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A History of Apple & Innovation: I’m a Mac! I’m a PC!
Apple cleverly use advertising to further contribute to the cohesion of personality, machine and products. Take for example the famous series of Apple adverts “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” which served to personify the Apple Computer and its market competition “PC”. The series of adverts attempted to construct, what is in the eyes of the audience, was a simple choice; to be a trendy, young or forward thinking person, epitomised by the Apple product range, or instead choose the path of a clunky, nerdy and somewhat bemused individual, epitomised by the “PC” product range.
The series of adverts (2006-2009) were also famed for their visual consistency and presentation; they were shot on a white background and featured the same two men, John Hodgman as “PC” and Justin Long as “Mac”. This visual consistency allowed people not only to quickly recognise the adverts and relate to their associated connotations, but allowed the audience to build a rapport with, or warm to the characters over time. The series of adverts were so successful that AdWeek named the series “campaign of the decade” in its best of the 2000s roundup. Here’s what they had to say;
“Apple always diverged from the “speeds and feeds” ads associated with the computer category, but the brand really defined itself with the 2006 launch of TBWA\Media Arts Lab’s “Get a Mac” campaign. That series of 60-plus ads brought some humanity into the equation by turning the machines into live-action cartoons. In so doing, the comic spots offer transparent understanding of the aspirations of its audience and how people identify—and connect emotionally—with technology. The genius is in the casting. The Mac guy, Justin Long, is a younger version of Steve Jobs who is casual and comfortable in his skin. PC, personified by John Hodgman, as a rounder, paler Bill Gates, is a well-meaning geek with all kinds of operating problems. For Apple, the campaign managed the neat trick of making the brand look laid back and cool while it mercilessly skewered its rival.” – (Best of the 2000’s, 2010)
The viral nature of the adverts and their positioning within new media channels such as YouTube, also meant that they spread rapidly and meant by the time the competition could respond, the damage had been done. While the adverts themselves were undoubtedly very intuitive and creative, they also further served to reinforce a wider audience perception of Apple as market leaders and innovators.
“In the past few years, clever commercials have become content in and of themselves, thanks in no small part to the rise of YouTube and embeddable multimedia.” – (Mashable, 2010)
In summary the “Get a Mac” campaign, of which the adverts were a central component, were a typically intuitive marketing move by Apple, since the centrality of their brand and their somewhat “closed” product range allows them to carefully consider, orchestrate and present their brand values to their potential audience with precision. The adverts depict “PC” as being the competition, existing within a comparable closed infrastructure, when in fact a “PC” is nothing more than a combination of various differing components, both hardware and software, sourced from an often innumerable set of suppliers; the most notable of which include Microsoft that Apple’s advertising often seeks to belittle. This move by Apple left “PC”, as the audience now thought of it, in a very exposed position. The lack of centrality associated with the production of personal computers and associated software, left companies likes Microsoft with the need to either establish an equivalent corporate infrastructure, or to take the lead and defend both themselves and the newly Apple constructed notion of “PC” that would be difficult to reverse.
While Apple has achieved considerable success, they have never really succeeded in conquering a majority market. They have captured and retained a small market that is in part preserved by a closed universe of compatibility and above all by the user friendly presentation of technical devices; permitting the technically illiterate to enjoy the prestige and convenience of being in the “fore front of technology.” This of course may be a conscious decision based on the premise that positioned as perceived market leader, Apple have less competition than exists in the “PC” market.
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