On Monday night, May 1, two new Apple commercials debuted on prime time network television. The big surprise? They weren't iPod or iTunes ads, they were Mac ads. And they were actually pretty good.
Both ads feature two actors: one is the "stuffy" type -- clean-shaven, bespectacled, in a business suit -- playing the part of a PC, and one is more casual -- unshaven in t-shirt and jeans -- playing the part of a Mac (I believe the actor portraying the Mac is
Justin Long; it was pointed out that the actor playing the PC is
John Hodgman*).
The first ad focuses on viruses and touts the Mac's "resistance" to the thousands of viruses plaguing "PCs" (the word "Windows" is never used in either ad). The PC is sneezing uncontrollably, lamenting his viral infection, when the Mac offers the PC a handkerchief (nice touch), which the PC then uses to wipe and blow his nose repeatedly in between whining about viruses. He warns the Mac to stay away, but Mac says, "I'll be fine." PC then rattles off big-number statistics about viruses affecting PCs, and Mac says, "...PCs, not Macs." He assists with the handkerchief to demonstrate his resistance, then puts it back in his pocket, while the PC "crashes" (falls down backward out of frame).
The second ad is a bit more reserved, and starts off with Mac reading a paper, when PC asks him what he's reading. When Mac states it's the Wall Street Journal, PC snatches it from his hands and starts reading a Walt Mossberg review of the Mac, proclaiming it to be the "finest desktop PC on the market at any price." PC smirks in envy as he hands the paper back to Mac, and snaps, "very nice," to which Mac modestly responds, "It's just one man's opinion" (as if to cushion the blow). PC then proceeds to crow about his own glowing reviews, and when Mac asks for the source, PC unconvincingly makes up a name on the fly.
There is no direct mention of operating system (either Windows or Mac OS X) in either ad, and in the WSJ ad, the review implies the Mac is the finest
PC available anywhere, suggesting the Mac is just as capable as a PC, if not more so. Nearly a month ago, Apple released Boot Camp, which as you know (unless you've been in a vacuum for the past month) allows Intel-based Macs to install and boot Windows XP with Service Pack 2. While I don't think Apple would go as far as to advertise a beta product like Boot Camp, I can certainly see this campaign continuing into the fall and winter, with a future ad featuring either dual booting or a virtualized solution for running Windows XP inside Mac OS X, and touting it as the "safe way to run Windows."
I didn't think Apple would have been so bold as to drop the gauntlet on the virus issue. They
have to know that touting virus invulnerability is essentially a challenge to malware coders everywhere to start their engines and aim for Mac OS X, so Apple must be
very confident in their system security at this point. The only other reason I could see Apple playing the virus card would be in an act of desperation, but today's Apple is the strongest ever (well, strongest in about fifteen years, anyhow), so I don't see grasping for straws as the game plan here. I'm surprised to see this bold move by Apple, but at the same time, I'm quite relieved they did it; it's time to stop playing it safe in their advertising.
By not mentioning Windows specifically, Apple is essentially baiting Microsoft to go on the defensive...but as soon as Microsoft does that, they tacitly acknowledge their own OS's security nightmares. By referring to the Mac as "the finest PC," Apple is also suggesting that a Mac is the smart choice for the consumer. When this message blends with the viral buzz surrounding Boot Camp, it's sure to attract a notable number of first-time Mac buyers eager to see what Macs are all about, since they know they'll have their Windows "safety net" available (although we all know in short order it'll be more of a chore than a safety net).
Another notable issue Apple is tackling in these ads is the perception of the typical Mac user. We are stereotyped as being the weird cult-like followers or snooty prima donnas of the computing world. We're typically smug about security and snobby about interface design. The Mac in the ad is a modest, helpful, concerned acquaintance. A friend, even. He looks on the PC with pity and compassion, not arrogance or self-righteousness.
I think Apple has come up with a good mix in these ads. It's certainly refreshing to see Apple pushing the Mac again, and I'm looking forward to seeing this campaign develop.
UPDATE: Well, I didn't have to wait very long...there are currently six commercials, and they can be found
on Apple's website. I'll post my thoughts on the remaining four ads in my next entry.
UPDATE 2: * thanks to "
Surfungus" on
MacAddict Forums for identifying the PC actor.
