Slashdot Mirror

It's just a good shot -- most of the time, she still looks wasted: http://www.ellenfeiss.net/?p=19.

Still would though*.

AC.

* but, like the rest of you, I'm a geek and can't afford to be fussy.

Ellen Feiss? Is that you?

She was in a movie! http://www.ellenfeiss.net/index.php

The hackers and a handful of tech savy users that want OS X on generic hardware are irrelevant.

I disagree. Completely.

They may be irrelevant to Apple's current sales objectives. And they may be irrelevant in terms of percentage of OS X units sold in the very near future.

But I think they will be highly relevant. Both in terms of increased possibilities for future market and product moves available to Apple and to the impact felt by Microsoft. Right now Microsoft is fighting mostly a one-front war with Linux.

If that handful of hackers and tech savvy users along with a few engineers can show that running OS X on commodity hardware works well and a community builds up around it, Apple may have the best opportunity it has ever had to sharply swing it's market share.

What would happen if they would stage another switch blitz, reduce the cost to $49.99, and bring back Ellen?

Is it unthinkable that they could double their market share? Especially if Apple was to throw a few dollars at NeoOffice?

Here's one of the young female faces used in the mathematical analysis:

http://ellenfeiss.net/temp/movie.php?movie=movies/ ellen_feiss.mov

Only this time around the girl is the stoner chick from the Switch campaign.

She wanders into the room looking dazed, sees the giant talking face on the screen, then cocks her head like a confused cocker spaniel while trying to use her iPod as a remote to change the channel.

Eventually she wanders out a side exit.

I might as well link the Apple sponsored Ellen Feiss switch add while we are at it.

I mean, I don't think she was a fad. But she is really hot. And yeah, I do go for stoner chicks.
http://ellenfeiss.net/

Well, here's one.

which was based on an even nicer quicktime ad available here. there are also more movies available there.
also look for an anime music video at animemusicvideos for a movie called "AMV Hell". They have a nice clip in that short movie using the ellenfeiss commercial.

Charges of elitism mostly come from people who never liked the Mac to begin with.

Actually, I thought it was the unix hacker with "1337 5k1ll2" who didn't like the idea of anyone joining his circle... that he would feel vulnerable and threatened if anyone else dared to understand the high level black magic he wielded...

I agree with the parent poster: if the Mac crowd were not wanting anyone else to join, why all the switch ads? If they don't want intruders in their O/S, why do they hang out for free in the Mac section of CompUSA and Microcenter answering shoppers' questions (better in some cases than the actual Apple employees who work there!)?

Is there another company that inspires viral marketing quite like Apple? Do you think Microsoft could have made Ellen Feiss a celebrity? (actually, it was complaining about a Microsoft product that was the impetus for her bit -- but that's a whole other topic). Apple xenophobes... yeah right!

For those that forgot who she is, the original Ellen Feiss fansite, EllenFeiss.net details her story. Disclaimer: I know the guy who made that site.

In related news, I think it would be worthwhile for Firefox to advertise in the Wall Street Journal or the Economist as well, just because those two publications are read by decision makers in companies. Unfortunately, TV ads will run quite a bit more, but why not a SuperBowl ad? It's not until February. My guess is that it's probably a waste of money. If I were in charge, I would do an ad on The Economist, advertise on NPR (no one there likes businesses anyway), and then gather another round of funding this time from businesses, who can easily give $100-1,000, especially if it is to a non-profit, to have a ridiculous week-long blitz in the Ny Times, Washington Post, LA Times, USA Today, and Chicago Tribune.

That's funny. I didn't know Ellen Feiss switched to linux...

...listed on Google under "stoned chick".

At least it's better than getting high, losing your paper on your PC, and becoming famous for switching to a mac.

I suspect she was trying to be like Ellen Feiss but misinterpreted something.

She was probably trying to get baked and then talk about Apple, but instead baked the Apple.

Simple mistake, really. Anyone could have made it.

Of course you know what this means...

NEWS RELEASE: December 9, 2002 - St. Leo College in Florida announces a new plan to integrate iFurniture into every dorm. This makes for more user friendly environments for the chronically stoned. Students will no longer have to suffer the embarrasment of having everyday "beige" dorm furniture that can be difficult and dangerous to operate while heavily inebriated.

Statement from the president of the university:

The students can no longer be expected to have to go through their daily trials and tribulations AND have to learn how to use their computer and other furniture! The Pope has approved (after intense negotiations because of fears of being perceived as endorsing the forbidden fruit) the switch to an exclusively Apple brand on-campus furniture environment. By forcin.. errr... encouraging our students to use the products of the highest bidding business partner we feel that academics can only improve!

While our students may seek forgiveness for their daily sins by confessing them, we feel that their other day to day tasks should be simplified and standardized as much as possible. So, today, to prevent any further injuries or the possibility of independent thought that may go against the decree of the Vatican, we have decided to make Saint Leo College an Apple-only on-campus learning experience!

Thank you to our new patron saint Steve for the funding to make this all-encompasing "switch" possible.

Of course you know what this means...

NEWS RELEASE: December 9, 2002 - St. Leo College in Florida announces a new plan to integrate iFurniture into every dorm. This makes for more user friendly environments for the chronically stoned. Students will no longer have to suffer the embarrasment of having everyday "beige" dorm furniture that can be difficult and dangerous to operate while heavily inebriated.

Statement from the president of the university:

The students can no longer be expected to have to go through their daily trials and tribulations AND have to learn how to use their computer and other furniture! The Pope has approved (after intense negotiations because of fears of being perceived as endorsing the forbidden fruit) the switch to an exclusively Apple brand on-campus furniture environment. By forcin.. errr... encouraging our students to use the products of the highest bidding business partner we feel that academics can only improve!

While our students may seek forgiveness for their daily sins by confessing them, we feel that their other day to day tasks should be simplified and standardized as much as possible. So, today, to prevent any further injuries or the possibility of independent thought that may go against the decree of the Vatican, we have decided to make Saint Leo College an Apple-only on-campus learning experience!

Thank you to our new patron saint Steve for the funding to make this all-encompasing "switch" possible.

Reminded me of Foxtrot:

Link

...as long as Sony, AOL/Time Warner, etc will allow it to...

Well this fits with Apple's Switch campaign. After all when Ellen Feiss is inspired (by whatever means) to combine her DVD of The Wizard of Oz with a particular Pink Floyd score she has on CD. She won't be pleased when her Mac beeps at her telling her that Sony won't let her rip the CD, and Time Warner won't let her copy their film...

After all if your whole marketing ploy is that people can use your computer to do what they think they should be able to do and do it easily; then you would want them to be able to exercize their "Fair Use" rights.

It's beeping becuase the ship's computer just deleted his essay.

Bummer.

Hi,

MeatMan wrote:

I don't know if she was stoned or not, but I found an interesting Wallpaper in one Ellen Feiss fan site ( yes! there are some Ellen Feiss fan sites - which also amazed me too. Do a Google Search for "ellen feiss" )

Anyway, check the image gallery, namely the third wallpaper ;-)

Hi,

MeatMan wrote:

I don't know if she was stoned or not, but I found an interesting Wallpaper in one Ellen Feiss fan site ( yes! there are some Ellen Feiss fan sites - which also amazed me too. Do a Google Search for "ellen feiss" )

Anyway, check the image gallery, namely the third wallpaper ;-)

Hi,

MeatMan wrote:

I don't know if she was stoned or not, but I found an interesting Wallpaper in one Ellen Feiss fan site ( yes! there are some Ellen Feiss fan sites - which also amazed me too. Do a Google Search for "ellen feiss" )

Anyway, check the image gallery, namely the third wallpaper ;-)

Gentlemen, I give you the NEW face of radiation in America!

Soon the unwashed masses will forget their irrational fears and beg us for nuclear-powered devices... MWAHAHAHA!

Completely unrelated, but try a search on google for "stoner girl" and look at what the third result is ...

How did THAT get there????

Well, since "stoned girl" returns the same page as the third result, ....

Think Stoned

For those who didn't get the humour in the parent posting should visit http://www.apple.com/switch/ads/ellenfeiss.html and http://www.ellenfeiss.net/.

Some people say she looks like a stoner. I think they're right, but shes still awfully cute.

Ellen

Maybe they all have an Ellen Feiss fetish.

For those that don't yet know, Ellen Feiss' fan club is at ellenfeiss.net.

bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep

I realy didn't want to do a rebuttal, but....

Ellen Feiss-- Apple's Ad Yearbook Photos

Tony Hawk-- Apple Ad Tony's Web Site

Dave Haxton-- Apple His Resume

Theresa McPherson-- No Online Presence...

Mark Gibson-- Apple His Customer's owner's comment on him.

I don't have time to do a full rebuttal (I AM at work, after all), but my random sample indicates these are real folks.

So, I would assume that most of the adults are taking advantage of their 15 minutes of fame. It's not worth Apple's time to fake these ads, since so many folks would do it for free.

How do we know that any of Apple's "switch" stories aren't simply made up?

We don't. On an Ellen Feiss fansite, there are allegations that her story was pretty much made up. While the source may be questionable, it is not as if Apple is somehow immune from fudging the facts or "puffing" when marketing.

Marketing is marketing. Most of it is bullshit attempts to get people to buy something by any means necessary. This is usually accomplished by a soft sell that makes you think that you can get or become something you want by using the product or service presented. Drink C00rs Light? Get "the twins". Advertisers never seem to focus on: "Drink C00rs light? Get the shits."

MSFT took the photo of a youngish, attractive, but not overly sexy woman presented as a successful professional (our collective idealized version of a smart, competant, sexy woman), and pimped their product. Surprised? I'm not.

As for overall corporate morals, MSFT got busted for being sleazy. So did Palm (on the screen thing). Apple might be busted sometime, too. Come to think of it, not once by using an Apple product have I thwarted Big Brother.

guac-foo

Well I guess they can't use the excuse that "well she looked like she was high, so we can't really hold it against her..."

Ellen was evidently under the influence of over-the-counter drugs (see the August 23 post). This is not the most reliable of sources, but it does explain how stupid she sounded. Stupid + drugs = even more stupid.

I noticed that the largest Ellen Feiss fan club site has been down, or actually pointing to its own previous site, ever since the "Microsoft Tries a Switch Campaign" story broke. Nothing like half a million horny geeks ogling over a gorgeous and obviously liberal (at least when it comes to weed) teenage girl to take a site down in record time...

I bet the flatsoda people could hook you up with access_logs that would make you cry!

And Slashdotters are top of the food chain? :) Actually there are several sysadmins that are apart of the Switch campaign. Not all of them are teenaged girls with their brains nuked out on Nyquil.

Disclaimer: i DO like macs.

Sure you do. Sure you do. If you really liked Macs, you would never, ever diss the marketing department built by Steve Jobs. Admit it! You are just a paid consultant from the Microsoft Marketing department astroturfing Slashdot. So which stock photo do you use? :P

Or maybe because it like DEVOURED her paper, and she was like "hunhhh??". And it was a really good paper too. And then she had to write it again really fast so it wasn't as good.

So Ellen Feiss' PC really did go "bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep" when it ate her "really good paper"? Her unofficial fansite (www.ellenfeiss.net) has some (admittedly unsubstantiated) allegations that the story was made-up in a Benadryl-fueled haze. I'll admit that's not exactly concrete proof, but I wouldn't be surprised if some people said what Apple was looking for in an effort to get on TV.

No, this does.

mitch

p.s. - so does this.