Comparison Advertising Done on a Mac

Apple recently released a series of advertisements comparing the Macs against PCs. Along with revolutionary spots back with their first television commercial, Apple’s more recent iPod commercial advertising has helped strengthen its image of a company that doesn’t align with the masses and helps people to express their true personalities. In past, comparison advertising has helped other companies position themselves against the leader in the industry, just as these new ads help strengthen Apple’s brand as an alternative to PC computers.

In recent years, Miller beer has run attack ads against Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser and other beers, by touting that Miller had half the amount of carbs as Budweiser and that Miller tastes better according to a taste test. These commercials in turn received attention because Anheuser-Busch did something rare as the industry leader, it responded with its own line of ads taking direct aim at Miller. Usually the industry leader will not acknowledge the comparison advertisements publicly because it just further helps gain publicity for the smaller company.

One of the more famous comparison advertisements campaigns was when Avis launched its “We try harder” campaign in the early 1960s. With Hertz as a clear leader in the industry, Avis tried to answer the question that consumers had to be asking themselves, ‘Why rent from Avis?’ Avis conveyed that because it wasn’t the leader in the industry, the company couldn’t afford any mistakes that would leave the customer dissatisfied with their service. Avis made it clear to consumers the differences between itself and Hertz and the results were impressive. This branding effort helped Avis tripled their market share in five years and established itself within the industry.

In a style only Apple could pull off, these commercials have two actors representing Mac and PC computers as they discuss how they deal with common issues known to occur on the more popular PCs and how the Mac handles more difficult problems with ease. By simplifying the representation of computers, Apple is able to clearly state why the Mac is more user friendly and less problematic then the industry leading PC platform. The commercials help answer the consumers question ‘if everyone else uses a PC, then why would I want to buy a Mac?’



Apple’s campaign takes direct aim at its only competitor and industry leader. These advertisements help build on the frustrations of many PC users and identify why so many consumers have taken to the ease and simplicity of the Macs. By making the direct omparison, Apple has helped strengthen its brand as a company of self expression and simplicity.

(You can watch a few of the ads here)