Hacker News Reader

Comment by krschultz | Hacker News Reader

I bet a lot of people in marketing disagree with that last statement.

Are you one of those people in marketing? If so, straighten me out because I don't believe you!

Fox's demographic is known to be older, hence they are less experienced than younger computer users. This falls in line with Apple's general selling point for products and software that "just works".

That may or may not be the correct answer, but there is a zero chance Apple was running those ads if they weren't backing out for them one way or another.

There are conservative folks with plenty of expendable cash... it's not like Apple caters its products to liberals. In many ways Apple tries to position itself as a BMW or Mercedes Benz of the computer market; think of the target for those products.

Apple absolutely caters it's products toward liberals. Think different? 1984? The power of the imagination? Dancing hipsters with iPods?

Just to add to a good list -- Al Gore on the board is catering toward liberals and not conservatives!

The first two campaigns you mention are of a different era and no longer used. Haven't seen the third. The dancing hipsters, you'll notice, has been neutralized over the years with iPod ads focusing more on pop artist appearances, e.g Mary J. Blige (pretty mainstream). In any case it's only part of a larger range of ads; in my opinion the arrogant superiority complex of the ongoing Get a Mac campaign is directly analogous to the breathy narrator of a Lexus ad or a BMW ad proclaiming the Ultimate Driving Machine/Joy of Driving [a BMW]. The iPhone ads are 100% neutral and rather impressive in serving as simple but compelling 20-second product demos.

uhh BMW and Mercedes Benz are targeted at a richer upper class.

Apple markets to a "me to" younger market.

They are very different IMO.

You're oversimplifying on both assessments.

iPad is definitely a product for the Fox viewers

Who a company markets to and who a company sells to are sometimes two very different demographics. Toy companies market towards kids so that the kids can then turn around and market to (beg/plead/ask) their parents. Companies market to their "ideal" buyer-the one that exemplifies their image.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com