‘Laptop Hunters’ ad campaign parodied – and about time too
The ‘Laptop Hunters’ adverts are a joy for all of us who cannot stand Apple, Macs, Steve Jobs, or any product which insists on having an “i” at the beginning of its name. But the slightly cheesy, slightly stilted ads are perfect for parodying. And one has finally turned up on YouTube.
Anyone with even a passing interest in PCs, Macs, Microsoft, Apple, corporate competition, or a good fist fight will no doubt have seen the new ‘Laptop Hunters’ advertising campaign by now. They feature “real” people searching for a new laptop, which Microsoft promises to buy for them should they find one that perfectly fits their needs and sticks within budget.
The ads are basically a way of showing up Apple Macs for what they really are – overpriced computers which are bought more for style and branding than any kind of usability. The “expensive” tag is one Microsoft is really pushing home in a time when most of us are being forced to watch the pennies a little more in an unstable economy.
Apple fanboys really haven’t enjoyed these adverts. It was fine all the while Apple was knocking Microsoft and Windows with its ads but turn the tables and all of a sudden it’s a huge problem for a company to talk about the negative aspects of a competitor’s product.
Whether they are fanboys or not, a company called LandlineTV has produced the first decent parody of the ‘Laptop Hunters’ ads. Instead of Lauren, Giampaolo, and Lisa and Jackson, we meet Frank, a homeless guy given $1000 to spend on a laptop of his choice. His first choice would be to take the money and blow it on cheap alcohol but that isn’t an option.
The ad cleverly poles fun at some of the holes in Microsoft’s arguments against why you’d want to buy an Apple Mac. When he realizes a laptop he’s eyeing up comes with Windows Vista Home Premium he complains, “This is bullshit!” He also asks, “Is this plastic?” before stating, “I’m poor, but I’m not retarded.”
This parody is as funny as the originals are clever. It makes a couple of good points about the build quality of some cheaper laptops which I’m sure the Apple Macheads will lap up. However, one thing the ad does do is confirm Macs are too expensive. We all know it, even a homeless guy knows it. The Macbook Air may be really thin but at $1700 it’s also a complete ripoff.
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