Posted on 11/09/2006 5:37:46 PM PST by Vermonter
No the other one
By Nick Farrell: Thursday 09 November 2006, 08:51
MAKER OF entertainment gear, Apple has decided to dump its 'Mac Guy' advertisements because the character is a 'smug little twit'. According to Radar Online, the advertising campaign was designed to show a PC guy and a Mac Guy talking about the advantages of their different systems. Of course the Mac Guy was supposed to win the argument.
Alas while viewing audiences felt that while the Mac Guy may have proved his case, most of them wanted to pummel the smug little twit into a coma and jump on his bleeding body until the cops arrived.
In fact most of them liked the PC guy, John Hodgman, better, which was not really the point.
The Mac Guy was Justin Long, whose agent has confirmed that he is no longer hawking Macs for Apple and was getting on with his memorable film career. When the ads came out, Seth Stevenson, ad critic for Slate, complained that Long was just the sort of unshaven, hoodie-wearing, hands-in-pockets hipster we've always imagined when picturing a Mac enthusiast.
I have been poking around in the dust bins this holiday for nuggets and I stumbled on this one. Two thoughts came to mind:
1. Steve Jobs rescued Apple awhile back when they were about to go under, showing that it can't be run as just another business. You need a chief geek to keep things moving in the right direction. I hope this incident isn't another instance of the rot that was apple before Jobs returned. Although I don't use Apples, their products have been good for the industry.
2. Maybe 30 years ago one of the beer companies (Miller, I think) got in trouble with an ad that showed a guy and a mountain lion, deriding the idea that someone would take his beer. It ended something like (saying to his large cat)"Say hello to your lunch". Threatening your potential customers with being eaten by a mountain lion just didn't seem appropriate.
Well, you get what you pay for :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.