WNYC, a local radio station,just had Stuart Eliot, the advertising columnist for the NYTimes as a guest. They were talking about the hype of advertising during the Super Bowl, and how it's gotten so that as many people watch for the commercials as for the game.

I called up and said that Apple's new commercial was already making a buzz on the Web, and that I for one was going to tune in during the first quarter mainly to see this commercial on TV.

They went on talk about Apple's 1984 commercial, yadda, yaddda, yadda, and I said that this new commercial was Hal from 2001 talking about Y2K and this is Apple's using the Y2K problem to create a buzz for its new products.

Then they said "the year 2000 computer problem" a couple of times, talked about "2001" for a few seconds and cut me off.

A little Y2K plug. That was my only intention. Mission complete...

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), January 29, 1999

Answers

Hey, pshannon, congrats! Get a recording as a momento. Thanks for raising Y2K awareness. Apple is trying to raise awareness also, with humor and panache. It's not solely a marketing technique. They're already inundated with orders. Partly, they're tooting their so-rightly-deserved horn; always been compliant. BTW, I've been corresponding with Apple for a few years re marketing techniques. Got an award from them in 1990, but then they went on a downward implosion spiral. Since Steve Jobs came back, things are re-looking up. Dumb of Apple to oust him in first place, but out of that idiocy was born Next and Pixar. Steve has turned his lemons into lemonade. Anyway now they're listening to customer advice again. If you go to the iMac BB, archives, search word "Leska," you'll find the discussion between me & Apple re Y2K marketing long before the Hal ad. :) :) Totally cool when us little people can help get the word out.

Great job, pshannon! Karmic brownies for you today. :)

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxx

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), January 29, 1999.

Talk radio is effective as an introduction - treat your time "on line" seriously. I was able to get a little over twelve minutes with WSB's Neal Boortz three weeks ago, and then four separate, but shorter, calls through to WGST's show(s) when they were discussing parts and pieces of the Y2K problem.

Most (but not all) radio hosts here in Atlanta market seem to understand the potential problem, and are taking it seriously. Marietta newspaper too, but Atlanta newspapers are very liberal and have been almost invisible in discussing the problem.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), January 29, 1999.

", but Atlanta newspapers are very liberal and have been almost invisible in discussing the problem."

I'm a white conservative nationalist (circa Pat Buchanan), so I don't really understand the liberal mindset - help me out here. Why do liberal sources tend to "play-down" Y2K?

-- Anonymous99 (Anonymous99@Anonymous.com), January 29, 1999.

think "Nanny Gubmint".

Think "We will take care of you"

Think "There is nothing that you need that the Gubmint can't give you"

Anyone else want a shot at the explanation?? c

-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 29, 1999.

OH YEAH. Now think: "Y2K, Some of the reports were so disturbing we had to classify them."

Think TEOTWAWKI. c

-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 29, 1999.