Apple Ads Need to be More Effective

[ktodack]

For years now Apple has had great computer products but has never known how to effectively advertise them. For a while it was just show how stylish they where, now it's Apple T shirt guy against stuffy business suit PC. Big problem and waste of money. Here's what I think they need to do:

1. Apple has over $10B in cash, spend more on advertising with longer ads and more of them--I see more cell phone and knee replacement ads then Macintosh

2. At least the Apple guy should be dressed like he could work for a business dressed as Friday business casual. The current guy perpetuates the myth that only "artist types" use Macs-- A business guy in suit would never use a Mac. Get real Apple, most of the market out there for Macs is not nessarily guys who live in T shirts no matter how nice he seems.

3. Tell people about the Mac/Leopard--it's not just a pretty face, recognize the fact that people want to be able to work on files from PC's or Mac's-- amazingly millions of people still don't think they can work on an MS Word file from their workplace on a Mac, AND ITS THE REASON THEY WON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING A MAC!!!

4. Tell people that no matter what they want to do they can do it on a Mac--maybe a couple screenfulls of hundreds of Mac software applications.

5. Now more then ever, with Apple having the best computers they have ever had at the lowest prices, with Intel processors and able to run Windows/Vista at native speeds is the time for Apple to attack not only the consumer market but the business market as well.

6.The advertising image needs to grow up Apple, no more T shirt kid as Mac. More ads everyday-- before or after the news

7. What do you think?

 

[rdowns]

It's kind of hard to put down Apple's advertising given their rising market share. Here are the Mac units sold the past 4 quarters-

1Q2007 - 1,606,000
2Q2007 - 1,517,000
3Q2007 - 1,764,000
4Q2007 - 2,164,000

We live in a sound bite world and Apple's ads seem to be doing the job.

 

[clevin]

apple ads are already less than truthful enough to generate anti apple attitude, and you want more of those?

please, apple, dont insult people's intellegent even more.

 

[GSMiller]

Yea given their rise in market share I would have to say their Mac/PC guy ads are very successful...And none of them hit the nail on the head quite like the "Stuffed" and "Security" ads

 

[ktodack]

Misconceptions are huge

I've talked to a lot of people about Mac's and the misconcetions that PC users have about them is huge. Most PC users still believe their MS Office files are not compatable with Mac's and there is very little software available except for graphics people. People have told me the only thing Macs are good for is to fix their photographs and download music. Apple ads do very little to dispel these misconceptions.

I'm well aware of the recent 30% year to year growth rate of Mac's in the last year. Some of that is due to the ads Apple has run, but a lot of it is due to person to person and website news that Mac's are now running on Intel processors, are easier to use and can run Vista in a pinch as insurence.

Apple has a great window of opportunity now to push from a current 8% to 20% or more with more informative advertising. Students are receptive to what their friends tell them and show them about Macs but older people need a steady flow of informative advertising to make the switch from their "safe" PC.

 

[rdowns]

The old Apple Switch campaign tried and failed. The remnants of it can be found here

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

My favorite misconception was Macs can't get on the Internet.

 

[CalBoy]

7. What do you think?

I think that Apple's ad are ok right now. The "Hello I'm a Mac..." ads are cute at times, but nothing spectacular. The older ads were much better. For example, two of my favorites were, "there's no step 3" iMac ad voiced by Jeff Goldblum, and the introduction of the 12" Powerbook (I think that's what it was at least) with Yao Ming and Mini Me from Austin Powers. At a time when many people had forgotten about Apple, those ads reminded us what the company was all about.

 

[MisterMe]

...

I'm well aware of the recent 30% year to year growth rate of Mac's in the last year. ...

The purpose of advertising is to move product. Apple's ads are moving product. You might think that Apple should change its ad campaign to pound into the the heads of ignorant people that none of their misconceptions about Macs are true. That is called "preaching to the choir." It will turn off a lot more people than it convinces.

 

[GSMiller]

The old Apple Switch campaign tried and failed. The remnants of it can be found here

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

My favorite misconception was Macs can't get on the Internet.

I was told they took different sized CDs.

 

[Dybbuk]

I don't think it's fair to assume that these ads are effective simply because sales are rising. The two may not have a heavy correlation; plenty of other things could be driving Mac sales up.

[/devil's advocate]