|
Sein of the Times (5/13/98)
|
 
|
| | |
It's been confirmed-- Apple is going to show a special 30-second "Think Different" commercial during tomorrow night's farewell episode of "Seinfeld." According to Steve Jobs, the ad is meant to "honor Jerry Seinfeld for his contributions to the world of comedy." Read the press release for more details.
We had been wondering just how Apple could have been trying to persuade Jerry to star in an ad only days before said ad was to air; apparently, the commercial will consist of existing Seinfeld footage, which fits in well with the original "Think Different" concept, and also means that Apple didn't have to shoot new footage with Jerry and edit it together in a matter of days. Suppose Apple will use shots showing off Jerry's various Macs in the background? In addition, suppose there's any chance, as several of our viewers have postulated, that Apple would have managed to stick an iMac on Jerry's desk for the farewell show?
While we at AtAT are thrilled to see that Apple has decided to advertise during the final "Seinfeld," we're a little ambivalent about the fact that they are blowing $1.5 million on a single 30-second commercial (not including the cost of actually making the ad itself). As faithful viewer Artie Wagner points out, while the quality of Apple commercials has undeniably improved of late, they're not shown often enough to compete with the constant deluge of Wintel ads. We don't know how much "normal" prime-time network advertising costs, but if we had to decide between a single ad during the last "Seinfeld" and several ads shown on multiple channels all week long, we'd have to think long and hard about which to choose. Actually, nahh, we wouldn't; "Seinfeld" is a special case. That $1.5 million guarantees that Apple will have one of the most-watched commercials of the year. Still, you get the gist of our concern; we want to get sick of seeing Apple commercials someday.
| |
| |
 |
SceneLink (700)
|  |
 |
|
And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
| | | |
|
| |
|
 | | The above scene was taken from the 5/13/98 episode: May 13, 1998: Apple's sinking a sizeable chunk of moolah into a single ad during the farewell episode of "Seinfeld;" will it be worth it? Meanwhile, part-time cast member Steve Jobs apparently has another gig on July 8th, because he's not going to be present at MacWorld Expo, and Microsoft's thorny path to an on-time Windows 98 release gets a mild pruning from the U.S. Appeals Court and the attorney general of Texas...
Other scenes from that episode: 701: RDF By Proxy? (5/13/98) We've been robbed! There we were, all set to trek down to MacWorld Expo NYC, quivering with the anticipation of a five-hour snack-food-filled road trip followed by seeing Steve Jobs deliver what promises to be a historic keynote address, when someone steps on our buzz by pointing out that Steve won't actually be at the Expo come July... 702: Last-Minute Reprieve (5/13/98) The karma wheel's on the upswing for Microsoft, at least so it would seem. Remember that preliminary injunction handed down by Judge Jackson way back in December? The one that required Microsoft to offer a version of Windows 95 without Internet Explorer pre-installed?...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
|
|
