Monica Yoo

technology. science. marketing.

It’s The Same Thing!

Over the Fourth of July Weekend, for the second time in my life I got a migraine. I can handle a headache like a trooper, but throbbing head jolts and sensitivity to light is a whole different story. I swung by the nearest Walgreens frantically looking for medicine. If there’s one thing I’m OCD about, it’s reading labels. Maybe it’s the skepticism that the fundamentals of marketing have taught me, but I always get a kick out of doing it – even when my head is pounding and I’m wearing sunglasses indoors to keep the bright lights to a minimum. I scanned the shelf to see if there was anything specifically for migraines, which surprisingly there weren’t many and immediately grabbed the first thing I saw, Advil Migraine. I was truly hoping that the box of Advil Migraine had something magical or special in it, but to my disappointment, it did not. It was exactly the same as Advil Liqui-Gels. Same dosage, same ingredients, same price, same everything. The only difference was the color of the liquid gels and the packaging. Boo! I ended up purchasing the the regular Advil Liqui-Gels over the Advil Migraine for one single reason – the color. The cool, icy blue felt like a better choice than the orangy-brown one.

Lesson learned: Always read the labels and be aware of what you’re really buying (and paying for).

Oh, before I forget, the Advil Liqui-Gels went away soon after I took the recommended dose. =D

Posted by monicayoo on Natuba

Mac and PC Love

As I’m sure you all have noticed, Mac and PC are openly going head to head with each other through their branding efforts. It all started with the playful Mac commercials stereotyping PC users as being old-school and boring. However, the once playful and light-hearted commercial bits have left the building and seems to have joined forces with the dark side. In this Mac versus PC feud, it is Mac that appears to be making the direct and aggressive attacks against its opponent. What happened to the easy-going persona we all fell in awe with?

Before anyone starts to judge me for my seemingly pro PC entry, I want to put it on the table that I am neither pro PC or biased for one operating system over the other. I’ve grown up using Windows and truly opened my eyes to the experience of the Mac not too long ago. As I own both a PC and Mac, I couldn’t tell you which one I would prefer to own if I were in some hypothetical situation where I had to make a daunting decision to only own one. They each have their pros and cons, which makes it difficult to choose. This is why I own both – to get the best of both worlds. (You can have your cake and eat it too!) I’d go into more detail about which aspects of the operating systems give me butterflies in my stomach, but that would deserve an entire blog entry to itself. These are just my observations and surface-level thoughts. =)

Going back to what I was previously saying, Mac looks to be on the offense. It wasn’t until recently Microsoft decided to retaliate by defending their image by revealing that real PC users are diverse and don’t fit a stereotype or mold. And from what Mac’s most recent commercial, “Bake Sale” tells me, they don’t seem to be too pleased with it. Watch a few of their latest videos and see for yourself.

On the flip side, I think Microsoft is making a healthy effort. This video sums it up nicely.

I’m glad to see that Microsoft is finally being proactive about their brand management because they needed it. With Microsoft’s “The Real PC” campaign, you get to see a real human aspect of its users which is a very refreshing. Microsoft is also encouraging people to get involved in this effort by uploading your own PC videos, which could be selected to have aired on TV.

I find the whole Mac and PC rivalry highly entertaining and interesting. It’s something I’ll be watching closely to see how it all unravels.

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