>Just saw another new Windows ad on TV. No Lauren. A guy this time. > He says that Macs are all about esthetics, not computing power. He >wants a Windows machine because he is "picky." He is an elitist.
Laptop Hunters strikes again. And misfires again. This time we meet "G." I encounter this type of person from time to time. Someone with a tenuous grasp on technology who thinks they know it all. Best to just stand back and let them waste their money. Not a sympathetic character either. Anyone who thinks Apple's Mac guy is too snarky is going to instantly hate "G". Again the ad does not ring true. "G" says he is technically savvy and wants a computer that meets his needs, but never tells us his needs. They could have dropped us a quick hint. Is "G" a video producer, college student, accountant, reporter, or gigolo? "G" says Macs are all about esthetics and proves he isn't by selecting a really ugly computer. Like Lauren's, the computer he selects is huge, not what most people today think of as a laptop. It is really a compact desktop. Does not look like something a "picky" person would buy. He gets a computer that is low-priced because it is undesirable. The computer gets big-number specs by using cheap parts. So once again the ad reeks of falseness. Apple does not need to run ads to respond. MS is digging a hole for itself with these ads. The ads demonstrate that Windows is for the clueless. Apple ads tend to show the product. I think the best ones today are for the iPhone. The ads fill the screen with the iPhone's screen and show the device being used for practical things. Apple is not selling esthetics or computing power, they are selling how the device empowers the user. People respond emotionally with "I want to be able to do that." With Apple's I'm a Mac/I'm a PC ads the characters are personifications of their respective brands. But Apple's ads don't focus on the people, the ads focus on specific features. They point out that Vista is buggy, or that Vista is annoying, or that the Mac has great connectivity. The ads are specifically about the product. Microsoft's ads are not about their product. Have you seen Comcast's latest ads (comcasttown.com)? Like Microsoft, Comcast does not want to talk about their product at all and Comcast's latest ads don't. Comcast does not want to go head to head with the FIOS guy -- they will lose. So Comcast's ads just focus on being totally cool and making the viewer feel good. The ads are strange, but I suspect they will be very effective at getting people to forget all the bad things they know about the Comcast. ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
