The advertising campaign which began on Wednesday, 15 July 2015 comprises of a radio, print and digital campaign devised by marketing specialist at ASUS South Africa, Sifiso Nhlapo.

“In considering our Zenbook prior to launch we were able to make direct specification comparisons with the new Macbook where our product was either superior or equal to the Apple product. It was then that my brief was simple – the ASUS Zenbook must be seen as a credible alternative to Apple’s new Macbook." says Nhlapo.

“Many consumers assume that technology companies outside of premium brands we know compromise on quality for cost-effectiveness, and that is not the case at ASUS. The Zenbook is retailing from R11 999 but the product’s specifications and test results speak for themselves. Our campaign had to push the boundaries of comparative advertising as it was needed not only for this launch but as part of a broader effort to tackle the perceptions surrounding our brand," adds Nhlapo.

“ASUS is not a boring brand. As the number one laptop brand in Europe, we have great products that are of great quality. Our advertising needs to speak to that: it needs to be clever, memorable, and effective in its messaging. We do not have the luxury of massive budget and when your brand is perceived as a small player then best you act more aggressively than your competitors to get the attention you need.”

The radio advert which is being flighted across Highveld and KFM, sees ASUS intrigue its audience with sound clips of an apple being bitten into as it explains the Zenbook to the audience. Print adverts were created that see a South African woman’s apple being sliced in half by a flying Zenbook.

“Initially, my campaign ideas, specifically my radio script, caused a stir with the media agencies we were working with. I faced total refusal to air the advert as it had been written. So, we approached the Association for Communication and Advertising who reviewed the scripts with the legalities in mind, and found that our approach was creative without being derogatory to the Apple brand,” concludes Nhlapo.

Direct comparisons with the new Macbook include:

  • Size: the ASUS ZenBook is just 12.3mm thick as opposed to the new Macbook that is 13.1mm thick;
  • Visual display: the ZenBook features an optional QHD+ (3200x1800) multi-touch display; and
  • Data transfer capabilities: the ZenBook has three SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports as opposed to the 1 USB port offered by the new MacBook.


For more information, visit the ASUS website.