LONDON – Sneaker brand Converse is courting more controversy over its use of dead celebrities to promote its shoes, by releasing a limited-edition boot with a design incorporating writing from Kurt Cobain’s diary.
So, according to Radar Online the “Mac guy”, aka Justin Long, is not returning for the next batch of Mac ads. Why? Well if you ask Slate, it’s because he’s a smug little twit.
Perhaps for striking people as a “smug little twit,” in the words of Seth Stevenson, ad critic for Slate. Long, he adds, is “just the sort of unshaven, hoodie-wearing, hands-in-pockets hipster we’ve always imagined when picturing a Mac enthusiast…. It’s like Apple is parodying its own image while also cementing it.” Of the polymathic Hodgman, who has drawn acclaim for his work on The Daily Show and NPR’s This American Life as well as his book, The Areas of My Expertise, Stevenson writes, “Even as he plays the chump in these Apple spots, his humor and likability are evident.”
As much as I like to laugh at the PC guy played by John Hodgman – that Mac guys still wins. I never found him smug or annoying in the least. But then again, the only hardware I run is either a mac or something I put together which has a nice fast Athlon in it. Full disclosure, our server now has xeons which is Intel, but this still doesn’t mean I’m using anything from Microsoft, ever. How’s that for a smug mac user?
Here’s a little trip down memory lane of Mac vs PC commercials for you in the commercial archive, inside are links to the ads so far in reverse chronological order. Which one is your favorite?
LONDON – Nokia is putting web sales at the heart of its strategy to sell handsets direct to consumers.
LONDON – Soft-drinks companies’ main growth is set to come from premium products, such as smoothies, despite a slowdown in consumer spending, according to the Britvic Soft Drinks Report 2008.
LONDON – Businesses have been urged to resist cutting their marketing budgets in the event of an economic downturn, as to do so could significantly damage their brands.
LONDON – McDonald’s has moved its ‘trust’ business out of TBWA\London and into Leo Burnett ahead of a drive to improve marketing to families.
LONDON – Waitrose has outlined a marketing and investment strategy for 2008 aimed at taking on its closest rival, Sainsbury’s.
LONDON – Walkers crisps is to drop sport pundit Gary Lineker as the face of the brand, bringing to an end a 13-year association.
LONDON – Cobra Beer is to end its backing of movies on ITV2, 3 and 4 after striking a £2m, one-year sponsorship deal with UKTV channel Dave.
LONDON – Vodafone has signed a deal with Warner Music for Madonna’s upcoming “Hard Candy†album to be distributed and promoted to the mobile giant’s customers.
Get a load of the repositioning memo:
Not so long ago in our industry, the holy grail was an ad that “broke through the clutter,” was “attention getting,” “memorable,” “persuasive” (ads usually measure by a copy test of an ad unit).
Check out the JellyBeats, which are like jellyfish you can alternately identify with and fantasize about eating. Each is themed with a genre of music (folk, easy listening, acid house — wouldn’t it have been funny if that whistle was a pacifier?) and comes equipped with its own playlist.
(TrendHunter.com) Interactive art installations allow anybody to create their own artistic manifesto.
Liquid Space 2.1 is an interactive space that uses a software and electronic systems to create a live response when humans interact with it. It was created by Studio Roosegaarde 2.5 and involves human sounds and mot…
For interior design site mydeco, TAMBA put together a swanky Facebook app for all the users that are getting too old to cash in on their .edu cachet.
Advertising Agency: TBWA, Mumbai, India
Art Director / Copywriter: Tulika Seth
Photographer: Biswajit
Production: Ajay Damania
Released: September 2007
Advertising Agency: TBWA, Mumbai, India
Art Director / Copywriter: Tulika Seth
Photographer: Biswajit
Production: Ajay Damania
Released: September 2007
Advertising Agency: KNSK, Hamburg, Germany
Creative Director: Tim Krink
Art Director: Thomas Thiele
Photographer: Markus Heumann
Published: October 2007
Advertising Agency: KNSK, Hamburg, Germany
Creative Director: Tim Krink
Art Director: Thomas Thiele
Photographer: Markus Heumann
Published: October 2007
Advertising Agency: KNSK, Hamburg, Germany
Creative Director: Tim Krink
Art Director: Thomas Thiele
Photographer: Markus Heumann
Published: October 2007
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