“Steve would’ve killed these.”
“Lee oughta know better.”
It’s no secret that Apple’s current spots, featuring a typical Apple store “Genius,” are getting panned.
I’m not here to pour more criticism on. My question is simple: How did they get these done?
By that, I mean: Who approved this strategy? Who thought this kind of comedy was needed? Did the client really want this campaign (and insist upon it)? Did anyone at the agency or client object? Is the company pursuing a different audience with its marketing?
The stories of how “1984” and “Think Different” came to life have been meticulously documented. I think it would be equally instructive to know how these spots got done.
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Methinks it simply has to do with how technology is – and should
be – sold. That is, there are basically two key audiences: Early Adopters and
The Rest of the World. Early Adopters want to be the first to have the latest
gizmo. They will stand in line for days, pay premium prices and even put up
with bugs in the system. They are attracted to cool things and want to be perceived
as cool. The Rest of the World jumps on the bandwagon later. Their primary
concern is that the thingamajig works. Early Adopters spent the night outside
of Apple Stores for first-generation iPads. The Rest of the World bought iPad
2s – and were pissed off to when the next iPad arrived. Experts in creating technology
advertising know these audiences are distinct, and they know the audiences
respond to different messages in different ways. “1984” spoke to Early Adopters.
“What’s on your Powerbook?” spoke more to The Rest of the World. This “Genius” campaign
is speaking to The Rest of the World. It tells the more conservative crowd that
their Apple product will work, and the brand will be there when you need help
for anything. Has any Apple owner EVER been unhappy after visiting the Genius
Bar? What’s more, it’s free. Beats the hell out of Geek Squad. This new
campaign is not nearly as bad as the critics make it out to be. It’s a safe bet
that The Rest of the World will be fine with it. And is the comedy really much
different than the long-running “Mac Guy vs. PC Guy” campaign? Never understood
the praise for that work – it was and old school side-by-side demo.