A Rhetorical Analysis Of Apple's First Get A Mac Campaign

In contemporary society, it is almost impossible to imagine someone who lives without a computer. The advancement of computer technology in all facets of the world substantially grew to the point where everyone needs a computer to carry out their everyday life. Computers have not only become a common accessory but a necessity as well. Computers have gained significance as they have improved the efficiency and productivity of work done. With the overwhelming demand for computers and their functions, the question ‘what kind of computer should I purchase?’ ripens. In 2006, Apple Launched their first “Get- A Mac” commercial. In the first year the campaign produced 19 ads. After 4 years the campaign included 66 advertisements trying to convince

When he restarts, he goes through his “startup” introduction again, word for word. Mac explains that he doesn’t need to re- introduce himself, that they’ve moved on. PC then freezes again. “We had him, then we lost him,” says Mac, who then asks the audience to keep an eye on PC while he calls I.T. for help. This ad targets the average person who probably has a PC at home to do some work on, and might not know about Macs, or might just not think about them when purchasing. One of the main strategies that Apple used in this campaign was the theme of simplicity. The backdrops of these ads are a plain white seen with nothing else to distract the eye. It is easy to watch and simple, which is what Apple is trying to portray that MAC’s are. The company is subtly making the viewer aware of how simple their product is to use, and how simple it is to switch from PC to MAC (which is who their target audience is, current PC users who are scared to switch). As mentioned, an ad that compares itself favorably to the competition is a “comparative” ad, a genre which is becoming increasingly popular because of the way it capitalizes on human judgment processes. Human judgment is much more easily swayed by negative than positive information. Some researchers estimate that a single negative message’s impact in judgment is equivalent in strength to five or more positive

Solicitous Mac explains that he doesn’t get viruses, and tenderly wipes PC’s nose. Surprised and still sneezing, PC says “I think I’m going to crash” and falls over. The advertisements’ target market isn’t a “geeky” user, who would know more about viruses, and has likely made a conscious choice to buy a PC over a Mac. Rather, it’s an average person, who probably has a PC at home to do some work on, and might not know about Macs, or might just not think about them when purchasing. The strategy is in this particular commercial; highlighted a specific problem that PC had. Doing this they were able to make their audience question if a PC was the right type of a computer to have. But ultimately they were trying to point out all the flaws to make PC look bad, maybe even worse then the company actually is. In the friendship though, a strategy the MAC used was making the character “Mac” a friendlier, caring character. While the “PC” character at times does not always seem to appreciate “Mac’s” friendship and is seen as the cold-hearted friend. Overall, the strategies Apple used are able to capture the audience and keep them attentive and interested throughout the whole campaign. As well as ultimately increasing