HUNTER
So get this: Our class took a 'field trip' to the mall today. I wasn't too sure about the idea at first, but as it turns out, it was pretty enlightening. Particularly the visit to the Mac store.
MARK
Do tell, do tell.
HUNTER
Let's take the store itself for starters. It's nothing like anything else in the mall. There is minimal product invasion, and really, the strange white bleakness attracts a bunch of kids to just sort of hang out and use their display stuff. Look at the counter where you go to buy things, too. There's no register at all. It's literally called a Bar, you know, a Genius Bar, but a bar all the same. They use stools, they've got beanbag chairs for the lower computers that the kids can use, and the only products in boxes are lined, confined against the walls next to said Bar. You overlook them in the vastness of it all, but when you catch sight of one product, you see every product. Confined space.
MARK
That's pretty interesting. They're pretty effective minimalists, I mean, really pretty effective. Their packaging for their computers, it's just a picture of the laptop inside, or the iPod, or whatever you're buying. Minimal text, if any, on the front and sides of the box. Compare it with Windows, you know? They have endless amounts of text describing whatever you're buying, but no pictures or anything on their packages. They're not attractive at all, and the Mac guys know that.
HUNTER
It's true. Everything about the business is super reduced. Even the employees: they just wear khaki pats and a blue shirt. Simple, clean, very sleek. They carry technology with them at all times. And that would make anyone want to have a product, seeing the employees using the equipment sold, these things must be effective, right?
MARK
I know. Subtle mind control. How about their logo? This super simple apple, right? And with it, often you'll see in the most recognizable, arguably the most effective font for any context: Helvetica. Target knows it. American Airlines knows it. Apple knows it very well. Everything is Helvetica. And usually, the font is even a subtle shade of grey. Simple reduction.
HUNTER
The entire company is founded around simplicity. Watching those ads, man, some are just those two guys standing around and talking, others are literally just the product in a persons' hand, I mean, they even have ads that only show the product itself, no hands, no box, and more surprisingly, no real environment. The subtle reflection of the table, the same repeated highlights on every screen of every product. It works, and they're geniuses of marketing for having capitalized on it.
MARK
What is most surprising about the effectiveness of the advertising is how much smarter it is for the average consumer to just buy a PC. All you're paying for with Apple is a style. They're still not mainstream enough for every program, but they're catching on I guess. Anyway, all Apple does is dress up their products to look very slick, and overcharge the customer an obscene amount. It really is, compared to most PCs. In terms of storage, RAM, overall effectiveness, et cetera. Macs just look much more simple, and they are, sure, but is it really worth paying an extra $1000 for a laptop? I think not.
HUNTER
You're just thinking too MUCH is the problem. You're the outlier on their bell curve, and you just don't count. There are thousands of guys and gals in every city in every state that would not mind losing a huge chunk of cash just to look cool. It's like rhinoplasty for your reputation. If you have a Mac, you're cool. If you don't, you're a shut-in geek. It's amazing how these things change, ah?
MARK
Geniuses of marketing, I'm telling you. How does something like that happen? Computers were pretty cool when I was in the 90s.
HUNTER
Things change, my friend. These are strange times.
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