

The Best Tech Ad I’ve Seen Lately - habosa
http://samuelstern.wordpress.com/2012/11/25/the-best-tech-ad-ive-seen-lately/

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colinramsay
The only takeaway I have from this post is the continuing idiocy of the Apple
vs Android vs Whatever "battle", as if it's some kind of exclusive choice.

"For the record, I’m a huge Android fan so it takes a lot for me to write a
blog post about something impressive by Apple."

I own an iPhone 4S and a Nexus 7. They're both great devices. I've seen
Windows Phone in action and it looks cool; Mozilla's B2G stuff is looking
great and there are many different areas in which mobile OS providers can
differentiate and be inspired by their competitors. This sort of religious war
helps no-one and impresses no-one. It's the modern day equivalent of writing
"M$" instead of "Microsoft" and we should all know better.

Get over yourself.

~~~
iamdave
You chose to focus on one aspect of a blog post that gives the reader a little
bit of context and background to the author, but otherwise very positively
outlines an advertisement that in his opinion executed everything it set out
to, and then publicly decried him for _barely_ doing everything your
commentary _actually_ does. I found myself nodding in agreement with all he
said about the ad, and he said it well.

I think it's _you_ that stands to get over one's self.

~~~
colinramsay
It wasn't really directed at the author, it was more a general comment on this
type of thing. So for that I apologise to the author.

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muratmutlu
I think this is pretty clever.

If you want to check out a few more subtle, minimalist ads (some award
winning) from the likes of Lego and Kit Kat, check out the link

I really like the WWF and Orbit ads:

[http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/the-nine-best-
minimalist-...](http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/the-nine-best-minimalist-
print-ads-in-the-world)

~~~
muratmutlu
Alternative, you can see some of the worst here (some also award winning)

[http://copyranter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/worst-8-print-
ads-o...](http://copyranter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/worst-8-print-ads-
of-2011.html)

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nazgulnarsil
I find it amusing that as I was clicking on this story I was thinking back to
the last ad I really remembered and immediately thought of all the pretentious
ipad mini ads I've seen that made me not want to ever buy one. I believe such
a polarized response probably drives more sales than wishy washy wide appeal
ads.

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JaakkoP
I first glance I thought he means the cover of the magazine and how it
resembles the tiles in WP 8. It might have been a brilliant ad for MS as well.

~~~
habosa
Apparently MSFT thinks magazine covers are a great way to show off the new
Windows 8 UI:

[http://adage.com/article/media/windows-8-push-
arrives-14-con...](http://adage.com/article/media/windows-8-push-
arrives-14-conde-nast-
covers/238356/?utm_source=daily_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage)

~~~
JaakkoP
It's just a little sad to see how they did it, when they could have done it so
much better. :/

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ruswick
I dislike the aesthetic of the ad. The edge of the iPad is aligned _exactly_
to the edge of the magazine. At first glance, I thought this was some sort of
printing error: it look egregious. I like the asymmetry, but there is some
sort of mottled grey texture behind the majority of the page which is grating.
I appreciate that the cover depicted on the device is identical to that of the
actual magazine. As for the exaltation due to the 'feat' that it "immediately
displays how I can use the device in real life," I don't believe that that is
unique to the ad. Most advertisements show how the product can be used. That
sort of how ads work. There's very little value in showing a product that
isn't functioning or showing a feature or facet that the product doesn't have.

It's a passable ad, nothing more.

~~~
siglesias
_The edge of the iPad is aligned exactly to the edge of the magazine._

This framing suggests that the iPad is to scale and isn't scaled down (as it
might be assumed to be if it were centered). All of the blank space is also
supposed to give you a sense of how small it is relative to the magazine.

~~~
jacktoole1
When I first turned over my copy of the issue, I was holding the magazine by
the corner exactly as one would hold a portrait iPad mini. In addition to
showing the actual size, I think having it aligned with the edge of the
magazine is meant to give the impression of holding an iPad.

Anecdotally, I thought the effect was neat, and spent a few more seconds than
I otherwise would have on it.

~~~
habosa
That's interesting, I bet that's why they put it on the edge. I never thought
of that because I was reading the magazine on a table.

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habosa
I saw this ad in TIME this weekend and I thought it was awesome. I'm not an
expert on advertising by any stretch, any professionals like it as much as I
do?

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EricDeb
I love subtle, ingenious ads but I get the impression they may not be as
effective in terms of conversions as traditional image projection type ads (ie
showing the latest bmw model or an attractive model wearing a particular
clothing line)

~~~
gkoberger
Why? Every single person holding that magazine clearly likes Time, so the
image resonates. Whereas a nice car or model is hit or miss.

Plus, more people are going to buy an iPad than a new BMW.

[Edit: Best of both worlds: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=640v8yBcXg8>]

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vtruong
Smart! The ability to complement the ad within something that you're already
interested in.

~~~
swang93
And an eye-catching simplicity.

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benatkin
I'm not convinced that it's the best ad that the author has seen lately. It
might be clever but does it command attention?

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ricardobeat
Yes.

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elliottkember
This article was spoiled, a bit, by the "1 Tip of a Flat Belly" ad that showed
up at the bottom. Maybe it's that I use an ad blocker on my main computer, but
I'm not accustomed to blocking ads with my mind. But it sure would be nice to
see good ads for a change.

~~~
habosa
I use an ad blocker, I didn't even realize I had ads on my blog...

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roo2
You left out one other thing. The battle lines being drawn have a lot to do
with the screen proportions. iPads are notoriously not widescreen devices and
here Apple is showing exactly why.

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bksenior
It was done by Chiat\Day or as they are known on Campus "Media Arts Labs"

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griffindy
the most recent New Yorker also had this, I thought it was pretty clever.

