Abstract

This case is about leading technology company Apple, Inc.'s advertising campaigns for its Mac computers. It focuses on the two advertising campaigns: 'Get a Mac' and 'Why You'll Love a Mac'. In mid-2010, Apple discontinued its long running 'Get a Mac' campaign for promoting its Mac computers and launched a new campaign in its place. The new campaign, unlike the older ones, did not focus on comparing Apple's products with that of its competitors but instead gave consumers more reasons for buying Apple's computers. The 'Get a Mac' campaign was launched by Apple in response to the falling sales of its computers. The campaign focused on comparing its products with that of its main competitor, Microsoft. Apple was emerging as a leader in a number of other electronic products like mobile phones, tablets, etc. It wanted to leverage on its successes in these other products and improve its fortunes in the personal computer business. The comparison of the features was done through two characters which were shown as personifications of Microsoft’s PC and Apple's Mac. The campaign was quite successful and led to a significant increase in the sales of Macs. It won many awards and was hailed by critics for projecting the differences between Macs and Windows with dignity and humor. However, some observers criticized the campaign for just projecting the differences between the two platforms while not giving any reasons for the consumers to buy Macs. This case is meant for MBA/MS students as a part of the Marketing Communications/Marketing Management curriculum.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• The case will help the students:
• Analyze the advertising strategies to be followed by a marginal player when attacking a market leader.
• Discuss the reasons behind the shift in Apple’s advertising strategies from comparing its products with that of competitors to that of giving more reasons for buying its products.
• Appreciate the importance of comparative advertising.
• Discuss the circumstances in which companies could use comparative advertising when dealing with competitors.

Keywords

Marketing communication, Advertising, Comparative advertising, Advertising appeals, Mac, Apple, Computers