Have you seen this series of commercials on TV? The ones where the cool young guy in jeans is a Mac and his geeky-looking colleague in the suit is a PC? If not, you can visit the Apple website to see them all.
Now, before we go any further, let me be completely upfront with you. I’m not an unbiased observer. I’m a Mac user. And, like most Mac users, a very dedicated one. But I also know PCs. I’ve owned several, and used them for many years at work…in fact I still have one, at home, networked to my Mac. But still…it’s kind of like the case of ex-smokers or ex-drinkers…the most vociferous Mac lovers are ex-PC users.
So, if I’m already "converted", what is it about this series of ads that appeals to me so much? Well, if you haven’t already seen them – go do it now. Then we’ll finish. Okay, so you see what I mean. After all, wouldn’t you rather identify with the hip, smart guy in jeans and a hoody than his somewhat bumbling suit-clad partner? Still, even though the main messaage is pretty obvious: "get a Mac and you’ll be cool", you just can’t help loving these witty little ads. Heck, I’ll bet even Bill Gates chuckles when he sees them.
I think that it’s the hint of irony more than the aspirational message or the explicit messages ("It Just Works", "Awesome out of the Box" or "You Can Make Amazing Stuff"…) that really speaks to people, though. Take "iLife" for example – it opens with the PC guy grooving to his "slow jam" on – you guessed it – an iPod. Or "Work vs. Home", where the PC guy, resplendent in sport coat and chinos, insists he can do "fun stuff" too – using a grayscale pie chart to share memories of a family vacation "…this dark grey area can represent just kicking it".
Anyway, I’m not here to try to convince you that Macs are better than PCs, or cooler, or that you should get a Mac. You’ll need to decide that for yourself. Well, I’m off to change into jeans and a hoody and make a movie of my recent family vacation to burn to DVD. Bye!
Kath is a regular contributor to urbanmoms.ca and mom to two daugthers, aged 5.5 and 3. Share your impressions of the "I’m a Mac…" ad campaign below in comments or start a thread on the urbanmoms.ca forum.
I have a Mac Powerbook G4 and love it. (I had a bit of a soap opera experience with the first two Powerbook G4s I owned, as long-term readers of my blog know, but Apple really came through for me, thanks to my Apple Care warranty.)
I love the way Apple software integrates. And my previous Apple — and Apple G3 — was an incredible workhorse. I wrote 14 books on it. I literally wore it into the ground. There were grooves in the keys when I finally stopped using it.
Yup, I’m another Mac snob and proud of it!!! I’ve owned a Mac since they first came out in 1984 and am still excited by them!! When I hear my friends whining about their computers (PCs) and the latest virus, the latest file that was mysteriously erased, the latest crash, the latest data that they’ve lost – I just smile and say “Oh sorry, I can’t relate – I use a Mac!”
I find these commercials to be funny, but silly at the same time. I would love to get into marketing. I could give these company’s a run for there money with all my idea’s.
These ads are hilarious! I am a Mac user and I like being one of the “cool kids”!