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At the end of the airplane ad: gotta go to aisle 2 to help with a Keynote issue! 1) Why was the first guy having so many issues? 2) To the average user

At the end of the airplane ad: gotta go to aisle 2 to help with a Keynote issue! 1) Why was the first guy having so many issues? 2) To the average user, WTF is a keynote? 3) I thought that Macs were easy to use? Why do we need a "genius" to help use them? In hindsight, I have no recollection of the nature of the issues the Genius solved. I just remember that lots of Macs were being used and lots of problems were occurring, leading the genius to have to run around the plane. Or something. This is in stark contrast to Apple ads of the past: * Rainbow colored people dancing around with iPods. Music + simple + fun = iPod. Got it. * I'm a Mac. Funny, non-threatening, laid-back hipster versus clumsy, goofy, sweaty guy. Macs are simple, smart, cool. Got it. * Old iPhone ads. Lots of swiping, cool effects, plenty of brands, easy to use. Pick up an iPhone, noodle with it and I'll get it. Got it.

taligent 14y ago
So let me see if I have this right. What you remember is that "If you are having problems with your Mac (no matter how dumb) then an Apple genius is available who is willing to do anything to help you." Sounds to me like Apple achieved the purpose of the ads.
- pizza 14y ago
  The ad implies it's not easy.
  - jopt 14y ago
    Which would be a problem if the ad targeted people who expect it to be easy. Apple are trying to sell Macs to people who are afraid of clicking unfamiliar icons, people who don't read dialogue boxes. The Mac users in their commercials are full of energy, and although (as we can see from the Genius' reaction) they don't know much, they're pushing forward without fear of failure.
    - pizza 14y ago
      > Apple are trying to sell Macs to people who are afraid of clicking unfamiliar icons, people who don't read dialogue boxes. That means they want an easy experience, no?
      - jopt 14y ago
        I don't think so. Easy is not homogenous. This ad doesn't show novice users browsing the web or reading their work e-mail without running into trouble. I think the ad is effective because the Genius doesn't help them with things that are "supposed to be easy." It shows that with just a little help from the Genius Bar, the novice users can do things they'd never dream of figuring out on their own. This ad targets people who would never expect even the "easiest" computer to let them make home movies or do their own presentations.
- CoffeeDregs 14y ago
  >What you remember is that "If you are having problems with >your Mac (no matter how dumb) then an Apple genius is >available who is willing to do anything to help you." Negative. I remembered that "I should expect to have problems with my Mac". I'm more concerned about that than I am about having help nearby. AFAIKnew, Macs were supposed to be easy to use. My wife, non-technical, was left with the same impression.
  - ollysb 14y ago
    I'm guessing to the target audience there is no such thing as a computer that they can use without any help at all. Apple already has a reputation for making products that are easier to use. Now they're pushing the message that you'll always have great support as well (as opposed to the guy waving goodbye from the shop).
    - jiggy2011 14y ago
      Depends what they mean by support, do Apple give you a line you can call and say "hey, I need to make an anniversary card, please stay on the line and talk me through the whole thing?"
      - ollysb 14y ago
        I do agree they might be setting expectations a tad high here...
  - jopt 14y ago
    I take away a more positive message: you don't need to know how it works, and you don't need to be afraid of trying new things (photo books and home movies) that you'd never do with the Windows box they gave you at work. If you get stuck, help will be there. Compare: What if the problem the man on the airplane had was not creative? What if his computer wouldn't start, or he saved over a file accidentally? Then I would probably expect to have problems with my Mac, and no amount of t-shirted genius would save that message. There are different kinds of problem, and different kinds of support. Apple are not pushing Genius as a backup plan or insurance when things go wrong; they're saying you can get help to learn to do things you would never do before.
joshmlewis 14y ago
The first guy wasn't having a problem, he was just overwhelmed by the footage he had. The "genius" helped him sort through it and add an effect because it's easy, painless, and quick.
- zwischenzug 14y ago
  Which misses the point. Most people are just going to see Apple -> problems -> panic -> tech support -> lose It's what I saw. Why associate your product with negativity? It's insanely dumb.
  - jopt 14y ago
    That's crazy talk. Why would most people equate this t-shirted sweetheart with tech support? The ad never calls him a "technician" or "support person." He never helps with technical problems; he just helps lowering the barrier to working creatively on your computer. Most people will see Apple -> no special skills & ambitious projects -> panic -> friendly Genius, nothing like tech support -> win
    - zwischenzug 14y ago
      Again: missing the point. This is not about objective truth, but what people take from it. This is an elementary distinction in advertising, and rhetoric more generally.
      - jopt 14y ago
        No, I'm talking about what people take away from it. I don't think the target audience would equate the Genius with "tech support," regardless of what he actually is.
CamperBob2 14y ago
As far as I could tell, the theme of the airplane ad is "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Forty years ago, you'd have to call a guy in a blue suit for help with your computer problem. Now you have to call a guy in a blue T-shirt. Kind of depressing, actually.
- jamesbritt 14y ago
  Forty years ago, you'd have to call a guy in a blue suit for help with your computer problem. Now you have to call a guy in a blue T-shirt. I'm half expecting a Samsung ad featuring a quasi-Nordic Olympian person with a hammer. And a large screen.
gojomo 14y ago
The 'Mayday' ad ends with "21f is working on a keynote". To the target audience (and especially those who do laptop work on planes), that means 'keynote' as in "prestigious headlining speech at a conference", not "Apple Keynote presentation software".
- jiggy2011 14y ago
  Maybe he is working on a keynote using keynote?

taligent 14y ago

So let me see if I have this right. What you remember is that "If you are having problems with your Mac (no matter how dumb) then an Apple genius is available who is willing to do anything to help you." Sounds to me like Apple achieved the purpose of the ads.

pizza 14y ago
The ad implies it's not easy.
- jopt 14y ago
  Which would be a problem if the ad targeted people who expect it to be easy. Apple are trying to sell Macs to people who are afraid of clicking unfamiliar icons, people who don't read dialogue boxes. The Mac users in their commercials are full of energy, and although (as we can see from the Genius' reaction) they don't know much, they're pushing forward without fear of failure.
  - pizza 14y ago
    > Apple are trying to sell Macs to people who are afraid of clicking unfamiliar icons, people who don't read dialogue boxes. That means they want an easy experience, no?
    - jopt 14y ago
      I don't think so. Easy is not homogenous. This ad doesn't show novice users browsing the web or reading their work e-mail without running into trouble. I think the ad is effective because the Genius doesn't help them with things that are "supposed to be easy." It shows that with just a little help from the Genius Bar, the novice users can do things they'd never dream of figuring out on their own. This ad targets people who would never expect even the "easiest" computer to let them make home movies or do their own presentations.
CoffeeDregs 14y ago
>What you remember is that "If you are having problems with >your Mac (no matter how dumb) then an Apple genius is >available who is willing to do anything to help you." Negative. I remembered that "I should expect to have problems with my Mac". I'm more concerned about that than I am about having help nearby. AFAIKnew, Macs were supposed to be easy to use. My wife, non-technical, was left with the same impression.
- ollysb 14y ago
  I'm guessing to the target audience there is no such thing as a computer that they can use without any help at all. Apple already has a reputation for making products that are easier to use. Now they're pushing the message that you'll always have great support as well (as opposed to the guy waving goodbye from the shop).
  - jiggy2011 14y ago
    Depends what they mean by support, do Apple give you a line you can call and say "hey, I need to make an anniversary card, please stay on the line and talk me through the whole thing?"
    - ollysb 14y ago
      I do agree they might be setting expectations a tad high here...
- jopt 14y ago
  I take away a more positive message: you don't need to know how it works, and you don't need to be afraid of trying new things (photo books and home movies) that you'd never do with the Windows box they gave you at work. If you get stuck, help will be there. Compare: What if the problem the man on the airplane had was not creative? What if his computer wouldn't start, or he saved over a file accidentally? Then I would probably expect to have problems with my Mac, and no amount of t-shirted genius would save that message. There are different kinds of problem, and different kinds of support. Apple are not pushing Genius as a backup plan or insurance when things go wrong; they're saying you can get help to learn to do things you would never do before.

joshmlewis 14y ago

The first guy wasn't having a problem, he was just overwhelmed by the footage he had. The "genius" helped him sort through it and add an effect because it's easy, painless, and quick.

zwischenzug 14y ago
Which misses the point. Most people are just going to see Apple -> problems -> panic -> tech support -> lose It's what I saw. Why associate your product with negativity? It's insanely dumb.
- jopt 14y ago
  That's crazy talk. Why would most people equate this t-shirted sweetheart with tech support? The ad never calls him a "technician" or "support person." He never helps with technical problems; he just helps lowering the barrier to working creatively on your computer. Most people will see Apple -> no special skills & ambitious projects -> panic -> friendly Genius, nothing like tech support -> win
  - zwischenzug 14y ago
    Again: missing the point. This is not about objective truth, but what people take from it. This is an elementary distinction in advertising, and rhetoric more generally.
    - jopt 14y ago
      No, I'm talking about what people take away from it. I don't think the target audience would equate the Genius with "tech support," regardless of what he actually is.

CamperBob2 14y ago

As far as I could tell, the theme of the airplane ad is "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Forty years ago, you'd have to call a guy in a blue suit for help with your computer problem. Now you have to call a guy in a blue T-shirt. Kind of depressing, actually.

jamesbritt 14y ago
Forty years ago, you'd have to call a guy in a blue suit for help with your computer problem. Now you have to call a guy in a blue T-shirt. I'm half expecting a Samsung ad featuring a quasi-Nordic Olympian person with a hammer. And a large screen.

gojomo 14y ago

The 'Mayday' ad ends with "21f is working on a keynote". To the target audience (and especially those who do laptop work on planes), that means 'keynote' as in "prestigious headlining speech at a conference", not "Apple Keynote presentation software".

jiggy2011 14y ago
Maybe he is working on a keynote using keynote?