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Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

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Re: Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

#281

Your internal view of the brand is being changed or challenged. This causes a type of psychological stress. The iPad is only a machine but Apple the brand has carefully created a brand with emotions feeling and thoughts around it. People invest themselves in their ideas. the ad isn't concerning for what it does in the ad, but for how it is changing the internal feeling of the brand. It is like remembering when thinki…

Very insightful take. But the ad also caused me stress, and I own no Apple devices, nor am I a fan. So there must be more.

hmm, thinking quickly, two things.

Firstly the brand feelings exist even with people who don't own anything to do with the brand. Again with the cars, car adverts mainly seek to install sentiment in non car owners.

Secondly, I think the ad "as art" on it's own is disturbing and menacing.

Re: Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

#282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I took the message that all that culture is now available in an even slimmer form factor. This is the problem with art. Unambiguous messaging is impossible as one casts a wider net of interpretation

Very true- I wonder if the prevailing interpretation would be different if this was 20 years ago. The destruction of all those tools would probably have a much more "punk rock" interpretation from people if Apple weren't the megacorp they are today.

I found it super ironic how they blathered on about all of the recycling going on in their products, then blatently show all those items being destroyed when they could clearly be recycled.

I do think that the 'rendered' idea was the best - almost thinking differently, or something...:S

Re: Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

#283
post #246

I don't understand the outrage. It's cgi, and very obvious cgi at that. The items bend and explode in an exaggerated cartoon fashion. It's whimsical. No instruments have been destroyed. No actual paint has been spilled. We don't get mad at destruction in a pixar movie. We cheer when rock stars smash their actual guitars after a live performance. We don't live in a culture that abhors destruction. Do people just not r…

> We cheer when rock stars smash their actual guitars after a live performance. speak for yourself. also, see the flurry of comments elsewhere in the thread about the irrelevance of CGI to the message being sent

Audiences do, in fact, cheer when a rock star smashes his guitar.

And for me it does matter it's CGI. Because actual destruction is not the same as simulated destruction. Cartoon violence can be funny but real violence never is.

Re: Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

#284

Without Hanna and Lauri, you can't have a good hydraulic press moment. It was obvious from the moment it started that it was CGI, so... no actual destruction occurred. Rewatching it, it seems rather random, like they wanted cinematographic moments, without any actual narrative. It was designed to be forgettable. Not a good use of marketing budget.

Actual destruction isn't relevant. The idea of destroying musical instruments because a new iPad is in town, is jarring. The ad lingers on pointless destruction. Why not spend the time showing the new iPad? It's sad when advertising is stuck so far up its own clever-hole, it loses grip on reality.

Edit: I just watched it again. It's definitely not obvious CGI, not sure how you can say that. Camera lenses shattering, paint spilling, wood splintering realistically.

Re: Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

#285
post #237

I think the ad is great and funny. It says: you don't need those anymore. Just buy the iPad. Look at all this space you'll save. All the items you won't need to buy. Minimalism, utility, fun. I think people who get offended by seeing objects being destroyed are being hyper-hypocritical, because I bet you all replace your phones every few years, replace your cars every few years, replace all of your stuff even if the…

We all know what the ad is supposedly saying. But there's something called context. This add doesn't exist in isolation. In my view, is not offensive due to the destruction of the objects, but by the deeper meaning of crushing the cultural representations of human creativity with this machine.

The ad literaly presents a better way to express creativity (according to Apple). How would anyone can think it tries to crush it? I wouldn't use the word "deep" in your example, but rather "shallow".

Also, everything can be offensive if you dig deep enough.

And if you dig really deep, then even knowledge will start looking as only faith.

Re: Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

#286

I like it. You throw away all your hard-earned, expensive instruments, tools, and crush them to be sure. You then go buy an iPad, and the circle is complete: You're now a next-generation Apple consumer! Just turn on YouTube kids and watch slime videos for the rest of your life. Reject culture, consume the slop.

Join the Apple ~~~jail~~~ ecosystem, or die.

Re: Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

#287
post #278
post #225

Someone made a reversed version and it works well (it's the only version I've seen)... yeah, crushing musical instruments just comes across as needlessly destructive.

I had not considered that option, thank you for sharing that someone had. Conceptually it makes a lot more sense in reverse. “Look at every type of creative tool and instrument *contained* within this thin iPad” is inspiring. “Look at how we’ve crushed all these creative tools and instruments” is decidedly not.

iPad rests on table. Kid/Teen/le artist sits down and touches the screen. iPad explodes into stage of “creative instruments”, le artist is le jamming. Cut to title card.

Re: Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

#288

Missing from this extremely short and underreported article is how badly this played out in Japanese market. The culture they have states that musical instruments, creative tools have some energy and imbued sense of spirit to them. So destroying these elements of culture is really really blunt and gauche to them. The majority of the push back came from Japanese people, and then artists empathizing with their sentimen…

[flagged]

Have some compassion.

Let me take something of your prize possession and crush it for an iPad. Not all can afford one and such items brings them entertainment.

For some advert to advertise, "your a schmuck for having these, buy an ipad" is just out of order.

Re: Apple apologizes for iPad 'Crush' ad that 'missed the mark'

#289
post #51

9to5Google pointed out that the Apple ad is a near exact copy of this LG ad from 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcUAQ2i5Tfo The (accidental?) plagiarism of the ad is nearly as bad as the vibe.

So Apple picked up a ad directory from the LG reject pool. How sad.
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