Apple recently released a set of new ads that have met with widespread criticism from the tech community. While I don't really like the ads myself, it actually seems like a good idea for Apple to have made them.
The moment I looked at them here's what came to mind: Apple has moved on. The geeks of the world are no longer prime targets for Apple. Neither are our friends and acquaintances. If you've read Crossing the Chasm, Moore talks about five kinds of audiences that need to be addressed: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards. Any guesses which group Apple needs to target now? No? Didn't think so.
Apple has already finished marketing to us (if you're reading this off HN or Reddit, people like you and me), our circle of friends, and our friend's friends. There isn't anyone in these three circles who doesn't know what Apple, Macs, iPhones, iPads and iPods are, and what they can do. Every one in these circles either has one or more of them; or has come in close contact with an Apple product or visited an Apple Store.
These ads are a solution to the following problems. Admittedly, I might have thought of them after looking at the ads, but I still they're relevant:
-
There is a large number of people who have heard of Apple, but do not actually know what the products are. They can be conned into buying knock-offs or other brands by salesmen who claim they're "like Apple stuff". This population needs to be told that people in blue t-shirts wearing gray tags are the authority on all things Apple. The next time they walk past an Apple store they'll hesitate for a moment before moving on.
-
There is an audience that has no idea Apple makes things other than the iPhone and the iPad. Note the complete lack of those two devices in the ads. Apple is trying to upsell the notebooks: if they think the iOS devices are cool, they might want to look at the Macs too.
-
There is a population that is not directly affected by design, performance or build quality, but rather by humour, slapstick and seeing funny things. There are a lot of products that are made for these markets that advertise this way: Apple is only now moving to this market.
Again, I really don't like the ads too much, but I can see why they've been made and who they're aimed at. There really isn't any point caterwauling about the end of Apple yet.