Get a Mac

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File:Get a Mac ad characters.jpg
The two characters from the ads who personify a non-Mac PC (left, John Hodgman) and a Mac (Justin Long).

The Get a Mac campaign is a current (2006-present) television advertising campaign created for Apple Inc. by TBWA, the company's advertising agency. Shown in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, the ads in the campaign have become easily recognizeable owing to the fact that each ad follows a standard simple template: against a minimalist all-white background, a man dressed in casual clothes introduces himself as a Macintosh running Mac OS X ("Hello, I'm a Mac..."), while a man in a more formal suit and tie combination introduces himself as a non-Macintosh personal computer running Microsoft Windows ("... And I'm a PC."). The two then act out a brief vignette in which the capabilities and attributes of 'Mac' and 'PC' are compared, with PC - characterized as a formal, stuffy person overly concerned with work - often being frustrated by the more laid-back Mac's superior abilities. Some more recent ads have shifted focus away from comparing features of the computer systems to a more general comparison.

The original American ads star Justin Long as the Mac and author and humorist John Hodgman as the non-Mac PC, and are directed by Phil Morrison. The American ads also air on Canadian, Australian and New Zealand television. The recent British campaign stars comedic duo Robert Webb as Mac and David Mitchell as PC; although several of the British ads originated in the American campaign, they are generally slightly altered. The British campaign also features several original ads not seen in the American campaign.

The Get a Mac campaign is the successor to the "Switch" ads first broadcast in 2002. Arguably, the two are most similar in that actors in both campaigns were filmed against a plain white background. Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the campaign during a shareholders meeting the week before the campaign started. The campaign also coincided with a change of signage and employee apparel at Apple retail stores detailing reasons to switch to Macs.

Ads

The following is a brief summary of the different ads that appear in the various campaigns to date. All of the ads play on perceived weaknesses of standard non-Mac personal computers, especially those running Microsoft Windows, of which 'PC' is clearly intended to be a parody, and corresponding strengths possessed by Macs (such as a perceived immunity to circulating viruses and spyware). The advertisements are presented below in alphabetical, not chronological, order.

North American campaign

The following are the ads that appeared in the campaign shown in the United States and Canada. These ads can be viewed online at Apple's "Get A Mac" website and the Canadian equivalent.

  • Accident — A wheelchair-bound PC, who is wearing casts on his arms, explains that he fell off his desk when someone tripped over his power cord, thus prompting Mac to point out that the MacBook’s (or MacBook Pro ) magnetic power cord prevents such an occurrence.
  • Angel/Devil — Mac gives PC an iPhoto book to view. Suddenly, angel and devil versions of PC appear behind him. The angel encourages PC to compliment Mac, while the devil prods PC to destroy the book.
  • Better — Mac praises PC’s ability with spreadsheets, but explains that he is "better with life stuff", such as music, pictures, and movies. PC defensively asks what Mac means by "better", only to sheepishly claim a different definition when Mac tells him.
  • Better Results — PC and Mac discuss making home movies, and show each other their efforts - Gisele Bündchen appears to represent Mac's movie, whilst PC's is represented by a man with a hairy chest and a blonde wig wearing a dress similar to Bündchen's.
  • Choose a Vista — Confused about which of the six versions of Windows Vista to get, PC spins a big game wheel. PC spins "Lose a Turn" and Mac questions why PC put that space on the wheel.
  • Computer Cart — PC and 3 other men in suits are on a computer cart. When Mac asks why, PC says that he gets an error with a Windows Media Player DLL file, and that the others suffer from similar errors. Mac explains that Macs don't get cryptic error messages.
  • Counselor — PC and Mac visit a counselor to resolve their differences. However, whilst Mac finds it easy to compliment PC ("you're a whizz with numbers and you dress like a gentleman"), PC's resentment is too deep for him to reciprocate.
  • Flashback — Mac asks PC if he would like to see a website and photobook that Mac made. This prompts PC to flashback to a time when both himself and Mac were children; when the younger Mac asks the younger PC if he would like to see some artwork he did, the younger PC takes out a calculator and calculates "the time you just wasted." Returning from the flashblack, PC does the same thing.
  • Genius — Mac introduces PC to one of the Geniuses from the Apple Store's Genius bar. PC tests the Genius, starting with math questions and culminating in asking her, on a scale of one to ten, how much does he loathe Mac, to which she answers eleven.
  • Gift Exchange — Mac and PC exchange gifts for the holiday season; PC, who is hoping for a C++ GUI programming guide, is disappointed to receive a photo album of previous Get a Mac ads made on iPhoto, and Mac receives from PC a C++ GUI programming guide.
  • Goodwill — Mac and PC agree to put aside their differences because of the holidays. Although PC momentarily slips and states that Mac "wastes his time with frivolous pursuits like home movies and blogs," the two agree to, as the Mac character says, "pull it into hug harbor".
  • iLife — PC is listening to an iPod and praises iTunes. Mac replies that the rest of iLife works just as well and comes on every Mac. PC defensively responds by listing the "cool apps" that he comes with, but can only identify "calculator" and "clock."
  • Meant for Work — PC, looking haggard and covered in stickers, complains about the kids who use him and their activities, such as making movies and blogging, which are wearing him out. He complains that, unlike Mac, he is meant for work.
  • Network — Mac and PC, holding hands to demonstrate their ability to network with each other, are joined by a Japanese woman representing a new digital camera, who enters and takes the Mac character's hand. Whilst Mac and the camera are perfectly compatible and speak to each other fluently, PC - who cannot speak Japanese - is utterly confused and unable to communicate.
  • Out of the Box — Mac and PC are in boxes discussing what they will do when they are unpacked. Whereas Mac says that he can get started right away, PC is held up by the numerous activities he must complete before being useful. Mac eventually leaves to get right to work, whereas PC is forced to wait for parts that are still in other boxes.
  • Party is Over — PC unhappily throws a party celebrating the release of Vista. He complains to Mac that he had to upgrade his hardware, and now can't use some of his old software and peripherals. He then talks with one of the party members about throwing another in 5 years, which turns into 5 years and a day, and so on.
  • Restarting — Mac and PC explain how they both have a lot in common, but their discussion is hampered by PC's unfortunate habit of freezing and restarting.
  • Sabotage - In this advert, PC is present, but a different actor appears in Mac's place, obviously reciting poorly memorized lines to flatter PC. The real Mac arrives soon after, and whilst PC sheepishly denies anything is happening, 'impostor' Mac tells 'real' Mac that he's "a big fan."
  • Sales Pitch — Although Mac introduces himself as usual, PC says "... and buy a PC." He explains that Mac's increasing popularity is forcing him to be more forward in his self-promotion, and is reduced to holding up red signs with various pitches on them.
  • Security - In a reference to criticisms of Windows Vista's security features, PC is a joined by a tall Secret Service-style bodyguard representing Vista's new security feature, who intrusively demands that he "cancel or allow" every incoming or outgoing interaction he has with Mac.
  • Self Pity — Mac, for once, is wearing a suit, and explains that he "does work stuff too" and has been running Microsoft Office for years. Upon hearing this, PC becomes despondent and collapses on the floor, begging to be left alone to depreciate.
  • Stuffed - PC enters slowly, with a ballooned torso, explaining that all the trial software is slowing him down. Mac replies that Macs only come with the software "you want" (namely, the iLife package). As PC finally gets on his mark, Mac begins his intro again, but PC realizes that he's forgotten something and begins to slowly leave.
  • Surgery - PC appears in the garb of a patient awaiting surgery, and explains that he is upgrading to Windows Vista but requires "surgery" to upgrade (specifically, upgrading such items as graphics cards, processors, memory, etc). In reference to perceived difficulties in upgrading, PC admits that he is worried about going through it and bequeaths his peripherals to Mac should he not survive.
  • Tech Support - A technician is present to 'install' a webcam to PC (using masking tape to attach it to his head). PC is extremely pleased by his new upgrade, but on hearing from the technician that Mac has a built-in webcam, he storms off without waiting for the camera to be fully 'installed'.
  • Touché — Right after PC introduces himself, the Mac character replies, "And I'm a PC too" (though technically, the Mac is and has always been a personal computer). Mac explains to the confused PC that he can run both Mac OS X and Windows XP, calling himself "the only computer you'll ever need." PC mutters, "Oh...touché." The Mac character, referring to the rules of fencing, explains that one only says "touché" after he or she makes a point and someone else makes a counterpoint, but the PC character continues to misuse the word.
  • Viruses — PC has caught a new virus (represented as a cold) and warns Mac to stay away from him, citing the "114,000 known viruses for PCs." Mac states that the viruses that affect PCs don't affect him, and PC announces that he's going to 'crash' before collapsing onto the floor in a faint.
  • Work vs. Home — Mac describes how he enjoys doing 'fun stuff' such as podcasts and movies, leading PC to claim that he also does "fun stuff" such as timesheets, spreadsheets and pie charts. After Mac responds that it is difficult to capture a family vacation using a pie chart, PC rebuts by showing a pie chart representing "hangout time" and "just kicking it" with different shades of gray.
  • WSJ — Mac is reading a favourable review of himself by Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal. Jealous, PC then claims that he also received a great review, but is caught offguard when Mac asks for specific details. This ad is currently not available online.

Web exclusive campaign

Several advertisements have been shown exclusively in Flash ad campaigns running on numerous websites.[1] Unlike the ads shown on television, these advertisements have not been posted as high-quality QuickTime videos on Apple's website. These ads run for approximately 20 seconds each and reference specific online advertising features (such as the edge of the banner ad), making it unlikely they will ever appear on television.

The titles are taken from the Flash video filenames.

  • Banging – PC expresses his regret for upgrading to Windows Vista, as it is causing him various problems. Mac tries to comfort him but PC continues to bang his head on the side of the banner advertisement.
  • Hiding – PC peeks in from the left side of the screen. When Mac asks what PC is doing, PC explains that he is hiding from viruses and spyware. PC then leaves, saying that he has to run a scan. There are two versions of this ad: a 300x250 "square" ad and a 160x600 vertical banner ad. PC is identical in both versions, but Mac's performance features a different take in each.
  • Knocking – PC panics about needing to search for new drivers for his hardware now that he's upgraded to Windows Vista. He tries force his way off the left side of the screen so he can leave to find the new drivers, but repeatedly runs into a wall. When he finally succeeds in breaking through the left side of the screen he finds himself jumping back in from the right side of the screen.
  • PC Turf (PCMag.com and PCWorld.com exclusive) – PC welcomes web surfers to his "turf", PCMag.com, and remarks that Mac must feel out of place there. Mac points out that they said some great things about Macs, so PC asks security to remove Mac because he's "going to be a problem." The PCWorld version is identical, except PC's voice is over-dubbed to say "PCWorld.com"

UK campaign

Mitchell and Webb as PC and Mac.

For the British market, the ads were recast with British comedy double act Mitchell and Webb in the lead roles; David Mitchell as 'PC' and Robert Webb as 'Mac'. As well as original ads, several ads from the American campaign were reshot with new dialogue and slightly altered scenes. These ads are about 40 seconds long which is slightly longer than the US advertisements. These versions can be viewed at Apple UK.

The following ads are exclusive to the UK:

  • Art Language - In an effort to relate to the "creative arty-farty types" he assumes own Macs, PC - dressed in a stereotypically bohemian fashion - begins speaking to Mac using excessively superlative and pretentious language. Despite Mac's insistence that he enables anyone to be creative, PC continues using big words, eventually confusing even himself.
  • Court - PC, dressed in a barrister's outfit, questions Mac on how long it takes to make a iPhoto photobook that Mac claims to have made in a few minutes. Doubting Mac's claim, PC eventually resorts to cutting off Mac whenever he tries to speak.
  • Magic - Exchanging an "average 50k Word document" in a file to Mac, PC makes out that the process is much harder than it actually is through the use of a drum roll and a Magician's Assistant. Bemused, Mac points out that he is compatible with PC and passes him back a photo with no fuss at all.
  • Naughty Step - PC unveils his "naughty step": the ultimate deterent "to an unruly errant child". He goes on to explain that children should not be making pictures, movies and websites on a "proper, grown up PC". Mac points out that this is the fun stuff children like to do, resulting in his own banishment to the naughty step.
  • Office at Home - PC seems proud of his role in both the office and the home, but Mac retaliates by stating that homes are not run like offices, and thus shouldn't have office computers. PC eagerly begins to describe the ways in which homes can be run like offices, with his increasing authoritarianism prompting Mac to sarcastically comment that his home sounds like a fun place.
  • Office Posse - PC wonders why Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Entourage) are standing with Mac, and is surprised when Mac says he runs Office also. PC attempts to order, and then entice, the Office members to join him, but they refuse, resulting in what Mac calls an "awkward" moment.
  • Tentacle - PC praises Britain's work ethics, chastising Mac's insistence on the need for fun in life. In attempting to persuade Mac of his point of view, PC employs the use of several animal metaphors, but becomes sidetracked through his increasingly eager musing about the practical applications of octopus tentacles in an office.

Several American ads have been modified for the UK market. In some of these ads, the events that occur in the narrative differ significantly from the original American campaign. Others follow the original ads more closely, with only minor differences (many based on the differences in characterisation from the actors involved or language differences between American English and British English). The adapted ads are:

  • Accident - The ad follows the same narrative, with a different ending; PC, clearly heavily drugged, requests to be pushed over to the window so he can look at the pigeons, only for Mac to point out that there are no pigeons nor a window.
  • Network - The ad follows the same narrative, but in the British version Mac connects with a Japanese printer instead of a digital camera. PC is also more involved in the dialogue, attempting to communicate in Japanese with the printer, only to mangle his words and first point out that he is "a rice cake" before asking "where is the train station?" (In the US version, PC cannot communicate with the camera since he does not "speak its language").
  • Out of the Box - The ad is almost exactly the same as the American version; however, at the end, PC pulls out an extremely thick user manual and starts reading it.
  • Restarting - The ad follows much the same narrative as the American advert, with the only major difference being that after Mac has left to get someone from "IT", PC awakens and wonders where everyone has gone.
  • Stuffed - This ad contains no significant changes from the American version.
  • Trust Mac - The ad follows the same narrative as the American version, but ends differently; the British version ends with PC yelling out that there is nobody present but "two Macs having fun!"
  • Work vs. Home - The ad is found under the new name Pie Chart on the website. The narrative is largely the same as the American advert, with the only signficiant differences being PC's use of a pointer stick as opposed to a pointing laser in the American version, and the further division of the pie chart after the primary two divisions. Also the slang terms used are different.
  • Viruses - The ad is shown on the Apple website under the title Virus and contains the dialogue "this one's a humdinger" instead of a doozy, but contains no significant changes from the American version.

Japan campaign

File:Japanese Get a Mac.jpg
The Rahmens as PC and Mac in Security

On December 12, a number of ads were released in Japan that were similar in style to the US "Get a Mac" ads. The Mac and PC are played by the Rahmens, a Japanese comedy duo.

The following ads are exclusive to Japan:

  • Nicknames - PC is confused on why Mac is not called a PC. Mac then explains that more people use him at home, and PC counters that he is more business-oriented. PC then asks for a nickname for himself; Mac then names him "Wāku" (work).
  • Nengajo - Mac shows PC the New Year's Card he made using iPhoto. PC then looks at it, remarking about the picture of the wild boar on the card.
  • Practice Drawing - PC says he can create pictures, but they are all graphs; for example, what Mac thinks is Manhattan is a bar graph and what Mac thinks is a mountain view is a line graph. Mac catches on, correctly identifying a pie chart, but PC responds that it is a pizza.
  • Steps - Mac tells PC that he has made his own webpage using iWeb. PC asks for the steps to do so. Mac gives them, ending after step 3. PC then pesters Mac for step 4, which Mac finally explains is to "have a cup of coffee".

Several American ads have been modified for the Japanese market. In some of these ads, the events that occur in the narrative differ significantly from the original American campaign. Others follow the original ads more closely, with only minor differences (many based on the differences in characterisation from the actors involved). The adapted ads are:

  • Better Results - The ad is now called iMovie. It is similar to the American version, except PC actually thinks that his home movie is comparable to the Mac home movie.
  • iLife - This ad is almost exactly the same as the American version.
  • Office Posse - The ad is now called Microsoft Office. It contains some minor changes from the UK version, but no significant changes. At the end of the ad, PC tries to entice Office by telling them, "Overtime! Overtime!", rather than offering to do a quarterly report together, to which Mac playfully replies, "All together now".
  • Restarting - The ad is now called Restart, but is identical to the American advert.
  • Stuffed - The ad is now called Bloated, but contains no significant changes from the original.
  • Trust Mac - This ad is now called Security. This ad is different in that rather than disguising himself to hide from viruses, PC protects himself to fight viruses. After demanding that any virus out there come and fight him, Mac points out a virus; PC slowly goes behind Mac to protect himself.
  • Viruses - The ad contains no significant changes from the American version.
  • Work vs. Home - The ad is found under the new name Pie Chart on the website. The narrative is largely the same as the American advert, with the only significant differences being that Mac is blogging rather than working with movies, music, and podcasts, and the names of the divisions of the pie chart are different.

WWDC

While not strictly a part of the ad campaign, Hodgman and Long appeared in videos prior to the keynotes at the 2006 and 2007 Worldwide Developers Conference.

  • 2006 - In an attempt to stall Mac development, PC claims to have a message from Steve Jobs saying that the developers should take the rest of the year off, and that Microsoft could use some help with Vista. He starts to go off-topic about his vacation with Jobs, but when Mac arrives he says he's just preparing for their next commercial and starts to sing the Meow Mix theme song off-key.
  • 2007 - PC dresses up as Steve Jobs, and announces that he is quitting and shutting down Apple. He claims that Vista did so well, selling "tens of dozens of copies," that there's no need for Leopard, and that he got his "ipod-killer," a brown Zune. He tells the developers to just go home; they're no longer needed. Mac arrives and chides PC for trying to mislead the developers again like last year. He asks if PC really thinks the audience will believe he is Jobs. PC then claims he is Phil Schiller.

Release dates (U.S. campaign)

The different spots were released gradually:

  • The original set of "Viruses", "Restarting", "Better", "iLife", "Network", "WSJ", were launched on May 2, 2006.
  • "Work vs. Home", "Touché", and "Out of the Box" were released on June 12, 2006.
  • "Accident", "Angel/Devil" and "Trust Mac", were released for the campaign on August 27, 2006 for the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards.
  • In September, three new commercials made their debut on Canadian television, one ("Better Results") features Gisele Bundchen alongside Hodgman and Long in an advertisement which had been sighted at certain Apple Stores. They were published to Apple's website on October 9, 2006.
  • In October, 2006, the 3 new ads, "Better Results", "Counselor", and "Self Pity", were sighted on U.S. network TV.
  • In late November, 2006, 3 new ads were released, "Gift Exchange," "Sales Pitch" and "Meant for Work."
  • On December 19, 2006 the ad "Goodwill" was released on apple.com. "WSJ" disappeared from the "See all the ads" section afterwards (but is still on the site).
  • With the introduction of the iPhone, "Surgery" was added and "Network" was removed from the menu (though not taken down) as of 1/9/07.
  • On January 16, 2007, "Sabotage" and "Tech Support" were added, and the 2006 holiday ads ("Gift Exchange" and "Goodwill") and "Better" were removed. "Network" was added once again.
  • On February 6, 2007, "Security" was added.
  • On February 7, 2007, "Gift Exchange", "Goodwill", and "Better" were re-added, meaning that all of the U.S. campaign ads except for "WSJ" can be seen on apple.com.
  • On April 11, 2007, "Computer Cart" and "Flashback" were added.
  • On April 14, 2007, The "Stuffed" ad was added.
  • On May 7, 2007, "Choose a Vista", "Genius", and "Party is Over" were added.

Parodies

There have been several parodies of this ad campaign on the internet, the most notable of which are:

  • Copycat pokes fun at the GUI of Vista looking very similar to some of the features in Mac OSX. It was produced by Justin Sabo, Nicole Brown, and Tom LeClair.
  • Canadian comedy group TrueNuff has produced a variety of spoof ads which parody the Get A Mac campaign. The spoofs have gained popularity through YouTube and have appeared on television.[2]
  • David Pogue, technolgy columnist for The New York Times, in one of his video articles, a parody of the ads is done showing how Kodak printers have higher quality pictures for less ink: a female Kodak with a skull and crossbones parody on her shirt compares herself with a blonde male HP in a business suite have elevated arguments, leading to HP attacking Kodak which causes Pogue, acting probably as a director, to come out and break up the fight. The video ends with the two going to bash Epson.
  • Greenpeace, in their effort to make Apple produce more environmentally-friendly products, released a spoof video showing PC and Mac listing the contaminants they each contain.
  • Novell created three "Get a Mac" ads with PC, Mac (both in the style of the Get a Mac guys) and Linux (in the style of a 25-year-old woman). [3]
  • The introduction video of Intel Developer Forum 2006 opening keynote is a spoof showing that both PCs and Macs are both using Intel Core 2 Duo chips. It shows the Mac character looking at the PC character's arm, which has an Intel-style Core 2 Duo logo tattooed to it. Mac unzips his jacket to reveal an Apple-style Core 2 Duo logo. They hug.
  • Another spoof, featured on G4, features the Wii (represented by a chipper, attractive woman) vs the PS3 (represented by a serious and overweight woman). The Wii talks about its ease of use, and price, whereas the PS3 claims that "good things cost good money", and that she has better features.
  • David Letterman created a short spoof in which, after PC's and Mac's introductions, Mac suddenly explodes. This is a reference to the Sony battery explosions of 2006 that affected numerous notebook manufacturers, including Dell, Apple and Toshiba, amongst others.
  • The Canadian sketch show Royal Canadian Air Farce has begun parodies of the campaign where, PC is replaced with a Progressive Conservative (called PC), and Mac is replaced with a Liberal. The parodies begin similar to the real ads, with the Liberal saying "Hi, I'm a Liberal." and the Progressive Conservative adding "And I'm a PC."
  • An episode of satirical comedy show Dead Ringers featured a sketch involving Tony Blair as PM, and David Cameron as a Mac, as a comparison between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. They finish by stating that it doesn't matter which you choose, because like computers, "We're the only options you've got.", at which point Ming Campbell (of the Liberal Democrats) comes on behind in a motorised wheelchair, saying "That's what you think! I'm a ZX81, you know!".

Criticisms

In an article for Slate magazine, Seth Stevenson criticized the campaign as being too "mean spirited", suggesting, "isn't smug superiority (no matter how affable and casually dressed) a bit off-putting as a brand strategy?".[4]

In the 'Viruses' commercial, Mac claims none of the viruses for PCs affect him, but macro viruses do not rely on the operating system but instead individual pieces of software, thus letting them work on either Macs or PCs with the affected software. In addition, there are spyware known to attack any operating system with a compatible browser.[5]


In an article in The Guardian, Charlie Brooker points out that the use of the comedians Mitchell and Webb in the UK campaign is curious. They both star in the sitcom Peep Show in which, to quote the article's author, "Mitchell plays a repressed, neurotic underdog, and Webb plays a selfish, self-regarding poseur". He goes on to say, "So when you see the ads, you think, 'PCs are a bit rubbish yet ultimately lovable, whereas Macs are just smug, preening tossers.'"[6]

References

  1. ^ "The "Get A Mac" ads you won't find on your television". Retrieved 2007-05-30.
  2. ^ http://www.g4techtv.ca/torrent/episode/0021/index.shtml?0021
  3. ^ Novell marketing videos (in both MPEG and OGG Theora)
  4. ^ http://www.slate.com/id/2143810/
  5. ^ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/26/firefox_malware_extension/
  6. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2006031,00.html

See also

External links

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