This makes me MAD!
 

Okay. I was hoping that with the new Intel switch, Apple would begin a new Switch campaign. Then I read This.

I love Apple and all, but sometimes they need to suck it up. Okay, I know there can be some disagreements betweeen people, but I think that Apple owes something to us, the Mac faithful.

Like I said, I'm pissed. :mad: :mad:

I don't know how successful the original Switch campaign was, but I didn't like it too much. The ads ended up being the butt of more Mac jokes and stereotypes. Remember Stoner Girl?

But if the campaign worked, then I guess it worked.

I don't put very much emotional energy into Apple's ad campaigns, which is ironic seeing that I work in marketing for a major GIS company. I thought the Switch ads were clever, but I think they can do better. They need to start educating potential Switchers by illustrating why Mac is better than PCs. They need to do it in a clever, memorable way without being "in your face" about it.

As an example, I thought the ad with the father trying to show his kids a dinosaur CD on a PC was brilliant. The father just could NOT get that program to launch.

Father, "Where are you going?"
Son, "To Billy's house, his father has a Macintosh."

Or the resturant where two managers worked for hours on their PCs to make them "more efficient".

The "Think Different" ads were inspiring, but said nothing about the product and why to buy them. The iMac ads with narration by Jeff Goldblum were the opposite. "Step one: Plug the Mac in, Step two: Plug the Mac into the phone line, Step three:--there is no step three." Not quite true, but illustrated the simplicity of the iMac, and they FLEW off the shelves!

So now we have the iPod and Mac Mini. It's time to show people what these products can do for them, rather than bore them with "My PC ate my homework, so I got a Mac." drivel.

Excellent point. Very true.

Switch campaign needs to be reconsidered
 

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I think you are absolutely right, Schneb. I work in advertising – and I think there are good reasons why the Switch campaign never really struck gold. Perhaps one way ahead (although many people consider it highly risky) is to point out to the market the striking difference between Macs and Wintels in regards to security.

A lot could be done with that one!

Cheekily denigrating the opposition might raise chuckles amongst Apple fans, but it does not necessarily work. Actually, their recent decisions indicate that Apple came to the same conclusion.

As you say, Apple has to tell the potential switcher – in highly memorable terms – what the true advantage of Macs is. For them!


With best regards,
ArcticStones

Those "switch" ads kept me away from Macs longer than had I not seen them. The people in most of the ads, like stoner chick, were people I didn't want to be associated with.

Same here :D people in those ads seemed arrogant and think
they are better than everyone else. We ended up making fun
of Mac users because of that. When I got my first Mac
in 03, friends brought up those switcher ads again.

I liked the ad promoting the 12" and 17" Powerbooks
featuring Yao Ming and MiniMe.

Like I said, a NEW switch campaign. I'm pretty sure Apple got the message about the ads. They probably were planning a new campaign that highlighted the features of the Mac and why people should switch.

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Those were great!
One reason was because the focus was on a key, intrinsic quality of the Powerbooks – the smallest AND largest laptops in the world.

This was a brilliant way to make Apple’s point!! Nobody who has seen those ads forgets them.


Best regards,
ArcticStones

I like the one with Yo-Yo Ma. Its kinda weird. He says "I like to noodle with things."

Will Ferrell is funny and although it has nothing to do with the Mac itself, both his ads are funny. So is this one.

I agree, Will's were very funny. They need to get more comedians to do the ads. I mean, make a SLEW of them and saturate bomb the airways. But they need to say something about the Mac like Will's first one. They should use confessed Mac users. I think using other biggies like Rush Limbaugh and Tom Clancy would be fantastic. Apple needs to get Rush, he is totally a Mac fanatic and pushes the Mac now and then for free on his radio show. Too bad they could not get Douglas Adams before he died... that would have been great.

You will never see the new Switch campaign.
Apple completely botched them.

Question to original post. How can Apple start a Switch campaign with completely unknown hardware and software that is months from shipping? It's too early.

You may notice that that link was in my first post.

Oh, I noticed now. D'oh! :)

I don't think the new ads would say "Buy a Mac. We have Intel chips now!", then follow it by an Intel logo. They would say the reasons why you should switch.

Example: "I bought a Mac because it was Virus free. I run a Law firm. When we decided to upgrade our whole system we looked at Windows 2000 server. But then we heard about all those worms going around. Whoa. Wait a sec. I don't want my system shutdown by a worm. Then we saw Mac. It was....amazing. No virus'. No worms! If you have a small, medium, or large buissness, get a Mac. Its safe. Its secure. It just....Works. ;)

If they're going to do the Switch campain again, they need to find credible people that aren't generally known for using Macs in their profession. A perfect example would be the doctors who developed OsiriX, which won this year's Apple Design Award for the Open Source category. I saw OsiriX demo'd, and it was a truly amazing feat.

A general and an IntelOp in the shadows
 

I seem to recall reading something about the US defence/military abandoning Wintel because of security. Man oh man, think about getting a three-star general to do an intro. If need be, you could have someone in the shadows who does not show his face – a representative of, say, the National Security Agency.

Show other people as well, who simply cannot afford to deal with an OS developer who for years has been utterly unable to provide anywhere near acceptable secury for its unfathomable 90+ % user base.

Yep, I think that message would go home.


– ArcticStones

Just wondering, what did those guys win who one the Apple Design Award?

A cube-shaped trophy, recognition, and tons of free press. I guess that's it. :rolleyes:

I think they also win a PowerMac G5, a PowerBook, and a Apple cinema display.

I forgot about that. And this year, they got a developer's Intel box also.

People in government cannot do endorsements. However, do you remember the Apple ad with all the tanks encircling a G4 in defense mode? The ad went on to say that the US military is now using Macs because of security. So you can use the FACT that the military is now using Apple products, but the government folk cannot say so.
What would be great is to get Ret. Col. Dale Dye as a spokesman. He is not under such scrutiny and he still has his finger on the pulse of the military machine. Now that would be a powerful ad.

How bizzare would it be if Steve Balmer or Bill Gates did a switch ad? :p