July 27, 2009

WHILE THE SULTANS of spin at Microsoft made much merriment of the fact that Apple had sent lawyers to get it to change its anti-Mac adverts, it seems that the Vole has backed down.

Versions of the Laptop Hunter adverts which went out have been slightly modified. The advert features Lauren, the aspiring law student, and her mom, who claims that Lauren usually gets what she wants.

In the original version of the ad, Lauren, who wants to spend a maximum of $1,700 on her computing dreams, offered this competing statement: "This Mac is $2,000, and that's before adding anything."

In the advert her Mother asks her why she would pay twice the price, which Lauren says she wouldn't.

However the conversation between mother and daughter has now been cut. Now Lauren merely says: "It seems like you're paying a lot for the brand."

A spokesVole said that it had slightly adjusted the ads to reflect the updated pricing of the Mac laptop shown in the TV advertisement. But this does not change the focus of the campaign, which is to showcase the value and choice of the PC, he added.The tame Apple press has hailed the move as a master stroke by Jobs' Mob lawyers which will 'put truth back into advertising'. The question is why did the Vole back down?

Well our deep throat inside the Vole said that the reason was simple. If punters go to a shop and are thinking about an Apple or a real PC they will think about the advert. If they are not saving at least half they will think the advert is a lie. It is better to say the same thing in a different way and continue the "Macs-are-too-expensive" campaign.