Apple has a history of popular ads, but its latest video ad posted on YouTube and X to promote the new iPad Pro went too far as it took a stinging jab at some art forms.
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Apple has introduced new iPads and accessories aimed at speeding up tasks related to artificial intelligence.
Apple’s latest ad has it down — and not in a good way.
The 1-minute ad, designed to highlight the new iPad Pro’s sleekness, struck a nerve with some in the creative community — perhaps because the analogy hit too close to home at a time when artificial intelligence threatens creators.
The ad crushes musical instruments, a record player, a television, a video game arcade machine, a sculpture and painting, a chessboard, computers, books, sketches and paint cans as an imaginary garbage compactor. a rainbow of colors spilling over the sides like blood – to produce an iPad.
“Crush!” titled ad on YouTube on Tuesday and CEO Tim Cook’s account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. It was meant to promote the tech giant’s event on Wednesday about all the new iPad developments.
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But the backlash was so negative that the company pleaded guilty on Thursday.
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and designing products that empower creatives around the world is incredibly important to us,” said Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing. Advertising Age. “Our goal is always to celebrate the countless ways users can express themselves and realize their ideas through iPad. We missed the target with this video and we are sorry.”
Apple did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
What was wrong with the new Apple iPad Pro ad?
Some realized how Apple was destroying creative tools and art forms—many thought Apple should be sensitive.
“The Destruction of the Human Experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley,” actor Hugh Grant posted on X.
Shelly Palmer, technology/media/marketing consultant and advanced media professor in residence at Syracuse University’s SI Newhouse School of Public Communications, said the ad “turned my stomach. Then it made me incredibly angry. Then, I was just sad.” wrote in the newsletter and his blog friday
Despite the ad’s supposed intent, “to demonstrate how all the tools we use to create and consume art and music come together to create the iPad,” Palmer said. “To me, that’s a terrible statement about how Apple thinks about the creative community.”
Kuka said: “I ask you directly: Is this how you feel about the creative community? Is your goal to crush us? Crush the life out of our tools? Literally crush our souls?”
Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Nick Anderson has published a drawing of an emoji in X depicting creative crushes.
In one column, Julian Sanctoneditor-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “You can imagine the pitch: ‘All of human creation crammed into one impossibly brilliant tablet.'” But the bottom line is more palpable: “All of human creation sacrificed for a lifeless device.” .
Sancton, who was the principal claimant in A class action A copyright infringement lawsuit filed by OpenAI and Microsoft added: “Indeed, in an era of bipartisan skepticism about technology and its destructive effects on society — and, in the case of generative AI, its brazen disregard for its human creators — this is intended to offend as much as possible.” too many people.”
Garr Reynolds is an author and professor of management and communication design at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan Presentation zenX made this comparison: “This new iPad ad is to Apple ads what the 1978 ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’ was to Star Wars. Throw this iPad ad in the trash and let’s never talk about it again. Alternatively, rebroadcast it first 57 seconds were deleted: the last 3 seconds were great.”
Not everyone was unhappy with the ad. “I can both think that the new iPad Pro ad was a big miss, and I think the reactions to it on Twitter were completely stupid,” – Jack Appleby Future Social newsletter in social media strategy, Posted in X.
“Yeah, it’s bad publicity,” he said. “But you all understand the point of advertising. And worse? None of you can do your job without these Apple products.”
Credit: Reuters.
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
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