AOW 11/28: Apple Inc. Ad

This weeks article (ad) comes from a recent Apple ad campaign for its personal computer, the iMac. This ad campaign came in 2006 and ended in 2010. The ads showed two different people, one of whom portrayed a PC (who ran on the Windows operating system) and one of whom portrayed a Mac. The Mac character was more casual than the PC character who was in business attire. Many of the commercials showed a conversation with the characters that involved the Mac telling the PC that he was able to do the same things but even better. The commercials aired when Windows released the Windows Vista operating software. Apple then decided to counter that campaign with this campaign. This campaign was targeted at everybody who used a computer, whether it was for business or pleasure. The different commercials talked the wide variety of uses and capabilities of the iMac. The main rhetorical device used in all of the commercials was juxtaposition of the characters. The Mac character wore jeans and t-shirt compared to the PC character who wore a business suit. In the way they speak they also were very different. The Mac character was very calm and did not get excited or overenthusiastic, whereas the PC character would get excited and frustrated about the Windows product. He often was against the Mac product, whereas the Mac was stating more people were switching to him because of the iMac's speed and simplicity. The structure is also very similar. Every commercial began with, "Hello, I'm a Mac. Hello, I'm a PC." After the same introduction, it followed with PC stating a claim about Windows great features followed by the Mac refuting his claim and stating Macs have the same thing and it is quicker and simpler. Apple accomplished its purpose because sales of Mac and all Apple products grew and Windows sales fell. Many people also knew the ads well and enjoyed their humor.