My Two Cents

Expression of Individuality in Ads

March 11, 2007 at 2:58 pm (Uncategorized)

In terms of individuality, print ads and commercials have come a long way.  I didn’t think I’d be able to find this commercial, I just sort of stumbled upon it.  While it might be slightly on the radical side, I think it was a fantastic idea:

I thought this was a perfect example in that it markets Macintosh by saying that it’s a new innovation in technology and if you own it you won’t be controlled by a sort of Big Brother.  It also sends the message that having the freedom of self-expression is a commodity that one should not live without.  As Macintosh was released in 1984, (ie: George Orwell’s novel) their strategy for marketing was already created for them.  All they had to do was to realize it and take advantage of it to create an extremely clever ad campaign. 

In a side by side comparison of Macintosh 1984 to Apple 2007, they have also come a long way in their advertising.  Apple’s current campaign features a middle-aged man, who represents PC, and a young guy, who represents Mac.  It tells the viewer that no matter what their age, Mac users are not accepting of the norm, are trendsetters and free-thinkers.  By saying this, it’s implying that PC’s are old and stodgy.

In comparing the two ads, Apple has obviously lightened their campaign by interjecting humor.  The message of not conforming is still there it’s just demonstrated in a more subtle manner.