March 29, 2011
Too arrogant - Apple's 'If you don't have an iphone' commercial
(Note: 5/13/2013: Above video is an alternate version since the original one was taken down from YouTube)
Are the tides turning? Is Apple finally moving over to the dark side? Or did they fire their ad agency, and hire a cheaper one? Because the above tv commercial that is running these days actually feels like a very bad Microsoft ad, not like one of the many, witty Apple / iphone ads we know. Those all had a lightness, a freshness to it. They were surprising us constantly with new bands and songs that we came to love. Not this one though. This one is bad. Very bad.
I have to admit, I do have an iphone. I do, however, not agree with the quite arrogant undercurrent that is embedded in this commercial. The line that carries this commercial:
"If you don't have an iphone... well... you don't have an iphone" actually makes me quite angry, because you can just as well translate it as "If you don't have an iphone... screw you". This does not feel like Apple at all. It feels arrogant, and condescending, and pretty much shows the finger to all other smart phone users. Apple shouldn't take that route at all.
There is one line in particular in the commercial that makes matters even worse:
"If you don’t have an iPhone you don’t have iBooks, so you don’t have your favorite books in your pocket."
That is just awful copy-writing, and there didn't seem to be a creative brief in place at all. Have you ever tried to read a book on an iphone? It's a pain in the .... I have always resisted electronic books, but just lately have warmed up the Amazon's Kindle, which would actually be much more suitable for a a copy line like that. But not the iphone. Come on! You can't be serious.
I hope Apple will find its Mojo again. Because arrogance certainly does not sell.
Question to you: If you don't have an iphone - did this commercial stimulate your desire for one? Please feel free to drop me a line or share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Related link:
Apple's iphone ad gallery
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I agree completely. It's arrogant, condescending, and counter productive from an advertising stand point. They spend 28 seconds showing features, operations, apps, ect. But framing it within "If you don't have an Iphone" makes me feel like an idiot since I don't have one.
ReplyDeleteI really don't like the Apple subculture and commercials like this only underscore the perception of snobbery and elitism that Apple users often get.
Totally agree with your comments.
ReplyDeleteI actually Googled "latest iphone ad arrogant" as it's just been on TV and it wound me up. Wondered who else though that. Seems like I'm not the only one!
First let me say that I respect what you are doing in this blog because, yes, most commercials out there are just plain bad. It's a pet peeve of both my wife and mine to be forced to sit through bad commercials. So keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when it comes to this ad, I completely disagree. I believe the point of this series of Apple commercials is to clearly state the advantages of the iPhone over all the competitors - who at a very superficial level may look similar - but when you scratch the surface they are not in the same league as the iPhone. The commercials are edgy, but I don't find them arrogant. It's easy to confuse arrogance for simply stating facts in one's favor.
Arrogance is defined as "an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions." There are no assumptions made in the commercial. I can hardly find them overbearing because they are fairly gently toned. So what about presumptuous? Presumptuous is defined as "overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy) : taking liberties". I don't believe any bounds were overstepped or liberties taken.
So you can portray an attitude of superiority when your products actually are superior and are backing that up with facts. That's not arrogance. However, if you want to see arrogance in commercials, look at just about anything Android with their "ass-kicking" tech specs, and smug geeks with inflated egos kicking around supposed cutting-edge tech-speak. These commercials, as the products themselves, were clearly designed by geeks for geeks. That is why the mainstream is nuts over the iPhone and ambivalent about everything else.
Really though, the bottom line is that iPhones flew off the shelves this summer. These commercials don't seem to bother that many people, at least not enough to keep them from buying iPhones.