time and have rarely, if ever, seen a PC one.

Well the ridiculous fact is that MS pulled the Seinfeld/Gates ads after just 3 versions because, well I don't know if you saw them but they sucked.

The true irony is that the ads themselves were created using Macs.

The whole thing was pretty much a fiasco.


Why, when you're trying to promote yourselves as hip do you use a comedian from the 90's with a CEO who's moved on?
Why, when you're looking to distinguish yourselves from a competitor, do you use the same format of ad?


This should also be pretty damaging to Crispin, Porter and Bogusky, the 'hothouse' that created the ads.

I suspect much of this is down to the super-size me ego of Steve Ballmer, who just couldn't stomach the Mac vs. PC ads.

I remember reading the article in Wired on this deal and wondering how CP&B would manage this, badly seems to be the answer.

I know not what you're talking about!

dude, i love your avatar pic

dude, i love your avatar pic
Dude, thanks. I might even keep that one a little longer. I'm very comfortable with it. :tongue:

You're talking about it. Ergo, the message stuck in your head. Ergo, it sounds like a pretty darn successful advertising campaign.

You're talking about it. Ergo, the message stuck in your head. Ergo, it sounds like a pretty darn successful advertising campaign.

shhh If they realize that annoying advertisement works, then they'll make more and more annoying advertisements!

You're talking about it. Ergo, the message stuck in your head. Ergo, it sounds like a pretty darn successful advertising campaign.

No, not really.

I think the point was not that Vista was spending money on advertising, but not spending on fixing their crappy code.

No, not really.

Well, sort of. The stated goal of advertising is increasing sales, yes. The underlying aspects, however, are creating an image of the brand as well as getting the name in the publics mind.

The perfect example is Mlife. They had ads a few years back during the super bowl, where they never once said what mlife was, or even what company was behind it. And, lo and behold, the name was talked about for months after. The curiosity, and sheer irritation, drove people to find out what the product was and, while annoying, increased brand recognition. The best thing that can happen for a company is for its brand to become so common that it becomes pervasive, without becoming genericized.

Google, for example, has ridden that line. to "google" someone specifically implies the google search engine, not any search. Facebook, too, has accomplished this (you can't "facebook" someone on myspace).

Brands that fall from the public consciousness will fail. In this way, the mac ads succeed, no matter how annoying they may be. They succeed in keeping the brand in the public eye, with a very specific culture and mood attached, while avoiding becoming generic by drawing a line between "us" and "them" (something which asprin, trampoline, frisbee, kleenex, kerosene, and xerox all failed to do).

I think I just rambled alot....

Google, for example, has ridden that line. to "google" someone specifically implies the google search engine, not any search. Facebook, too, has accomplished this (you can't "facebook" someone on myspace).


I have a slogan for google, just trying to find the right channels to sell it to them through... well.. try.

*I do snip thee*

Sure, but we were talking about the MS ads not Apple.

The MS ads have not provided one iota of positive publicity for them.

Sure, but we were talking about the MS ads not Apple.

The MS ads have not provided one iota of positive publicity for them.
Ah...well then...um....


Sarky should really stop posting when overtired. And then discussing it in the 3rd person.

Ah...well then...um....


Sarky should really stop posting when overtired. And then discussing it in the 3rd person.

The rest made some sense though, *pats Sarky on head*

The rest made some sense though, *pats Sarky on head*

*curls up on foot of bed and naps*

*curls up on foot of bed and naps*

You can read this while you nap - somewhat validates the MS ads, we'll see how they work from here on in...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/business/media/18adco.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

I'm not sure it's a PR puff piece though, I rarely saw any positive buzz around the MS ads.

Umm... I thought about it for a minute, and realized that it was kinda couterproductive to run a whole advertising campaign to point out Microsoft's advertisement costs (even though all they've done for advertisements lately is retaliation for the Mac+PC ads...) Anyone else notice this?

Well, what I find kinda stupid about Apple campaigns is how they're always trying to compare against Vista, not PC itself... and then make a point that Windows works on Macs too.

Sure, but we were talking about the MS ads not Apple.

The MS ads have not provided one iota of positive publicity for them.

I disagree. I think the "I'm a PC" campaign is loads better than the whole "losers use PCs" thing that Apple's got going on.

Really, Apple causes more Misaimed Fandom than they know.

I always kinda liked the Apple ads. (note this post is guaranteed 100% pure opinion. no fact was used in the making of this post. Also no nuts of any kind)

Really, Apple causes more Misaimed Fandom than they know.
They know how devoted the core fans are. I think what they don't fully grasp yet is the fact that almost everybody that buys a Mac also seemingly buys a little into the culture that has sprung up around Apple Computers. Maddox summed it up best with "It's a computer, not a social movement, asshole!".

Don't get me wrong, it's excellent (but pricey) hardware coupled with a fantastic operating system. I'm far more productive under Mac OS X than I am under Windows XP, despite the fact that there are simply some things (program-wise) you can't really do yet without booting into Windows. It's not, however, this clear-cut comparison where one OS is great and the other one is garbage. They excel at different things.

This post was typed on a MacBook Pro that has had three fan replacements and an optical failure within 14 months. This is after my first MacBook Pro succumbed to kernel panics within 36 hours of purchase, courtesy of a damaged logic board. One thing I will say: great service. ^^

The ads from Apple. Two guys are supposed to be a PC and a Mac. The PC guy is always a whiny caricature of Bill Gates and the commercials play on this theme heavily.

Those ads were pretty crap though I like the new PC ads.

I'm a PC and I post on NSG. Hey they should do that.

And the ones where Gates and Seinfeld are living with a middle class family are quite good too.

Those ads were pretty crap though I like the new PC ads.

I'm a PC and I post on NSG. Hey they should do that.

And the ones where Gates and Seinfeld are living with a middle class family are quite good too.

Yeah, the "I'm a PC and..." are good, they using their insult for themselves.

But Seinfeld and Bill Gates...no.