Old 'MadTV' sketch imagined iPad for ladies

Steve Jobs came down from the mountain with his tablet. Mere mortals can't dispute anything Jobs does, but his choice of the name iPad is raising some eyebrows. Twitter is alive with cracks that it sounds like a feminine hygiene product. Apple should have seen this coming. In 2007, Mad TV ran a skit about Apple developing its own feminine-care product called, you guessed it, the iPad. Will the iPad join the Chevy Nova as a truly ill-thought brand name? Probably not, since the Apple fanatics are willing to trust in Steve in all matters.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Filed under Apple, Morrissey, Parody
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Women mostly not impressed by iPad name

Apple's usually pretty good at naming things, but they can't be happy that iTampon is now a trending topic on Twitter. Image via.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

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Apple and TBWA's 'Get a Mac' campaign: Watch all 66 TV spots that have aired so far

We know how you love Apple and TBWA's "Get a Mac" ads with John Hodgman and Justin Long. So, over on this page, we've posted all 66 TV spots that have aired so far in the campaign. The success of Microsoft's Windows 7 raises some questions about the viability of "Get a Mac" going forward. (There have been no new spots since October, and Apple skipped doing its traditional holiday spots last month.) But for now, just sit back and enjoy the work from the past four years.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Apple, Nudd, TBWA
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13,750-square-foot iPod board goes missing

A gargantuan iPod Touch billboard disappeared from its scaffolding in Boston this week. The 13,750-square-foot wall of a Planet Self-Storage building is showing its whale mural underneath for the first time since 2007 (that's two years of oversized Apple banners). No one seems to know why the ad so suddenly disappeared, but it might be related to the fact that the state's Outdoor Advertising Board has been calling it illegal for a while. You see, rules for giant wall ads like this require that the building owner sell the product being advertised. Planet Self-Storage sells iTunes gift cards (why?) but not iPods or any other iProducts. (Lots of Apple products might be self-stored inside, of course.) The Boston Globe's take is that the billboard's illegality was generally overlooked by the mayor's office. Maybe PETA elves took the banner down in an effort to save the whales.

—Posted by Sarah Knapp

Filed under Apple, Controversy, Knapp
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Florida Keys ads say there's no app for that

There's an app for almost everything, except for things that occur outside the iPhone's 480-by-320-pixel screen. That's the message in this spot by Tinsley Advertising for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, representing the Florida Keys & Key West. "Real experiences are always worth more," says the voiceover. "So, unplug and reconnect in the Florida Keys & Key West." The Keys join Dentyne gum and Coleman camping gear among the advertisers who are positioning themselves in opposition to the inexorable march of technology.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Previously on AdFreak:
Stop wasting your life online, says Dentyne
Coleman brings camping into the 21st century with iPhone apps

Filed under Apple, Nudd, Parody, Tinsley Advertising, Tourism
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Creators of anti-Droid ad unmasked (sort of)

It turns out pros are behind the Apple-fanboy spoof ad (above) of the Verizon Droid ad spoofing Apple ads. The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog has an interview with the creators, described as staffers from a "Boston-area ad agency." The creative director, "Shawn" (they declined to give their last names), doesn't go out of his way to refute the notion that creative directors can sometimes act like jerks. He says the most controversial line in the spot, "iDon't buy brands who bash other brands," is pointed out as being hypocritical within the ad itself (by showing a Mac and PC clip and the line, "i… oops"). "Apparently even in fake advertising, you can go wrong estimating the intelligence of your audience," Shawn says. Ouch. The question remains: Which Boston-area ad agency is it?

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Previously on AdFreak:
Apple fan strikes back at Verizon Droid spot

Filed under Apple, Morrissey, Parody, Telecom, Verizon
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Apple fan strikes back at Verizon Droid spot

It was inevitable. The Verizon Droid spoof of an Apple commercial (below) has now been spoofed by an Apple fanboy in the video above. It just changes the copy with jabs about ripping off Apple and the interesting claim that "iDon't buy from brands that bash other brands." This makes my head hurt. We can only hope a Droid supporter doesn't spoof the spoof of the spoof. A hole might open in the universe. Via the WSJ's Digits blog.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Filed under Apple, Morrissey, Parody, Telecom, Verizon
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PC breaks promises, plenty of fashion rules

Apple is moving quickly to try to dampen the early enthusiasm over Microsoft's Windows 7. And this new "Get a Mac" ad, with John Hodgman breaking his promises through the years, is one of their best yet. UPDATE: Below are two more new commercials from the series.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Apple, Nudd, TBWA, Technology
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Latest '1984' spoof casts Apple as the villain

Perhaps the most iconic ad of all time, Apple's "1984" has been repurposed a hundred times over. But this is the first time I've seen it turned against its creator. The international crew behind DoubleTwist, a media software that promises to put "your iTunes library on any device," created this animated parody to promote its Oct. 6 launch. (The beta version is available now for free, but lacks features available with the update.) So, how do you feel about Steve Jobs being cast as Big Brother? The open-source community has long felt this way about Apple's "walled garden" approach to its devices. And with more than 220 million iPods sold worldwide, not to mention the 50 million iPhones and iPod Touches, there might be a valid claim that Jobs is indeed the Kaiser of Conformity. But will a cross-device iTunes knockoff really end that? Or will it just tide you over a few more months until you can afford the Apple device you really want? Via TechCrunch.

—Posted by David Griner

Previously on AdFreak:
"1984" fares poorly in Arnold focus group
Footage of Steve Jobs introducing "1984"

Filed under Apple, Griner, Parody, Technology
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Is there an app to change marathon routes?

E-mail pitches that begin "I am running the Boston Marathon dressed as a giant iPhone on Monday" remind me why I hate living on the route of the famous race. Runners and spectators from all over the globe invade my neighborhood, and neither contingent, as far as I can tell, ever bothers to visit the phalanx of Port-a-Johns that spring up like unwanted seasonal flowers at the end of the block. The street serves their needs just fine. And why use a trash can for empty beer bottles or half-eaten hot dogs when my building's courtyard is right there? The iPhone pitch came from Jason Jacobs, founder of RunKeeper, which helps runners and cyclists track their outdoor activities. Hey, Jason, can the app map out a route that takes the runners a dozen blocks from where I live? And if you see a giant Zune on your tail, get out of its way. Those things are prone to crashes.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Apple, Boston Marathon, Gianatasio, RunKeeper
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More Microsoft laptop hunters on the prowl

In its ongoing effort to rehabilitate the nerdy, bureaucratic image cemented in consumer minds via the Apple ads, Microsoft has released a couple more "Laptop Hunters" commercials from Crispin Porter + Boguksy. (The first one starred "Lauren" and took place mostly on a grassy knoll.) The spot above achieves its everyperson vibe by featuring an 11-year-old boy whose mom calls him "dude." Well, at least he's a wholesome-looking kid with a healthy aversion to "cute" laptops that have software compatibility issues. Normally, anyone under 17 who's seen asking about a good gaming computer does so in between calling people "fags" over his Xbox Live headset. I can't see little Jackson behaving that way. I still feel bad for him, though, because middle school can't be easy when your mom's that hot.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Apple, Crispin Porter, Kiefaber, Microsoft, Technology
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HP gets caught in crossfire of PC-Mac battle

This new Microsoft ad by Crispin Porter + Bogusky makes a pretty compelling case for the affordability of PC laptops versus Macs. But it has also riled Apple lovers, and they're taking out their vengeance on the HP Pavilion Notebook that "Lauren" ends up buying in lieu of a costlier Mac. "It is the epitome of what people dislike about PCs," writes Computerworld's Seth Weintraub. Specifically, he takes issue with the $699 laptop's processor speed, screen quality, wireless networking, battery life and nearly eight-pound weight. TechFlash's Todd Bishop wants to interview Lauren to see what she thought of the laptop in the weeks after making "one of the most high-profile purchases in the history of the PC industry," but he says Microsoft is turning down requests to talk to the office manager/aspiring actress. This spot is the first installment of a campaign featuring real people who didn't know they were involved in a Microsoft ad. For their sake, I hope Crispin's listing on Craigslist said: "Volunteers wanted for free computer and lifetime of second-guessing by every Apple fanboy on the planet." UPDATE: Oh, but wait. Did Lauren even really go into the Apple Store?

—Posted by David Griner

Filed under Apple, Crispin Porter, Griner, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Technology
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Apple back with more animated holiday ads

Nothing gets my holiday spirit going like watching the children's animated holiday specials: Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch and the Peanuts gang (to name just a few of my DVR'd favorites). So, of course I appreciate it when an advertiser like Apple so skillfully pays homage to the holiday stop-motion classics. Two new spots broke Monday night during ABC's broadcast of I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (remember Snoopy's brother Spike?), and whether you're a Macbook-toting Apple aficionado or not, they have to make you smile. PC, dressed in a cheery red holiday sweater, and Mac, in his spindly jeans, attempt to put aside their differences in the name of merrymaking, decorating a Christmas tree together in one ad and celebrating the freedom of an animated world in another. But of course PC can't help adding a little latent aggression to the proceedings. This is the second year in a row that Apple has produced holiday-themed animated "Get a Mac" ads. And just like the shows they honor, they feel like special holiday gifts that just keep giving.

—Posted by Eleftheria Parpis

Filed under Apple, Holidays, Parpis, TBWA, Technology
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Macs vs. PCs becomes a musical bloodbath

With Apple striking back at Microsoft for striking back at Apple, you know it's just a matter of time before there's blood in the streets. Now, Canada's Accident Factory brings the Armageddon to life with "Macs vs. PCs." Blending the dancing of West Side Story, the bloody zeal of Evil Dead, and the primal screaming of 300, this gleefully gory video imagines a brawl so epic it could engulf the modern world in an ocean of carnage. Luckily, it's not real. I can tell, because the iPhone camera doesn't really have a flash. Via Cinematical.

—Posted by David Griner

Filed under Apple, Griner, Microsoft, Web video
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Apple pokes fun at Microsoft over Vista ads

In what surely ranks as the adland in-joke of the year, Apple's Mac and PC return to comment on Microsoft's marketing efforts in the spot above from TBWA Media Arts Lab. Apple avoids skewering the content of Vista commercials (Seinfeld-Gates, "I'm a PC," etc.) in favor of the context, as Mac chides PC for earmarking wads of cash for Vista advertising but only a small stack of bills to fix the operating system itself. PC promptly sees the error of his ways in the spot's humorous payoff. It's a quietly amusing 30 seconds that speaks volumes compared to Microsoft's reported $300 million barrage. Though I still liked Seinfeld and Gates as a team.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Apple, Gianatasio, Microsoft, TBWA, Technology
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What about those 'I'm a PC' ads, anyway?

We've been oddly silent on Microsoft's new "I'm a PC" ads by Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Probably this is because they're good, and saying Microsoft ads are good is like asking for a smackdown with a folding chair. The three spots are a long-overdue rallying cry for Microsoft fans. I've whined before about how Microsoft is sadly unable to connect with its followers. These spots stand up for PC users against the slings and arrows of a monkey-faced Justin Long. Granted, they're two years late, and I still don't get how the Jerry Seinfeld ads functioned as a "first phase" of the campaign. But these are small gripes now that MS has finally woken up and realized it needs to build some community pride around its brand. Adland thinks it's a mistake for a software company like Microsoft to take direct aim at a software and hardware company like Apple. But people don't really distinguish. When their Dell motherboard melts down, they say they hate Microsoft. (The very term "PC" no longer means "personal computer" but "device running Windows.") And Apple keeps ranking on Vista, so why not respond, particularly if you focus not on Apple bashing but on PC cheerleading? I agree with Adrants, which says the ads are charming compared to Apple's "If you're not with us, you're against us" attitude. PC fanatics who've been silently loathing the Apple message for the past two years may soon be able to rise up, in their suits or their glasses or maybe even their headbands, and shout, "I'm a PC! And Bill Gates is my wobbly-assed homeboy!"

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Apple, Crispin Porter, Cullers, Microsoft, Technology
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PC tries an op-ed in his battle against Mac

Apple's done quite a few of these Flash-based PC and Mac ads, but the latest one, designed to run on news sites (and currently live on NYTimes.com), is especially well rendered, as PC drags a news-style text box onscreen to literally put himself in the story. John Hodgman makes some truly funny faces, while Justin Long, scowling down from above, at one point looks like a monkey. When I saw this clip, my immediate reaction was: Here's the first Mac/PC ad I've seen since Microsoft debuted its Seinfeld-Gates extravaganza last Friday. And I wondered how Jerry and Bill would fare in such a set-up. I know most people hate the Microsoft spot, but if nothing else, it makes you look at Apple's marketing efforts in a new light—and that's got to be some kind of progress. Would I switch to a PC running Windows Vista? Lord, no! Though I do seem to get that spinning pizza of death icon popping up on my Mac an awful lot. I blame Justin Long. Bad monkey!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Apple, Gianatasio, John Hodgman, Microsoft, Web video
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What's that, someone defending Microsoft?

The Mojave Experiment, a Microsoft PR effort unrelated to the upcoming Crispin campaign, went live at the end of July. In a simple taste-test experiment, they asked people who had never tried Vista how they felt about Vista. Then they showed them a little demo of Windows' new "Mojave" OS, which the participants liked, and revealed that it was actually Vista! Historically, this sort of campaign has been huge in the food arena, from secretly replacing Folger's Crystals to the recent Pizza Hut pasta fake-out. But for an OS? The tech bloggers have been trading blows for the past month, making their allegiances known. Most of it is blatant Vista bashing. But for me, the most interesting thing I noticed trolling the forums is that Microsoft actually has a group of followers willing to defend it against anything. They may not be as loud as Mac lovers are, but they're there, staunchly voicing their general approval of Microsoft. If MS could manage to band its existing fans together, it could have its own cult of devoted users willing to forgive anything, just like Apple has. Before any members of the Sacred Apple iOrder lynch me for the suggestion, consider this: How would you feel if Apple had conducted the Mojave Experiment?

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Apple, Cullers, Microsoft, Technology
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What will Jerry Seinfeld do for Microsoft?

I've taken the liberty of writing a script for the first Jerry Seinfeld spot for Microsoft's big upcoming campaign. I set it against a white background. Seinfeld is dressed like Justin Long from the Apple ads. Bill Gates plays the John Hodgman character. Because associating Microsoft with Apple can only help.
  Gates: Jerry Seinfeld! I haven't seen you since your show went off the air 10 years ago.
  Seinfeld: That's true, Bill Gates. Now, I'm just a rich has-been aging ungracefully in public.
  Gates: I know the feeling.
  (canned laughter; doorbell rings)
  Seinfeld: There's our pizza!

Click to read more ...

Filed under Apple, Celebrity endorsements, Gianatasio, Microsoft, Technology
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