Wednesday, February 28, 2007

My Thoughts on the Mac Commercial

Note: This first blog entry is experimental. I want to add a picture and a movie clip to see if this blog is the right format. If you're reading this, I must have been pleased with the results.

Question: Do Apple execs regret including John Hodgman in their popular commercial series?

When I saw the first Apple commercial with the goofy looking nerd and the younger hip guy, I thought it was effective. Yes, PCs are dorky and Macs are cool, etc. As the commercial series has evolved, it turns out that the hip Mac guy is bland in a Starbucks/Coldplay way, whereas Hodgman is the one with all the character. Who do you like more?





I had no idea it was John Hodgman. I was familiar with his hilarious advice columns on McSweeney's in which he portrayed a literary agent. When he and Neal Pollack and Ben Greenman used to post regularly at the end of the last millenium, McSweeney's was special. Upon seeing Hodgman on Jon Stewart's Daily Show, I asked my wife if that was the Windows dork in those ads. It was. Knowing that Hodgman is a hilarious writer while the Mac guy looks like a member of Seth Green's entourage, I can't help but think that Windows machines are cooler than Macs. Plus, it turns out that Hodgman is a Mac lover. See? I told you he was cool!