Sex And The City Gets New Computers

Since the hit television show Sex and the City first aired, the computers in the show were Macs. The main character, a writer, was constantly seen typing away on her Mac laptop which contributed to the brand recognition that Apple has today.

However, when the first movie came out in 2008 all of the Mac computers were replaced with HP computers, except for Carrie's. This was a smart move for HP product placements because the recognition of Carrie's computer is so highly known.

Unfortunately, by leaving Carrie with a Mac, I am not sure it is entirely successful. If you happen to notice Samantha's computer, or another HP in the movie you may remember it later on or be impressed with the new style. The likeliness of you even noticing the new computer is slim though. And since everyone knows that Carrie has a Mac, the Apple brand will remain more strongly attached to the hit television show and movie than HP will.

Amazon Kindle Friends Commercial Mocks Mac

Earlier this month I posted about the new T-Mobile commercials and how they are too similar to the Mac vs. PC commercials of the past. You can view that post here: http://maureenglassonadgirl.blogspot.com/2011/07/t-mobile-copy-cat-ads.html I have recently spotted another Mac commercial copycat. This time it is a commercial for the Amazon Kindle. The commercial style is very similar to the Mac vs PC campaign and the T-Mobile campaign, with the same white background, two opposing characters and light background music.

I am guessing that at this point there is some strong research showing the effectiveness of this advertising style, and assuming that is the reason for so many similar commercials. However, I have to say, I would like a little more creativity in these commercials. The companies are certainly big enough to command a creative agency, so why follow the template designed by Mac?

Either way, the advertisements are effective in portraying the positive attributes of the highlighted product, in this case the Kindle.

If you are not sure what the Mac vs. PC campaign that I am referring to is, here is an example:

T-Mobile Copy Cat Ads

When I first saw the T-Mobile commercials with the all white background, cool T-Mobile girl and clueless guy, I was very confused. They were almost an exact copy of the Mac vs. PC commercials. The obvious difference that caught my eye was that the commercial was comparing the T-Mobile My Touch 4G to the Apple iPhone.

The ads are, indeed, a blatant copy of the Mac advertisements that preceded them on television. I am not sure what the research behind this campaign was, its possible that T-Mobile might be piggybacking on the success of the Mac commercials and the positive brand image that Apple maintains. The web is buzzing with consumers who are calling T-Mobile a "copycat" and Mac fans upset with the company.

However. . . the ad was successful in grabbing attention. Can you remember the T-Mobile campaign before this one? I can't.