I finally saw a Mac commercial that I did not like. For clarification, I don’t particularly like most of the Mac commercials I have seen, but I have not disliked them either. I saw one yesterday that I did not like.
The commercial itself was ok. It presented the build-up and suspense around a secretive “new” phone that was going to be the iPhone killer. Turns out this “new” phone is just the new iPhone. I thought this part of the commercial was fine, even kind of clever, except for the fact that the key sales point was that it is everything you like about the iPhone, but 2x faster and half as expensive. This is where I have a problem.
Yeah the handset it cheaper than it used to be, but the data plan has increased in cost 33%. The new iPhone is not cheaper at all, in fact it is $160 more expensive than the old iPhone. Do they really think we are that stupid? (Yes, they do.) So, if you bought your phone and never activated it you would truly have a sweet desk decoration at half the price of the old iPhone. But you can’t even do that. You’re not allowed to buy an iPhone and not activate it. (Unless you want to buy one on the black market.)
source: (Only one out of 997 out there) consumerist.com
It would be similar to if Honda sold you a “new” Civic for 8k that could only run on $13 per gallon “special” gas. I guess Americans jumped all over the subprime party, so why not market phones in the same way.
Market the iPhone because it is cool and because it is the best phone out there, but don’t sell it because it is 2x as fast and half the price of the old iPhone. Make more of those trendy iTunes commercials and call it a day. Don’t make stupid commercials that are deceiving, you don’t need to.
