I’m looking into a new computer because mine’s on its last legs. In doing research, I’m taking into consideration a lot of factors. Price point, reliability, even size and weight are important. In the past week, it seems everywhere I turn, people in cafes, libraries, even in the park, all have Macbooks. It’s like  a conspiracy or something. The one thing that Apple is lacking is marketing to the consumer that is actually on a budget. From the commercials, to their stores, they seem more interested in their image and being the “cool” guy, than appealing to someone who has specific criteria when buying a computer. I mean, their commercials feature a man playing  PC that’s all business and a young, hipster-y Justin Long portraying Mac. Marketing gold. Of course, to a younger generation if something seems cool they’ll want to buy it. I’m not bashing the quality of the computers, I think Macbooks are great. The problem is that they are insanely expensive. But I have friends tell me that they last for a long time, but I’ve also had friends say that Macs, like PCs, have their issues too.

Steve Jobs was good at marketing and branding just as much as he was wonderful at making computers. The brand uses a simple symbol of an Apple, so it’s remembered easily. Their designs seem to be more sleek than anything else, and it appeals to a young demographic that can grow with the company as they get older. However, what about the companies without the fancy commercials of an Apple, HP or Dell product? What about those brands whose computers you don’t see in 30 second spots when watching American Idol? Are they any good? There are three brands of PCs that several friends have and love. And not too long ago, I had no idea they even existed. I haven’t seen any commercials for them, nor had I been aware of how trusted they are. Lenovo, Acer, and Asus don’t seem to have big flashy commercials like HP, Apple or Dell. But are they just as good, or better? I guess Acer might have one thing going for it…Megan Fox. Check out their commercial:

Then there is this genius commercial from Asus:

Finally, there is this simple message in the commercial for Lenovo:

In the end, it comes down to the quality of the product, its reliability and its functionality. Oh yeah, being able to afford it can’t hurt either. Did these commercials have any effect on my decision? Probably not, but word of mouth can sometimes be more powerful than a commercial. Without that, I wouldn’t even know about these three brands. And without that, marketing doesn’t matter. It’s the reviews that we get from friends and people in the know, it’s about the average consumer.