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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'

#751

Post by [deleted] »

mattgreenrocks wrote: post #730
JohnFen wrote: post #590

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The clear meaning I got from the ad was: we want to destroy everything and make you buy our product instead. I know that wasn't what they were going for (I'm pretty sure, anyway), but it's very hard for me to interpret it differently. I never connected it to the hydraulic press channel at all for some reason.

You either get the symbolism of "let's crush all remaining vestiges of creative culture" or you don't. If you don't, that's fine. Policing the extent of people's reactions doesn't make for constructive conversation, and, ironically, is merely a different form of "over-reaction."

[deleted]

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

#752

Post by hinkley »

pohl wrote: post #627
yousif_123123 wrote: post #530

I didn't like the ad. I think the people creating it wanted to imply that it's as if they took all these things and put it in an iPad, where you can still achieve all the creativity while carrying a thin device. I don't think it's impossible to convey that message without destroying instruments and creative tools that are precious to so many. Maybe if they had made the animation very fast it would've appeared as a jo…

It seems odd to complain about one old upright piano being crushed for the video when thousands upon thousands of them are out on the streets, living under bridges, because no one wants to move the piano anymore, or wanted the convenience of an electronic keyboard. I implore you all: adopt a piano today! You may find yourself saying "I didn't rescue it, it rescued me."

See also Jimi Hendrix, the Clash, The Who, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana…

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

#753

Post by EGreg »

yousif_123123 wrote: post #530

I didn't like the ad. I think the people creating it wanted to imply that it's as if they took all these things and put it in an iPad, where you can still achieve all the creativity while carrying a thin device. I don't think it's impossible to convey that message without destroying instruments and creative tools that are precious to so many. Maybe if they had made the animation very fast it would've appeared as a jo…

Anyone remember the original awesome Google Chromebook ad where they meticulousoy showed destruction of several laptops? I know it’s not the same thing but it reminded me of it and I can’t find it anywhere in YouTube! Anyone got a link who knows what I’m talking about?

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

#754

Post by tonymet »

I appreciate that consumers finally vocalized their concern over cynicism & nihilism in advertising. It's a long term , downward trend of misanthropy , banality & nihilism in advertising messaging.

Once you see it you can't unsee it. I hope this ad helps improve awareness.

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

#755

Post by timr »

mattgreenrocks wrote: post #730
JohnFen wrote: post #590

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The clear meaning I got from the ad was: we want to destroy everything and make you buy our product instead. I know that wasn't what they were going for (I'm pretty sure, anyway), but it's very hard for me to interpret it differently. I never connected it to the hydraulic press channel at all for some reason.

You either get the symbolism of "let's crush all remaining vestiges of creative culture" or you don't. If you don't, that's fine. Policing the extent of people's reactions doesn't make for constructive conversation, and, ironically, is merely a different form of "over-reaction."

> You either get the symbolism of "let's crush all remaining vestiges of creative culture" or you don't.

Correction: you either choose to believe that's the symbolism, or you don't.

I "get" it, intellectually, but I don't think that was the intent of the advertiser, nor do I think it's the obvious interpretation of the ad. The obvious interpretation, to me, was "hey, we can piggyback on this hydraulic press channel meme and sell iPads!"

Tellingly, few people care that the hydraulic press channel exists, despite actually crushing all sorts of stuff [1]. See also: the viral "does it blend?" ads [2], and any number of music videos or performances where instruments are destroyed [3] (practically a meme unto itself), etc.

[1] including instruments (listen to the guitar 'scream' under the press!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsQOKKE7UbM

[2] they blended a skeleton! oh, the symbolism! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsTZm7QtY84

[3] boom go the guitars (this, apparently, was not the one moment that mattered): https://youtu.be/QvW61K2s0tA?feature=shared&t=175

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

#756

Post by malcolmgreaves »

xyzwave wrote: post #737
dogman144 wrote: post #584

This ad said the quiet part out loud about what the average technologist thinks of the average liberal arts pursuit. It just had to manifest as an ad from an insulated marketing dept for it to finally happen “in the open.” No surprises, and it was nice to see it out stated clearly.

Maybe the average technologist, but for anyone who understands Apple's culture and history, your claim is not just inaccurate, but opposite of the truth. Steve Jobs addressed this exact point during a 2011 keynote [0]: > It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing. 0. https://www.yo…

That company is long gone now.

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

#757

Post by mvkel »

I haven't seen anywhere but maybe this thread knows: all those objects were CGI, surely, right?

Like I can't imagine it was possible to make the trumpet and other objects "crumple" at the perfect spot to not disrupt the Rube Goldberg crush cascade.

If the objects were real, they must have destroyed a lot of pianos.

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

#758

Post by sssilver »

I can't comprehend the hubris it took to conceive the idea that an iPad could replace an acoustic piano. Heck, not even a piano -- that an iPad could replace the sheet music on that piano, typeset and printed beautifully on a piece of paper that has infinite resolution and incredible texture when you touch it.

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

#760

Post by Apocryphon »

mrzool wrote: post #82
Apocryphon wrote: post #27

Aside from the destruction of low-tech artistic tools triggering non-tech people aspect, tonally the ad was also overly edgy, which is off-brand for Apple. As noted elsewhere, it felt like a video game commercial from the '90s: gratuitous in its attention-seeking. https://twitter.com/cuniiform/status/1788013085392859171 And it's actually already been done before, by Nintendo: https://twitter.com/rsnous/status/1788047…

> destruction of low-tech artistic tools triggering non-tech people This was really poorly worded and sounded very elitist and dismissive, I trust this was not the intention.

For low-tech I meant analog as opposed to digital. And I meant nothing pejorative in non-tech; these days, there's fewer and fewer positive connotations in being techie.
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