New Apple Ads | The Coffeehouse

Jason I

That brings up an interesting point (and a reason to try the "Start Related Discussion feature)

Many Apple ads are brilliant for one main reason: they demonstrate how easy it is do to something: they show you what you need to do to accomplish your task: "This is how you install an application on an iPhone". "This is how you do XYZ." People can see for themselves how to do something and fosters the belief that they are empowered to make their own decision (even though they're being marketed to).

I cannot recall a Windows (or even PC) commercial which comes close to that. I remember "Dude, you're getting a Dell!". Some gateway spots.. Some pictures of people smiling over Windows Photo Gallery.. But nothing like, "This is how you burn pictures on your DVD". You know: the things that the Microsoft employees were doing to the people in the Mohave experiment.

Lesson observed: when people see what they can do on Vista and how easy it can be (or easy for most things..), positive perception of Vista was increased. Do you think Microsoft will learn the lessons?

EDIT: I thought that this feature would have copied the reference I had to another post. I was referring to Jamie's comment about two new Mac commercials, where it's shown people can take their PC to the store and have all their files transferred. Hey: it beats the $20.00 "copy" cable sold by some PC manufacturers.

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

Someone mentioned this on Long Zheng's blog, and I thought it was a good idea. Basically, there's a small video about web slices that's sort of a 'documentary' on slicing. It's funny, and demonstrates a single, interesting, and not too well-known feature of IE8. Unleashing a barrage of short and sweet ads that demonstrate various cool things about Live Photo Galllery, Desktop Search, IE8, et cetera would be a pretty good idea, IMHO.

dentaku

In reply to Bas

#Sep 2nd, 2008 @ 7:07 AM

I've been saying this for as long as I've been on C9.

Ads need to teach something so that the people who might buy the product can see how it could be used to make their lives easier.
Well informed users will have a "sense of mastery" when they do something that seemed too complicated in the past. This will make them feel good about the software and in turn make them complain less and recomend it to their friends, which of course is the best form of advertising.

It's the simple little things that make all the difference. Of course if we could get EOMs to stop bundling shovelware with their new systems people would be even less frustrated with their computers, but that's a different subject.

stevo_
Human after all

Showing people how easy it is might be counter effective when that fails.. as (shock horror) things do on computers..

I keep the phrase "it just works" handy when working on the macs in the office.. in the two weeks alone thats been used around five times in regards to the macs being utterly useless at doing something they claim is "easy on a mac"..

Again, its not so much I laugh at the mac for not being able to do something perfect.. I laugh at the fact people actually believe the ads that say.. all these problems you have are because of windows.. get a mac because it doesn't happen.

How lied to can you be, macs are JUST like windows, they are equally as stupid at times - and its often not even the OS's fault.. it could be 3rd party software or the usual - user error.

BHpaddock

There are some Vista ads on the Mojave Experiment site that follow this exact model, showing examples of things you can do with Vista and Windows Live including direct video of the screen.