Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

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• Another ironic Mac commercial

  We already know some of the ads in the Get-A-Mac campaign don't exactly make sense . The latest, "Counselor", seems particularly ironic to me. In the ad, the Mac says that the PC "is a wizard with numbers and dresses like a gentleman". The PC is able to say that the Mac is "better with creative stuff", but quickly qualifies such behavior as "completely juvenile and a waste of time". Wait... I thought Apple was the one running the slander campaign? Speaking of which, Apple and Microsoft really do need some counseling. Some of the 5.5G iPods were released with a virus , which Apple blamed on Microsoft because of its insecure OS. Microsoft, of course, said it was simply Apple's lackluster quality control . Let me just come out and say it - Apple wouldn't stoop to releasing a device that intentionally included a Windows-only security exploit to "prove a point", would they? I mean, sure, they'll have some lawsuits, but pretty effective marketing move... Posted Oct 19 2006, 02:33 PM by Tim with | with no comments Filed under: Rants, Security, Gadgets, Web 2.0, Marketing, YouTube, Apple, Advertising

• More innovative advertising in a TiVO world

  Honda previously launched 5-second ads to combat the effects of Tivo . Now Fox is embracing that model , "running a 30-second television spot with just one static image in an effort to reach viewers who fast forward through ads using digital video recorders like TiVos." "Viewers fast-forwarding through the ad would see the image for a few seconds; those watching it normally would hear dialogue from the show in the background." It's good to see media companies thinking creatively here and not simply trying to disable our fast forward button . Posted Oct 11 2006, 04:28 AM by Tim with | with no comments Filed under: Technology, Innovation, Marketing, Advertising

• Most people pay for advertising, but EA wants to charge for it

  Starting this Friday, EA and ESPN are making a behind-the-scenes preview of Madden NFL 07 available . Rather than give it away, they are planning on selling it on pay-per-view (yes, through your cable provider) and online for $20. In a recent Major Nelson podcast, they justified it because, apparently, it includes strategy and tips from some of the best Madden players out there, including their insight into the new features. (I guess they all have been able to put in countless hours on the new game already?). If it were $1.50 (or even $5.00), I might consider it - but with games that already cost $60, can they really expect us to pay another $20 for this as well? It seems to me that EA would have been better off putting this out there as a free promotional thing to drum up support after their somewhat lackluster first attempt on Xbox 360. (I know, I know, it was a launch title, this year will be better, but still). Then again, maybe they figure Madden is a title that sells itself and doesn't... Posted Aug 03 2006, 02:12 AM by Tim with | with no comments Filed under: XBox 360, Gaming, Marketing, Advertising