PC World's Computer Ads Post

This week's assignment was to write a review of PC World's Techlog post "A Brief History of Computers, As Seen in Old TV Ads." This can be found at this link: http://blogs.pcworld.com/techlog/archives/002950.html. We were asked to try to figure out the selling points of each ad listed.

Unfortunately, not all of the ads actually worked. The first one for me that worked is the first one for the Commodore VIC-20 (c. 1981). The selling point in this video appears to be that most PCs in the same price range as the VIC-20 were only good for gaming. However, the ad implies, the VIC-20 could do more than just gaming.

The second one that I could get to open was also for the VIC-20 (also c. 1981). This one seems to emphasize the fact that it is a "real computer" (i.e. a full-fledged PC) for under $300. Most general-purpose PCs of the time (ones that weren't just built for games) were selling for over $500, with some costing over $1000. Game systems at the time were much less expensive, but also less capable.

The third commercial that I could get to play was the first one about the Commodore 64 (c. 1982). It seems, once again, to emphasize the sales price, but it also talks about the features available. RAM (Random Access Memory) quantity vs. price seems to be the primary comparison here.

Another commercial that worked for me was the advertisement for the Texas Instruments 99/4A (1983). The selling price is once again the primary comparison. There is a mention of memory and software, but the primary sales point is the $100 rebate on the computer.

The fifth commercial that worked was the one for the Kaypro II (c. 1984). Here again, the sales price is the primary advertising point. The Kaypro is advertised as a "complete computer for $1295," which, according to the commercial, is much less than competitors' complete systems, which have more options but also sell for more.

Another commercial is not really a commercial at all. The advertisement for Windows 1.0 (from the mid 1980s) is an internal-use-only bit from Microsoft, showing some of the features of Windows and naming a price. Presumably, this price was to be a major selling point, but it could also have been a reminder to the programmers, saying, "Keep costs down, because we can't afford the price to go above $99."

The sixth commercial is an advertisement for Commodore's Amiga 1000 (c. 1986). It emphasizes the multimedia capabilities of the computer, something that was exceedingly rare during that time frame. No mention of price is made, unlike the earlier 1980s commercials.

A seventh commercial is for the Radio Shack Tandy 1000 (approx 1987). It talks about the computer's speed and several other features in comparison to the IBM PC-XT, including price. The main selling point seems to be the speed of the Tandy vs. the speed of an XT, and the fact that the Tandy costs less than the XT.

After this, we skip several years into the future, to 1995. The advertisement is for the IBM ThinkPad 701C. The focus seems to be on the full-sized keyboard and full-sized screen in a package that weighs four-and-a-half pounds. Features once again are the key selling points, but there is no mention of price.

The next spot is also from 1995, apparently an inclusion on the Windows 95 CD-ROM. It seems to emphasize a new freedom of thought and expression that the new operating system would allow. The tagline "Where do you want to go today?" is indicative of this new freedom.

Another commercial is advertising Packard Bell's PC product, supposedly from 1996. This particular commercial seems to emphasize the value of an Internet-capable PC. If this is the case, then the tagline, "Wouldn't you rather be at home?" makes more sense, since you can do a whole lot more from home if your PC is Internet-enabled.

The next working commercial is Apple's "Think Different" from 1998. It seems to state that people who use Apple's products are somehow more creative, intelligent, or innovative than people who use PCs. It emphasizes that Macintosh computers are different from PCs, and turns that into a selling point.

Another commercial from Apple is the one for its iMac from 1998. It shows the multiple colors that the iMac was offered in, and basically states that you don't have to have a boring, white, grey or black box in order to have a computer. This freedom of choice is their main selling point.

A commercial from a different company is the Pets.com commercial from the 2000 SuperBowl. It takes the theme found in Packard Bell's 1996 commercial and applies it to a retail website, saying that now you don't have to go out to a store in order to buy your pet supplies. The implication is that it will take much less time to buy them on the Internet.

The next commercial is Microsoft's 2001 commercial for Windows XP. It emphasizes the multimedia capabilities of the operating system, combining it with the freedom themes from Microsoft's Windows 95 bit. It takes the multimedia capabilities and makes them the selling point.

Another Apple commercial is their "Switch" commercial from 2002, advertising the PowerBook G4. The commercial emphasizes the laptop's portability, but also its capabilities. It says that you don't have to be stuck at home to have a lot of capabilities anymore.

IBM's commercial for its Linux distribution and services from 2004 seems to be emphasizing the difference between Linux's open-source nature and Windows' closed-source nature. It implies that open-source is better, and that Linux is a revolutionary product, much like Muhammad Ali was a revolutionary sort of boxer.

The last commercial, Apple's "Get a Mac" from 2006, seems to be attempting to say that the PC is old-fashioned, stodgy, uncreative, and sometimes downright hostile, while the Mac is new, hip, fun to use, and user-friendly. This posits the Macintosh as being a better alternative to old-fashioned PCs, and is in some way reminiscent of Commodore's 1986 commercial for the Amiga 1000. This is because the two commercials disparage the competition in a similar fashion.

Overall, this blog shows a gradual change in advertising emphasis, from solely price competition to solely features competition. It does a good job of chronicling the change in computer advertising, and shows a good sampling of different computer ads. It also has some interesting tidbits about the different ads, linked in the descriptions of the ads.