“ Apple has foresighted history of exceeding advertising , starting with 1984 , ” allege Ross Rubin , director of analysis at NPD Group , referring to theiconic Super Bowl commercialthat enter the Macintosh to the earth .
Hoag Levins , executive producer of AdAge.com , accord , call up advertising a “ core pillar ” of Apple ’s scheme : “ It ’s bringing in new people to Apple products . ”
And these days , there are pile of Apple product for that growing audience to study . In the past year , Apple has added another major product line — the iPhone — to its existing Mac and iPod offerings . While all three of these intersection region share common qualities — namely , dash and easiness of use — Apple and its advertising agency take very dissimilar approach to get that content across .
John Hodgman and Justin Long have been comparing and contrasting PCs and Macs for about 18 months now in Apple’s Get a Mac campaign.
Despite their difference , Apple ads have in common at least one major advantage over many competition ’ commercial : disregarding of whether you jazz or hate the dapple , you ’ll likelyrememberthem , and that ’s the first footfall to build a successful image .
Hello, I’m a Mac
Apple ’s current campaign for the Mac,“Get a Mac,”conveys just as round-eyed and straightforward a subject matter as the name would propose . It ’s a measured attempt to appeal to the vast majority of computing machine exploiter who , as Apple sees it , are using a Windows machine either because they are n’t aware they have an alternative , or because they ’re nursing some erroneous preconceived idea about Macs .
The ads , which first began airing in May 2006 , feature actors Justin Long and John Hodgman as the Mac and PC , severally — anthropomorphized version of the long - war computer platforms .
away from a brief guesswork at the end of the spots , you wo n’t see any factual computers in the “ Get a Mac ” ads . And there ’s a good reason for that — computing equipment features are toilsome to show off in a small space in 30 - second segment . alternatively , Apple instance features by redact the characters into humourous situations . For model , when thePC lark a leg castdue to someone set off over his major power cord , it gives the Mac a chance to bring up the detachable MagSafe arranger .
Dancing silhouettes are a mainstay in TV ads for the iPod.
The result : The ad spells out the Mac ’s advantages in a way that ’s both accessible and memorable for the mediocre user . “ Apple has had a strong focus on retail and the consumer since Steve Jobs retort , ” Rubin said .
Because of the “ Get a Mac ” campaign ’s trust on negotiation , Apple has also localize them for other market . Both theU.K.andJapannow have their own version of the “ Get a Mac ” ads , with aboriginal actors and situations tune up to the nuance of those culture . It ’s all part of the attending to detail that Apple sleep together it want so as to compete globally .
“ The new Mac and PC advertizing are one of the in force political campaign of all time , ” Levins say . “ It ’s an extraordinary ad issue . ”
Images of the iPhone interface have given way to shots of real users talking about their experiences with the phone.
iPod + iTunes
Instead , Apple is look to win over those in the prey consultation either that they require an iPod or — as is more and more often the typeface — that they need anewiPod . The campaigns , which have been around in one form another since 2003 , show iPods as fun and hip ; in one of the most iconic spots , anonymous silhouettes dance to the beat of some popular new call . Even as the ad have incorporate more recognizable musician — this advertising with Mary J. Blige , for instance — the silhouette remain . “ The staring image of the iPod social dancer have really burned themselves into your brain , ” said Levins .
Music is an integral part of the iPod safari , even when the improvements Apple is touting are video related . For instance , thespot for the third - multiplication iPod nanodidn’t use a movie or a telly show to display its new picture artistry , but rather a catchy medicine video featuring Feist .
This is how you turn it on
Despite the fact that the iPhone is the newest of Apple ’s product , having dispatch the market just six months ago , it ’s already been the focus of two disjoined ad campaigns . The first , which air around the fourth dimension of the iPhone ’s June 29 launching , actually show the telephone in activity — unusual for Apple ’s ad .
The commercial message showed off the machine ’s features as you might really use them — for instance , tolook up a restaurant in Maps , and then call and make a reservation — while a narrator explains what ’s proceed on . The iPhone ’s port is very much the marketing point , so the ads let the phone speak for itself .
“ These advertizement concentrate a lot on applications and capabilities ; these have been the discriminator for the iPhone , ” Rubin said . “ In direct contrast to the Mac , where there ’s a clear choice that Apple necessitate to pose against , the iPhone is in a family with very gamy penetration in the U.S. , but it ’s seeking to break off from the pack . ”
The second campaign swear on the same rationale , but in this case featuredreal drug user relating their storiesabout how they employ their iPhones . In many way it ’s reminiscent of Apple ’s oldSwitch campaign , in which people who had switched from Windows to Mac shared their narrative — and it ’s no less compelling .
What’s in a name?
While Apple ’s ad strategies clearly have some differences , they portion out an elegant simplicity that echoes the ship’s company ’s own predilection for design and substance abuser friendliness . “ There ’s an esthetic trick to all three of them , ” Levins enunciate .
The widespread parody and court to Apple ’s various advert campaigns are a testament to their iconic and placeable nature . imitation of the ads have shown up everywhere fromYouTubeto Saturday Night Live , sometimes with surprising resultant role .
Earlier this year , Apple spotted ahomemade advertising for the iPod touchuploaded to YouTube by 18 year former student Nick Haley . Haley was invited to come and form with Apple ’s advertising house , TBWAChiatDay , to produce a professional adaptation , which end up airing on national telly . While the spot has more in common with iPhone commercial message than the iPod smear , focusing on the features of the iPod touch , it ’s easy recognizable as an Apple ad .
“ It ’s an exciting raw format for stain to put across with their audiences , ” TBWA Worldwide chairman Lee Clow told theNew York Times . “ People ’s kinship with a brand is becoming a dialog , not a monolog . ”
Almost all of the advertising — no matter of which production they ’re bluster — are shot on a monochrome background , and feature minuscule if any schoolbook until the conclusion . And all end with a scene of the Apple logotype , unifying the products in the minds of consumers and reward both the brand and its image .
