RIP: "Get a Mac" ads

According to Mashable, everyone's favorite Mac campaign (and the campaign of the decade, according to Adweek) is no more.



Justin Long (Mac) himself broke the news last month in an interview with A.V. Club, saying "I think they might be done. In fact, I heard from John (Hodgman, AKA PC) I think they're going to move on."

It's always a shame when great campaigns die. What made these spots so great (and this coming from a PC user) is that they created the PC brand. What I mean is that there is no company called "PC," it's a category made up of every personal computer manufacturer: HP, Toshiba, Dell, etc. By making "PC" the bad-guy brand, it changed the question from "What kind of computer do you have?" to "Do you have a Mac or a PC?" Props to TBWA Worldwide (the agency behind the campaign) for an excellent strategy and execution. It helps that Long and Hodgman were impeccable in their respective roles.

Little did I know that my Halloween costume would be inspired by the very last spots in this campaign:


Very few campaigns get the chance to transcend the realm of advertising and join the world of pop culture. Get a Mac was one of those campaigns. Cheers to Apple, TBWA, Justin Long, and John Hodgman for that.

Greased Lightbox

→←+-↻

Loading image

Click anywhere to cancel

Image unavailable

Best ad on TV 5/10: Weber Grills

Saw this spot, "Have Fun With It," a handful of times watching the History channel tonight.



I really think they captured the core fascination with grilling. It actually has very little to do with the quality of the meat, provided no one gets salmonella or mad cow. It's about the grilling culture.

It's relatively easy to grill food, and it's also a social activity. No longer restricted to tailgaters and to dads on Memorial day; this ad seems to remind us that grilling is for everyone to have fun with.

I wish they would have included a little more grill-related activity. Maybe throw in a burger flip or two, or perhaps the artful squirting/spraying/dowsing of BBQ sauce. Regardless of this little lack of content, the spot is still very well done.

From what I can find, the folks behind it are Denver, CO based rabble+rouser, and the song is actually an original song made for the spot, called You Light Me Up by Open Sky.