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Commentary:
Apple's "Switch" Campaign Gets People Talking....About
Ellen Feiss
Written
By Rick Ellis, Monday, July 29th, 2002
As
a longtime Apple computer owner and admirer, I think I'm qualified
to say that fans of the company tend to be a bit obsessive. There
are dozens of Mac and Apple rumor sites, shrines to nearly forgotten
older models and the regular MacWorld conventions often take on
an almost religious fervor. To put it another way, we're the technological
world's equivalent to Elvis fans...except we probably eat a lot
less pork fat.
And
anytime you get more than a couple of us in a room (or online),
two topics inevitably crop up: 1) Is Apple ever going to port
its software so it can run on Intel chips? and, 2) Is the company
ever going to try and aggressively promote itself to longtime
users of Windows?
While
the first topic seems as unlikely as the major music labels embracing
downloadable music, Apple has taken up the banner of reminding
Windows users what they're missing, and why they should consider
switching operating systems.
Earlier
this year, Apple launched a new campaign it calls "Switch,"
which features real people who have switched from PCs to the Macintosh.
The commercials are visually very simple, just a series of headshots,
each highlighting a different "switcher" telling their story.
Although
the "switchers" were drawn from a variety of backgrounds,
the one which has drawn almost obsessive attention from Apple
fans is the one featuring teenager Ellen Feiss.
In
her ad, she talks about how she switched to an Apple Powerbook
after her Dad's PC "ate her homework." The ad is tres'
cute, with Ms. Feiss even doing her impression of the "beep,
beep, beep" sounds that were made by the PC when it locked
up.
But
what seems to fascinate so many viewers is her appearance. She
looks--according to many--as if she has either been up for days,
or is suffering from some "weed-related" hangover. Viewers
cite her "red eyes" and "tired look" as an
indication of her supposed "stoned" behavior.
Click
Here To See The Ellen Feiss "Switch" Ad
Of
course, Apple fans can't just leave the story there. In the past
ten days, comments about Ms. Fleiss and her alleged have flooded
sites which follow Apple. From there, the comments were picked
up by scores of weblogs, and mailing lists. And as the tale is
retold, the details become a bit murkier. Rumors that the company
has pulled the ad (as far as I can tell, not true), or that this
particular ad was designed to appeal to the same young crowd who
find that "Dude, You're Getting A Dell" guy irresistible
(a bit more likely).
But
regardless of the truth behind any of the rumors, what is clear
is that the lovely Ms. Feiss is becoming the Mahir of Apple Computing.
Mahir, as you may remember, is the Turkish man who several years
ago became a minor Internet celebrity after his website was passed
around to literally millions of people via email.
And
this Apple commercial is rapidly approaching a similar status,
as it jumps to a mass market item. I've received at least 20 emails
from friends and acquaintances, asking me if I had seen the ad.
The story of Ms. Fleiss is joining the Hampsterdance, the dancing
baby and the Nigerian banking fraud email as a story that cuts
across all virtual boundaries (and operating systems). People
who wouldn't buy an Apple computer with someone else's money are
talking about the ad, and the company.
So
what do the principal participants think of this? Not surprisingly,
both Apple and others involved with the production of the commercial
have declined comment. Although one amused fellow I spoke with
ended our conversation with this comment: "Hey, we got you
talking about Apple, didn't we?"
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