Do Cool Ads Move People to Buy?
I’m treading on sacred ground here. I recognize that. But let me offer a thought (dare I say criticism) of Apple’s Mac campaigns – and in doing so, maybe raise an issue that we could all look for in our own messaging.
Let me first say that Apple’s marketing is simply out of this world. They’re geniuses in more ways than one. I’ll actually stop fast forwarding my DVR to watch that Mac ad with the security guy asking the PC to “allow” everything. It’s great.
So here’s my problem.
I’m an average consumer with no special knowledge of Apple’s marketing initiatives pertaining to the Mac. This means I’m seeing and retaining probably about as much as you and every other PC user out there about the Mac.
At this point, I think I get it. Macs are better than PCs. They’re cooler. No doubt about that. And the coolness communicated through their ads is certainly supported by the passion of their users. I actually believe it. The Mac is better.
Yet I’m a PC user. I just dropped another $2,500 on a new Dell laptop last month.
Why???
For some reason, I’ve been pondering over this lately as I enjoy the PC character in the hospital robe (just saw that one tonight) and the other great Mac ads. Why in the world did I just buy another PC?
I think the reason is simply this. As cool – and even superior as I believe the Mac probably is, all of the cool ads don’t relieve me of the practical fears I have about making the switch.
What’s the learning curve like for a switcher? Would it interrupt the tempo of my work for a period of time? How long? How would I transfer my files from my PC to the Mac? (It can’t be much harder than moving from one PC to another.) Can I still use my Office applications? Will I encounter compatibility issues with PC users – especially related to file attachments? Etc….
I know there are answers to these questions. I just don’t know what they are – at least not with any certainty. And it keeps me from making the switch.
It makes me think of my own work with clients. How often do we get stuck on a certain message – as cool as it may be? How often do we reinforce the fun stuff at the expense of providing our prospects with the resolutions to the issues that stand in the way of their buying decision?
If you have followed this blog for a while, you’ve seen repeated reference to empathy in marketing. Great marketers empathize with their prospects. They try to walk in their prospects’ shoes and find ways to answer the questions that obstruct sales – even when the questions (and the answers) may seem mundane.
If you’ve been immersed in your own product or service for a long time, it can be admittedly hard to objectively step away and approach your own business as outsider looking in for the first time. This fresh perspective is one reason I believe in leaning on consultants from time to time.
But if you are looking for a place to start, be sure you are answering the question that I think Apple may be overlooking lately. What happens if I (the prospect) say “yes?”
Apple Marketing, Mac Advertisements, Marketing Message, Message Development
March 2nd, 2007 at 9:21 pm
You bring up some very good points. Apple’s advertising really doesn’t do enough to address the pragmatic concerns that often represent the most significant factors in consumer product selection.
I think that Apple’s plan is to use the commercials to push the brand and the image and then use their brick-and-mortar stores to actually make the sales. Many of the questions you ask about impediments to mac migration can be answered by Apple sales representatives in individual stores.
Live CDs have been used with great success to promote desktop Linux adoption, and I personally think that Apple would benefit from adopting this strategy as well. Live CDs allow users to run an alternate operating system on their computer by booting from a special CD. By doing this, users can test alternate operating systems without having to modify their computer or install anything. Some Linux distributors offer to mail these CDs to users for free. If Apple allowed people to test the Macintosh operating system on their regular PCs with simple Live CDs, I think the company would get more switchers because people would have an opportunity to test the operating system and ensure that it will meet their needs.
It’s worth noting that there are other problems with Apple’s image-oriented advertising campaigns, particularly cultural issues. The ads with the PC and Mac people are actually having a detrimental impact on Apple’s brand image in places like Japan, where the “I’m-better-than-you” mentality of the advertisements go against the grain of a deep-seated cultural tendency to value humility.