Stephen Colbert just whipped out his iPad at the grammy's

[Flavioparentiq]

ah... yes... well... though i admire your enthusiasm to propogate new theories about 'prosumers' & 'recreation of content'... your points are best examples of academics who study a microsegment of the world and theorists who sell corporations new magic formulae.

most people who buy ferraris or armani suits or ipad-like devices buy them because they are status symbols of success and coolness, as displayed by a famous actor wearing the suit, a successful businessman driving the ferrari, a tv personality holding up an ipad.
you're not going to tell me that they're handing over cash because they have been influenced by "user interactivity with the information and recreation of content," or "total new environment for the travelling and transformation of information", are you?
they buy because it feels good, because it's useful for daily life or because its a sex magnet. the internet has not revolutionized 'why people want something' it's just another channel to get attention.

i do like stimulating thoughts on how the world works, but yours are the thoughts of someone living in an ivory tower with a microscope and a thesaurus.

Actually, i'm one of those people who get the things free just to wear them, so i'm quite aware of those mechanisms

 

[Peace]

I can't believe old men dating women half their age has become so common that people now assume Colbert's daughter was his wife/date.

I too thought it was his wife but it's his daughter.

"Although by his own account he was not particularly political before joining the cast of The Daily Show, Colbert is a self-described Democrat.[69][70] In an interview at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard Institute of Politics, he stated that he has "no problems with Republicans, just Republican policies."[71] He is also a practicing Roman Catholic,[13] as well as a Sunday school teacher.[72][73][74]

Colbert lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with his wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert, who appeared with him in an episode of Strangers with Candy as his mother. She also had an uncredited cameo as a nurse in the series pilot, along with a credited one (as his wife, Clair) in the Strangers with Candy movie. McGee-Colbert actually met Jon Stewart, later a good friend of Colbert, before she met her husband in 1990. McGee-Colbert is the daughter of prominent civil litigator in Charleston, Joseph McGee, of the firm Buist Moore Smythe McGee. The couple have three children: Madeline, Peter, and John, all of whom have appeared on The Daily Show.[75] Colbert prefers, however, that his children not watch his show, The Colbert Report, saying, "Kids can't understand irony or sarcasm, and I don't want them to perceive me as insincere."[15]

 

[mnb]

Well it is cooler than Jay-z, that's for sure.

Anything is cooler than Jay-Z...

 

[vipergts2207]

There are such things as bad publicity.

Advertising is about association and linking.

This is a product placement with (At least) 2 levels, so it's pretty different from standard direct advertising:

- I see "The product associated to a guy". (direct advertising)
- I see "The guy with the product associated to the audience". (indirect advertising. What people will think of the first association. This is very important in live product placement)

So, I start to associate the ipad to this funny guy, but then i start associating the "funny guy+ ipad association" with "what other thinks of this association". And who are those others?

- movie/tv stars (fashion image leaders, projection of who i want to be like and "think" like.) and family members (projection of the affective world, who I love, who I want to be loved by.).

And their reaction were not that good.

If you watch the faces of the "stars" Kidman & co, they are not impressed at all and a bit ashamed of what's happening.

And the recation of the daughter.. argh, that was bad.

So at the end the message could be interpreted as:

"Look, a cool guy have the cool device from apple. But wait, look how the stars and the family look at him, he actually doesn't look cool anymore."

Are you that dense that you didn't get that the thing with his daughter was a mini-skit? Do you even watch Colbert? Obviously not because you don't know his style of humor. If you had watched his shows last week you would have seen him asking for an iPad in more than one episode. Steve Jobs apparently happily obliged.

 

[Flavioparentiq]

Are you that dense that you didn't get that the thing with his daughter was a mini-skit? Do you even watch Colbert? Obviously not because you don't know his style of humor. If you had watched his shows last week you would have seen him asking for an iPad in more than one episode. Steve Jobs apparently happily obliged.

We already discuss this thanks anyway for the info

 

[sfmountainbiker]

I just want to link this great quote:

I think -=XX=-Nephilim and Flavioparentiq miss one important point:

Stephen Colbert (character) sells himself as a stupid, geeky, miss-informed, right-wing talk-show host who can get easily bribed by product placements. And the US audience gets that part. Your detailed analysis needs to combine this information, without which no analysis can be complete! Try again.

with this one:

LOL, after his [daughter's] reaction perhaps it was staged to say, devices don't make you cool, who you are makes you cool.

People tend to forget that, Apple tends to market to those kind of people

.

This is SPOT on, to those who know Colbert's "schtick".

Also, good call here:

I'm pretty sure Apple didn't give Colbert his own iPad yet. They're probably was an iPad "handler" backstage that gave Colbert the iPad before he went on stage and took it back after he got off. I'm sure if Colbert really had one they know journalists and other people would be hounding him to use it and Apple wouldn't want it. But overall clearly it was an Apple advertisment, afterall iTunes was clearly being marketed throughout the show.

I would have guessed they actually gave it to him and that we'de see it on the Colbert Report all week, but it sounds like you were exactly correct watching the post-show clip.

 

[extraextra]

Umm what is with all the people saying Apple hasn't done this before? Does Jon Stewart at the Oscars not ring a bell? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T482ipWnBM4

 

[vipergts2207]

We already discuss this thanks anyway for the info

Yes I see this now, sorry. Always finish a thread before posting is usually my rule lol.

 

[Kenzembo1]

Everybody complaints about the ipad but I know everybody secretly wants one !

This is true.

 

[ikir]

I can't watch the video, I'm trying to watch it on my iPod touch.

It should switch automatically to mp4 version if there is one At least when i click a youtube lin on iphone it happens **** flash

@thread

Very funny idea

 

[HiRez]

You are going to see iPads all over tv pretty soon. On 24, Jack Bauer will be calling down death strikes from satellites on them, Survivor castaways will be watching their families cry on them, Chuck will be using them to find escape routes, Bond will use them to remote-pilot aircraft, and Leno, Conan, Letterman, and Kimmel will be making jokes about them, but even then it's just more free advertising for Apple.

 

[-=XX=-Nephilim]

I think -=XX=-Nephilim and Flavioparentiq miss one important point:

Stephen Colbert (character) sells himself as a stupid, geeky, miss-informed, right-wing talk-show host who can get easily bribed by product placements. And the US audience gets that part. Your detailed analysis needs to combine this information, without which no analysis can be complete! Try again.

I accept this since:

a) I am not American

b) I have no clue who Colbert is

c) I don't watch TV

d) I hate pop music

In short - I am as detached from that show and people in there as much as you can possibly imagine...

However, as total outsider, I didn't get the humour at all and took that short YouTube clip as horrible advertising. I am sure if I am American I would get it in different light... but hey

 

[Peace]

I'm pretty sure Apple didn't give Colbert his own iPad yet. They're probably was an iPad "handler" backstage that gave Colbert the iPad before he went on stage and took it back after he got off. I'm sure if Colbert really had one they know journalists and other people would be hounding him to use it and Apple wouldn't want it. But overall clearly it was an Apple advertisment, afterall iTunes was clearly being marketed throughout the show.

I also noticed a bit of an Apple-type GUI throughout the whole show.

 

[pagansoul]

As he said in te interview after...they gave it to him just for his opening and when he went off the stage, they took it back. I'm sure they let him playwith it before he went on just to be kind but it was not given to him to keep. I would think that when they do become available to everyone in 2 or 3 months they will give him one just on JP.

 

[pagansoul]

repeat

 

[-=XX=-Nephilim]

you're really hell bent on hammering home the point that only your opinion can possibly be the 'right' one aren't you?

i suggest you go out and ask some people in local shops, subway station, wherever, who saw the show and ask them what they thought of the pad/colbert stunt.

anybody i heard talking about at work this morning was far more interested in the pad than they were before the grammy, and after exchanging banter about how he showed off his pad, conversation moved to the pad, how much it cost, how useful it could be etc.

certainly very positive result to this little stunt, and maybe more representative than your personal, negative analysis.

i don't care either way, i'm not getting one and and i have no apple shares but i think apple & colbert might know more about advertising, irony and seduction than you and your italian friend's theories

There is a world outside of USA...

I am sure you are aware of this fact

Perhaps for American audience, American sense of humour, American glamour and pop world, American what not... this was one smok'n damn funny thing and awesome advertisement - to me - was pretty much the opposite...

Opinions, as do tastes, differ!

 

[Julien]

There is a world outside of USA...

I am sure you are aware of this fact ...

True but we are discussing a TV show that originated in the US and was shown on a US network (sure it was broadcast overseas but so is the Super Bowl and we still call it football without deliberately trying offend the rest of the world). You have been nothing but critical of the way it was done but yet you freely admit not being familiar with Steven Colbert' style. He was picked because we in the US know who he is and what kind of humor he does. If you would like to learn a little about his (and American) humor (no matter how obtuse it is to your tasts) you can watch his show on line here.

 

[localoid]

There is a world outside of USA...

I am sure you are aware of this fact

Perhaps for American audience, American sense of humour, American glamour and pop world, American what not... this was one smok'n damn funny thing and awesome advertisement - to me - was pretty much the opposite...

Opinions, as do tastes, differ!

Actually, it all makes perfect sense... at least in the U.S. it does. Many, or perhaps most, Americans have been successfully conditioned from infancy to be "good consumers". Like Pavlov's dogs, they begin to salivate at the right "trigger". And they have been well trained to accept the advice of their TV sets (as an unquestionable authority) on what they need (to buy) to be cool, happy and otherwise fulfilled.

Conditioning forms the basis of much of learned human behavior. Nowadays, this knowledge has also been exploited by commercial advertising. An effective commercial should be able to manipulate the response to a stimulus (like seeing a product's name) which initially does not provoke any feeling. The objective is to train people to make the "false" connection between positive emotions (e.g. happiness or feeling attractive) and the particular brand of consumer goods being advertised. Source

 

[-=XX=-Nephilim]

Actually, it all makes perfect sense. Many, or perhaps most, Americans have been successfully conditioned from infancy to be "good consumers". Like Pavlov's dogs, they begin to salivate at the right "trigger".

Hahahaha

I know what you mean and quite frankly, I cringe at consumer society...

Grab The Century of the Self documentary from somewhere - it kind of nails it all down rather perfectly

 

[ARF900]

Its not advertising because I dont think colbert got paid for this, he just got to keep the iPad.

Who cares anyway, its still funny.

 

[Peace]

Its not advertising because I dont think colbert got paid for this, he just got to keep the iPad.

Who cares anyway, its still funny.

Had you read the thread you would know Apple goons took it back from him.

 

[localoid]

Hahahaha

I know what you mean and quite frankly, I cringe at consumer society...

Grab The Century of the Self documentary from somewhere - it kind of nails it all down rather perfectly

Thanks for the tip on "The Century of the Self". Judging from its description at Wikipedia it sounds excellent.

 

[colmaclean]

Thanks for the tip on "The Century of the Self". Judging from its description at Wikipedia it sounds excellent.

Check out any Adam Curtis documentaries you can find. Most enlightening.

 

[Vulpinemac]

To my knowledge this is the only time Apple has blatantly advertised something like this on TV other than their usual commercials. To me, that says desperation on Apple's part, I just like when Apple makes useful stuff and they meant something. I miss stuff like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

Anyways, I hope Apple gets the iPad right eventually, but for now, this is Apple getting lazy and greedy, and I truly hope Steve Jobs thinks Google is trying to kill the iPhone because Steve Jobs and company does their best work when they feel threatened and have something to prove.

If you truly believe the former, then you've been blind for 15 years! Remember Seinfeld? He had iMacs on his desk through the whole series, a new model every time it came out. And that's only one example. Depending on what you watch, there's a pretty high chance you'll see an Apple product used on screen, even on the Big Screen. This bit was just one of the more blatant examples.

 

[Vulpinemac]

I think you are missing a few points. At the time of the iPod, tons of folks listened to mp3's, but either did not own a dedicated mp3 player, or were not happy with the current offerings. Apple came in and made a device that did the job and did it well. At the time of the iPhone, people had phones but they did not necessarily have smart phones.

I for one, didn't need an mp3 player before, I had my CD player. But I got tired of the skipping, etc when commuting on the train and started to look at mp3 players and got an iPod. I used to have a regular cell phone and using my Blackberry so much for work gave me the idea a smart phone would work best for me for personal use, so I got an iPhone.

I think the iPad is a bit more niche in terms of it's market, but it will be needed by some, but "cool" to have for most. Personally, I like being able to sync some stuff to it and taking it with me instead of my 13" MBP, especially with the fact that it can display to a projector, means I can make it display to a TV I am sure and would be great for travel.

It seems you and many other people overlooked the iPad's #1 target, the netbook. Steve Jobs described the netbook as attempting to bridge the gap between smart phone and notebook computer and pointed out that it couldn't do either one well. Quite literally, he fired a shot across the netbook's bow and fully intends to sink that specific form factor.

You know something, I think he will, too. I expect that the iPad and all the copycat devices that come out after will completely wipe out the netbook for every purpose except the one it was originally designed for--a low-cost educational and communications tool for third-world countries that can't afford newer technology.