While shopping for a laptop, whether for an educational, work, or personal purpose, many people’s first choice is the Apple Macbook. This could be due to a variety of reasons: its susceptibility to few or no viruses, the sleek design, Apple’s reputation of good quality, or simply the bandwagon effect; people see that “everyone else” has one, so naturally, they want one as well. Whatever it is that attracts people to this product has made Apple one of the most successful companies in the world.
The media also plays a significant part in the consumer’s decision-making process. Apple spends millions of dollars on advertising each year on posters, magazine or Internet ads, and radio or television commercials, ensuring that their products maintain an edge over any other company’s. These advertisements are meant to draw in an audience as broad as possible to sell whichever piece of technology is being promoted. I came across one advertisement in particular, though, which I felt did the exact opposite; I felt as if it was meant for a very specific audience. The ads for the Macbook typically compare the Mac and the PC, show off the design that cannot be found anywhere else, or exhibit the new and advanced technology they have to offer. This ad’s main focus, though, didn’t appear to be on the product itself, but the price.
During the time of which this advertisement ran, Apple had, for a limited time, marked down the price of their white thirteen inch Macbook from $999 to $849. This advertisement is a poster, or possibly an ad in a magazine. There is nobody speaking to the audience, therefore, the visual representations say everything, and don’t always say the same things to everyone. The symbols used are simply the Apple logo, in gray, and a picture of the white laptop overlapping. The Apple icon is the largest symbol used in the advertisement. This may seem a bit peculiar at first, but is actually a very clever marketing strategy, considering Apple’s credibility and universal fame. As soon as someone sees the apple with a missing bite, they automatically associate that product with the most up to date software, and the technology of tomorrow. The background is also white and the only color used is in the background on the screen of the laptop. This background is not only the factory set default background on any Macbook, but also very new age in appearance, which is desirable for anyone looking to invest in a laptop. The purpose of only incorporating color on the computer background is to draw the main focus directly onto what is being advertised. The only wording (large enough to read without a struggle) used on the ad is the price of $849, in the bottom right hand corner, and slogan placed directly in front of the picture, which states, “almost, pocket change.”
This slogan, I found very disturbing and offensive. While $150 is a significant discount, the price still being asked is nowhere near “pocket change” for the average person. In fact, I personally spent my whole summer before I went off to college working and saving every dime to purchase this piece of technology. Quite frankly, the amount saved is closer to pocket change than the price being asked. It almost seems as if Apple is reaching out towards a more wealthy audience, who has a more significant amount of disposable income.
The ad didn’t say anything like “save $150 for a limited only,” which would have reached out to the average college student or their parents, who are already going to be making such a huge investment on the college education itself, or the blooming entrepreneur who is trying to launch his new business. After all, why not save your money and purchase a comparable laptop from another company for half the price? Apple failed to include the reason why most people, myself included, choose to purchase the Macbook; it has something for everyone. The software capabilities are incredible, fun for work and play; you can literally do almost anything on this laptop. Not to mention, the ease of the incapability to contract a virus that will destroy your unit is enough to persuade a potential buyer in its own. Apple instead, opts to focus strictly on the financial aspect. The idea that they think of $849 as just “pocket change” is a slap in the face for those of us who work long and hard for our money and don’t have a couple grand laying around at any given time, to be spent on whatever we please.
It is understandable that every company is trying to make their money to stay afloat, but a more effective marketing method would be to reach out to the commonality, which is the middle class, blue or white collared worker. In advertisement, it is important to consider how your audience will analyze your ad and if it could be offensive to potential consumers. Although Apple likely had only good intentions while producing the slogan for this ad, not everyone will interpret the message the way the creators intended it to be taken. Because of the failure to consider this, Apple has likely given off a snobbish, high and mighty vibe to a pretty substantial part of its audience. Although it is just one offensive ad out of many strongly structured ones, the affects on the audience can be very difficult, or even impossible to reverse.
