5 ms·

Apple’s new ads make the company look lame

31 points by npalli 13y ago

bhauer 13y ago
> "This is it. This is what matters," the ad begins. Lofty claims for a suite of consumer gadgets. Precisely. For all that Apple is, even at its best, it's just a manufacturer of consumer gadgets. As an aside--this is not related at all to this article--I consider it a slight to Elon Musk when he is considered "the next Steve Jobs." Elon Musk is obviously his own creation, but he also has the potential of bringing more meaningful transformation. Comparing the two is facile, but disappointing on so many levels.
- ryanhuff 13y ago
  Bringing personal computing to the masses is pretty important.
  - arjie 13y ago
    True. It's a pity that Steve Jobs gets credit for essentially the revolution that Wintel brought.
    - ryanhuff 13y ago
      Apple brought on the personal computer revolution long before Wintel. Wintel innovated and monopolized.
      - arjie 13y ago
        I'm happy to be corrected, but mass access to computers was something that came not from Apple, IIRC.
        ryanhuff 13y ago
        I am not sure what you mean by "mass access", but the Apple II was a mass-market personal computer. However, what you might describe as mass-market today is certainly different than in the 1980's, but similarly, the personal computing market size and Wintel's reach during the 1990-2000's will be dwarfed by what mobile computing provides. So its all relative to the market. With that said, Apple introduced computing into the home as a mass market product. Before that, computing was not approachable by non-hobbyists. Everything since has been built upon this revolution. To provide some context, below is a 1983 Time Magazine cover, which illustrates the importance of personal computing even then; before Wintel came to be. Apple wasn't the only player at this time of this cover, but they helped start the revolution lead to the magazine cover. http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19830103,00.html http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19830103,00.html Also, you may find this video interesting, which shows Steve Wozniak walking through the evolution of the Apple computer. Again, all of this occurred before Wintel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul7NkLGtD84 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul7NkLGtD84 Edit: Just as an interesting counter-point, this last video sure is prophetic about how you just never know who will try to eat your lunch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InPIGu-bdwM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InPIGu-bdwM
        arjie 13y ago
        Historical point conceded. But if mass market smartphone access is what you're talking about (and I only bring it up because you mentioned it) it won't be apple that made it happen but ZTE and Huawei.
        valleyer 13y ago
        I'm pretty sure he didn't mention "mass-market smartphone access" at all.
        rsynnott 13y ago
        Oh, Apple is rarely (in fact, pretty much never) the one who actually makes the dominant product, but it's hard to imagine that a ZTE smartphone would be much like it is today if the iPhone hadn't transformed that market.
- yardie 13y ago
  I find that Elon worship almost as unpalatable as Jobs worship. He brings a lot of good ideas to the table but lets not kid ourselves, the consumer electric car was going to get here with or without him. People make the jobs comparison because, like Jobs, he started out as and outsider.
bumbledraven 13y ago
I thought this ad was beautiful. It reminds me of Don's "Carousel" pitch from Mad Men (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suRDUFpsHus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suRDUFpsHus) the way it focuses on experiences and feelings. This is it. This is what matters. The experience of a product. How will it make someone feel? Will it make life better? Does it deserve to exist? We spend a lot of time on a few great things. Until every idea we touch enhances each life it touches. You may rarely look at it, but you'll always feel it. This is our signature, and it means everything. Apple is clear about their design philosophy and bold enough to state it directly. I think the author just doesn't like that they are proud of being so good at what they do. (credit to http://curi.us http://curi.us for having some of these thoughts first)
- worldimperator 13y ago
  This is what matters in life .. the 'experience of a product'? What the..
  - coffeemug 13y ago
    You're twisting the ad. They didn't say "this is what matters in life", they said "this is what matters". It's an ad for a consumer products company, and the implication is pretty clearly "this is what matters when designing products", not "this is what matters in life".
    - worldimperator 13y ago
      I think when they show it in every life situation (except on a funeral, maybe), it's safe to assume that the general idea is 'in life'.
      - James_Duval 13y ago
        Oh - I thought you were criticising the execrable copy. "The experience of a product." It's so vague it's meaningless.
  - 13y ago
neilk 13y ago
But how do they release an ad campaign if it tests so poorly? Were they so reliant on Steve Jobs' design and marketing savvy that they have no culture of testing things first? This particular campaign seems almost like it started out as a video that you would play at a general assembly of Apple employees. Good for them, but for the rest of us?
alwaysinshade 13y ago
Let's just take a step back and breathe deeply - it's just a shit ad from a company that usually markets things really well to the masses. They'll do their research and find it doesn't jive, then change their tune to something that does. Watch the masses lose their collective bowels over the new products that are going to be released over the coming months. You know - that season when people drop a lot of cash on things. This idea that if products aren't updated bi-annually the company is going down the toilet will go away. I don't live in California but I suspect that a lot of people who do might take some pride in it (think sports teams) and when they make something cool, it's nice to see their home state on there and not just an FCC badge and "Made in China". There's nothing wrong with being proud of your work. The same applies with the "Assembled in USA" badge you might see on an Apple or Google product - be proud.
- gbog 13y ago
  > be proud Well, what if I am not US citizen? For people outside of the USA, a "Made in California" sign might be a mark of quality for gadgets, just like "Made in France" for wine, but why adding pride to this?
  - alwaysinshade 13y ago
    > what if I am not US citizen? I'm not a US citizen either. Apple's (and Amazon, Google et al.) primary market is the US. "Designed in California" makes no difference to you and I, but it might make the difference between 15 million vs 15.5 million sales if they drop an extra 0.05 cents worth of paint pointing out where the phone was conceived. That, and I truly believe Apple has a strong sense of pride. > but why adding pride to this? Evoking emotion sells your product to people who feel it. Those who don't feel it...eh? They'll still buy the product if they like it. Perhaps you can market it to them in a different way. Broad-spectrum marketing.
eruditely 13y ago
Alright even though I don't exactly like Apple, I think this article is a bit much in it's tone, and this easily spills over to making the substance poor(if not the same thing entirely)..
- James_Duval 13y ago
  I don't know, I'd not seen the ads and I think they're pretty shockingly bad. When I see "Designed in California" I instantly think "Made in China for a pittance, based in Ireland for a tax dodge". Thinking of the Bay Area designers doing so well out of other people's misery is absolutely the worst thing I could associate with the Apple brand, especially as it plays so readily into the (mostly unfair) "smug hipster" image Apple has created for itself. That said, unlike the author of the article I am not an Apple fan. I have owned two Apple devices, and both broke in short order. I have an instant distrust of personality cults. Finally, and most importantly for my self-image, I like being able to tinker. So, I suppose, take this comment with a dune of salt.
nairteashop 13y ago
> If you already adore your collection of Apple stuff [...] you might be charmed by this ad. I think this was kind of the point of the ad. I felt the vibe was very similar to that of the "think different" ad from the late '90s, which was targeted towards Apple/Mac faithfuls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzu6zeLSWq8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzu6zeLSWq8 That ad was released at a low-point in Apple's history, and implored the faithful to hang in there. I'm not sure why this ad was released now though... perhaps asking the faithful not to jump ship, even though there are now fairly well-designed competitive products in the market? No idea.
- panacea 13y ago
  I agree. I think these ads are targeted at existing users. They're in part, an effort to reduce dissonance. "Cognitive dissonance can occur across multiple product lines as well as a competitor's products. Advertising and promotional campaigns can help raise consumer confidence about making product purchases and reduce the chances of buyer's remorse that may cause consumers to return products in favor of those offered by the competition."
tagabek 13y ago
I actually rather enjoyed the commercial. Other than the "Designed by Apple in California" text that appeared, I found it to be heartwarming.
sbuk 13y ago
I'd suggest that this self-indulgent piece of churnalism features pretty high in the "making an organisation look lame" stakes. What Stevenson, and the Slate editorial team, seemingly miss (other than an opportunity for ad impressions) is that this is a manifesto of sorts. Its for their staff and long-term investors. Its advertising Apple, not their products per se. It's not going to be a spot that is run at the same frequency as iPhone or iPad ads.
fnayr 13y ago
> The company is taking itself waaaay too seriously. As the writer of the article is with the ad.
sfjailbird 13y ago
Sounds exactly like the type of campaign Steve Jobs discarded with extreme prejudice, as related in the biography. "Embarassing, Pottery Barn type ads. It's advertising agency bullshit and I hate it", as far as I remember the quote. He replaced those ads with the iconic silhouette iTunes ads. Oh, also: "Designed by Apple in California" was brilliant in its subtlety, on the back of the iPhone if you looked hard enough. Taking that and making it a 40pt headline destroys the spirit of it and is one of the worst examples I have seen recently of mismanaging brand equity.
- amitagrawal 13y ago
  Actually it's Designed by Apple in California. But I agree with you I liked it better when it was subtle.
Zakharov 13y ago
"Designed by Apple in California" struck me as really weird when I saw it on a bus stop here in Australia.
lewispollard 13y ago
My main problem with the ad is it's trying to normalize a world where everyone stares at their bloody phone screens all day. No one is really interacting with each other, just recording videos and tweeting, but they're having SO MUCH FUN doing it!
epo 13y ago
The Apple ads seem to mostly appeal to the converted, this article is written as linkbait for the haters. "Hipster hates Apple", news at 10.
Mordor 13y ago
Cook is still trying to make a "faster horse" (as was his role during the Jobs era), but with Microsoft on the ropes and Google embroiled in NSA spying (undermining Glass), it's going to be a while yet before any of this matters.
gibbitz 13y ago
If seems the author didn't get the GM-like JD Powers email that I got. Apple has figured out where the money is. It just isn't where mine is. I've bought mylast apple products, not because the quality of their ads have fallen off, but because the quality of their products have. Plastic I phones, gold coloring drastically less upgradable Mac pros, soldered on ram and ssds in macbooks, mountain lion sluggishness and missing unix application. Poorly performing ios7 previews-- need i say more?c

31 points by npalli 13y ago

> "This is it. This is what matters," the ad begins. Lofty claims for a suite of consumer gadgets. Precisely. For all that Apple is, even at its best, it's just a manufacturer of consumer gadgets. As an aside--this is not related at all to this article--I consider it a slight to Elon Musk when he is considered "the next Steve Jobs." Elon Musk is obviously his own creation, but he also has the potential of bringing more meaningful transformation. Comparing the two is facile, but disappointing on so many levels.

ryanhuff 13y ago
Bringing personal computing to the masses is pretty important.
- arjie 13y ago
  True. It's a pity that Steve Jobs gets credit for essentially the revolution that Wintel brought.
  - ryanhuff 13y ago
    Apple brought on the personal computer revolution long before Wintel. Wintel innovated and monopolized.
    - arjie 13y ago
      I'm happy to be corrected, but mass access to computers was something that came not from Apple, IIRC.
      - ryanhuff 13y ago
        I am not sure what you mean by "mass access", but the Apple II was a mass-market personal computer. However, what you might describe as mass-market today is certainly different than in the 1980's, but similarly, the personal computing market size and Wintel's reach during the 1990-2000's will be dwarfed by what mobile computing provides. So its all relative to the market. With that said, Apple introduced computing into the home as a mass market product. Before that, computing was not approachable by non-hobbyists. Everything since has been built upon this revolution. To provide some context, below is a 1983 Time Magazine cover, which illustrates the importance of personal computing even then; before Wintel came to be. Apple wasn't the only player at this time of this cover, but they helped start the revolution lead to the magazine cover. http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19830103,00.html http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19830103,00.html Also, you may find this video interesting, which shows Steve Wozniak walking through the evolution of the Apple computer. Again, all of this occurred before Wintel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul7NkLGtD84 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul7NkLGtD84 Edit: Just as an interesting counter-point, this last video sure is prophetic about how you just never know who will try to eat your lunch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InPIGu-bdwM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InPIGu-bdwM
        arjie 13y ago
        Historical point conceded. But if mass market smartphone access is what you're talking about (and I only bring it up because you mentioned it) it won't be apple that made it happen but ZTE and Huawei.
        valleyer 13y ago
        I'm pretty sure he didn't mention "mass-market smartphone access" at all.
        rsynnott 13y ago
        Oh, Apple is rarely (in fact, pretty much never) the one who actually makes the dominant product, but it's hard to imagine that a ZTE smartphone would be much like it is today if the iPhone hadn't transformed that market.
yardie 13y ago
I find that Elon worship almost as unpalatable as Jobs worship. He brings a lot of good ideas to the table but lets not kid ourselves, the consumer electric car was going to get here with or without him. People make the jobs comparison because, like Jobs, he started out as and outsider.

bumbledraven 13y ago

I thought this ad was beautiful. It reminds me of Don's "Carousel" pitch from Mad Men (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suRDUFpsHus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suRDUFpsHus) the way it focuses on experiences and feelings. This is it. This is what matters. The experience of a product. How will it make someone feel? Will it make life better? Does it deserve to exist? We spend a lot of time on a few great things. Until every idea we touch enhances each life it touches. You may rarely look at it, but you'll always feel it. This is our signature, and it means everything. Apple is clear about their design philosophy and bold enough to state it directly. I think the author just doesn't like that they are proud of being so good at what they do. (credit to http://curi.us http://curi.us for having some of these thoughts first)

worldimperator 13y ago
This is what matters in life .. the 'experience of a product'? What the..
- coffeemug 13y ago
  You're twisting the ad. They didn't say "this is what matters in life", they said "this is what matters". It's an ad for a consumer products company, and the implication is pretty clearly "this is what matters when designing products", not "this is what matters in life".
  - worldimperator 13y ago
    I think when they show it in every life situation (except on a funeral, maybe), it's safe to assume that the general idea is 'in life'.
    - James_Duval 13y ago
      Oh - I thought you were criticising the execrable copy. "The experience of a product." It's so vague it's meaningless.
- 13y ago

neilk 13y ago

But how do they release an ad campaign if it tests so poorly? Were they so reliant on Steve Jobs' design and marketing savvy that they have no culture of testing things first? This particular campaign seems almost like it started out as a video that you would play at a general assembly of Apple employees. Good for them, but for the rest of us?

alwaysinshade 13y ago

Let's just take a step back and breathe deeply - it's just a shit ad from a company that usually markets things really well to the masses. They'll do their research and find it doesn't jive, then change their tune to something that does. Watch the masses lose their collective bowels over the new products that are going to be released over the coming months. You know - that season when people drop a lot of cash on things. This idea that if products aren't updated bi-annually the company is going down the toilet will go away. I don't live in California but I suspect that a lot of people who do might take some pride in it (think sports teams) and when they make something cool, it's nice to see their home state on there and not just an FCC badge and "Made in China". There's nothing wrong with being proud of your work. The same applies with the "Assembled in USA" badge you might see on an Apple or Google product - be proud.

gbog 13y ago
> be proud Well, what if I am not US citizen? For people outside of the USA, a "Made in California" sign might be a mark of quality for gadgets, just like "Made in France" for wine, but why adding pride to this?
- alwaysinshade 13y ago
  > what if I am not US citizen? I'm not a US citizen either. Apple's (and Amazon, Google et al.) primary market is the US. "Designed in California" makes no difference to you and I, but it might make the difference between 15 million vs 15.5 million sales if they drop an extra 0.05 cents worth of paint pointing out where the phone was conceived. That, and I truly believe Apple has a strong sense of pride. > but why adding pride to this? Evoking emotion sells your product to people who feel it. Those who don't feel it...eh? They'll still buy the product if they like it. Perhaps you can market it to them in a different way. Broad-spectrum marketing.

eruditely 13y ago

Alright even though I don't exactly like Apple, I think this article is a bit much in it's tone, and this easily spills over to making the substance poor(if not the same thing entirely)..

James_Duval 13y ago
I don't know, I'd not seen the ads and I think they're pretty shockingly bad. When I see "Designed in California" I instantly think "Made in China for a pittance, based in Ireland for a tax dodge". Thinking of the Bay Area designers doing so well out of other people's misery is absolutely the worst thing I could associate with the Apple brand, especially as it plays so readily into the (mostly unfair) "smug hipster" image Apple has created for itself. That said, unlike the author of the article I am not an Apple fan. I have owned two Apple devices, and both broke in short order. I have an instant distrust of personality cults. Finally, and most importantly for my self-image, I like being able to tinker. So, I suppose, take this comment with a dune of salt.

nairteashop 13y ago

> If you already adore your collection of Apple stuff [...] you might be charmed by this ad. I think this was kind of the point of the ad. I felt the vibe was very similar to that of the "think different" ad from the late '90s, which was targeted towards Apple/Mac faithfuls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzu6zeLSWq8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzu6zeLSWq8 That ad was released at a low-point in Apple's history, and implored the faithful to hang in there. I'm not sure why this ad was released now though... perhaps asking the faithful not to jump ship, even though there are now fairly well-designed competitive products in the market? No idea.

panacea 13y ago
I agree. I think these ads are targeted at existing users. They're in part, an effort to reduce dissonance. "Cognitive dissonance can occur across multiple product lines as well as a competitor's products. Advertising and promotional campaigns can help raise consumer confidence about making product purchases and reduce the chances of buyer's remorse that may cause consumers to return products in favor of those offered by the competition."

tagabek 13y ago

I actually rather enjoyed the commercial. Other than the "Designed by Apple in California" text that appeared, I found it to be heartwarming.

sbuk 13y ago

I'd suggest that this self-indulgent piece of churnalism features pretty high in the "making an organisation look lame" stakes. What Stevenson, and the Slate editorial team, seemingly miss (other than an opportunity for ad impressions) is that this is a manifesto of sorts. Its for their staff and long-term investors. Its advertising Apple, not their products per se. It's not going to be a spot that is run at the same frequency as iPhone or iPad ads.

fnayr 13y ago

> The company is taking itself waaaay too seriously. As the writer of the article is with the ad.

sfjailbird 13y ago

Sounds exactly like the type of campaign Steve Jobs discarded with extreme prejudice, as related in the biography. "Embarassing, Pottery Barn type ads. It's advertising agency bullshit and I hate it", as far as I remember the quote. He replaced those ads with the iconic silhouette iTunes ads. Oh, also: "Designed by Apple in California" was brilliant in its subtlety, on the back of the iPhone if you looked hard enough. Taking that and making it a 40pt headline destroys the spirit of it and is one of the worst examples I have seen recently of mismanaging brand equity.

amitagrawal 13y ago
Actually it's Designed by Apple in California. But I agree with you I liked it better when it was subtle.

Zakharov 13y ago

"Designed by Apple in California" struck me as really weird when I saw it on a bus stop here in Australia.

lewispollard 13y ago

My main problem with the ad is it's trying to normalize a world where everyone stares at their bloody phone screens all day. No one is really interacting with each other, just recording videos and tweeting, but they're having SO MUCH FUN doing it!

epo 13y ago

The Apple ads seem to mostly appeal to the converted, this article is written as linkbait for the haters. "Hipster hates Apple", news at 10.

Mordor 13y ago

Cook is still trying to make a "faster horse" (as was his role during the Jobs era), but with Microsoft on the ropes and Google embroiled in NSA spying (undermining Glass), it's going to be a while yet before any of this matters.

gibbitz 13y ago

If seems the author didn't get the GM-like JD Powers email that I got. Apple has figured out where the money is. It just isn't where mine is. I've bought mylast apple products, not because the quality of their ads have fallen off, but because the quality of their products have. Plastic I phones, gold coloring drastically less upgradable Mac pros, soldered on ram and ssds in macbooks, mountain lion sluggishness and missing unix application. Poorly performing ios7 previews-- need i say more?c