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An Apple ad for a new iPad tablet that shows musical instruments, art tools and toys being crushed by a giant hydraulic press has been attacked for cultural insensitivity in online backlash.
Apple CEO Tim Cook released the one-minute video in support of its new range of iPads, the first time the US tech giant has undertaken a two-year overhaul of the range as it seeks to reverse faltering sales.
Advertising campaign – soundtrack to Sonny and Cher’s 1971 hit song All I need is you – Designed to show how much Apple can squeeze into the thinnest tablet. The ad was produced internally by Apple’s creative team, according to the trade press Reports.
The campaign has been subjected to a wave of anger, with reactions on social media Cook X function He accused Apple of crushing “beautiful creative tools” and “symbols of human creativity and cultural achievement.”
Advertising industry executives said the ad represents a misstep for the Silicon Valley giant, which was praised under late co-founder Steve Jobs for its ability to capture consumer attention with past campaigns.
Christopher Slevin, creative director of marketing agency Inkling Culture, compared the iPad ad unfavorably to Ridley Scott’s famous Apple campaign called “1984” for the original Macintosh computer, which positioned Apple as liberating a dystopian, monochromatic world.
“Apple’s new iPad spot is basically them turning into the thing they said they wanted to destroy in the 1984 ad,” Slevin said.
Actor Hugh Grant accused Apple of “destroying the human experience thanks to Silicon Valley” on X.
However, Richard Exon, founder of marketing agency Joint, said: “The more important question is: Is the ad doing its job? It’s a memorable and special device, and I now know that the new iPad has more features but is thinner than ever.
Consumer insights platform Zappi conducted consumer research on the ad indicating that the idea of hydraulic pressure fracturing was divisive.
It said the ad underperformed on commonly desired emotions such as happiness and laughter and over-performed on traditionally negative emotions such as shock and confusion, with older people more likely to have a negative response than younger consumers.
“Is the Apple iPad ad a work of genius or a sign of the dystopian times? It really depends on how old you are,” said Natalie Kelly, chief marketing officer at Zappi. “The shock value lies in the power of this ad, which is controversial by its design, so the fact that People talking about it at all is a win.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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