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The advertising of the new iPads gets Apple into trouble and outrages the web. The Cupertino company had to withdraw its one-minute television commercial in which a hydraulic press crushes musical instruments, artistic tools, emojis and gaming peripherals. The controversial video, accompanied by Sonny and Cher’s 1971 song “All I Ever Need Is You”, was intended to illustrate the giant’s ability to incorporate numerous features into a thinner device, which includes graphics and music editing apps and will also be able to support “triple A” (high-end) video games, but the public didn’t like the idea.
First the wave of criticism, then the apologies
Social media users condemned the destruction of “beautiful creative tools” and “symbols of human cultural and creative accomplishments.” Some advertising industry figures have pointed to the campaign as a rare blunder for the Silicon Valley company, famous for its ability to capture consumers’ attention with innovative and unconventional ads.
Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing communications, admitted that he had missed the mark: “We made a mistake with this video and we apologize,” he told industry magazine Ad Age, adding that “creativity is in our DNA and it’s extremely important to us to design products that support content creators and artists around the world. Our goal is always to celebrate the countless ways users express themselves and realize their ideas through the iPad.”
Does Apple deny its own origins?
For many, the campaign is in open contrast with the famous advertisement for the first Macintosh, from 1984, directed by director Ridley Scott, which indicated Apple as a colorful liberator in a dystopian and monochromatic world. “The new iPad commercial is Apple becoming what it said it wanted to destroy in that commercial,” commented Christopher Slevin, creative director of marketing agency Inkling Culture.
Actor Hugh Grant also criticized the company on social media for “Silicon Valley’s destruction of human ingenuity.” But the advert also sparked positive reactions. Richard Exon, founder of the Joint marketing agency, observed that the important thing is that the message is impactful: “It sticks, it stands out: now I know that the new iPad contains even more tools and is thinner than ever” .