Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Pulls Latest Ad After Criticism Over Depiction of Thailand
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The train scene going over the bridge towards the end where they are all so so dressed with sounds of chickens in the train when riding through an urban settings is strange. Maybe in the country side but in the city?
It's trying to show how useful Apple products are when traveling or out of office.
The opposite approach would have been far better. All you do now is associate Apple products with bad experiences while overseas. Instead of the intended purpose of showing how Apple Products help you overcome issues while overseas. They should have shown how easy Apple products make your time when traveling and shown people having a good time. It would have hit much stronger.
But, maybe in this Out Of Office series, things always go wrong for them? I don't know. All I know is this ad misses badly.
Apparently the Thais don't have a sense of humour. Apple's video makes everyone look ridiculous.
Unfortunately this might be a cultural thing. In America, I don’t find anything offensive- just funny. BUT I’m not in Thailand, and maybe I should visit Thailand to get a better perspective. I think the film is “ok” because it spirit isn’t to do harm. Unfortunately, it may have done harm to the Thailand people. I think I can relate in the manner of pride of one’s country and based on what people are saying - I think it felt like a bad blow to Thailand’s image to America.
I assumed they used a warm filter to indicate it was hot. Not to portray “low tech”.
It’s a massive knee-jerk reaction in my OPINION but it’s their country so whatever.
My wife has gone and said she recognized the vehicles. She called them “tuk tuks”, and says that the place she stayed at for the first week was similar to the one they show and the second place she was at was a beautiful modern resort on the beach. So it seems it was an accurate portrayal in her experience.
Well…the US must be pretty superior. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have the rest of the globe doing anything and everything they can to get in. Can’t say I’ve ever read a story of someone risking life and limb to somehow get into Thailand. Show me a country that doesn’t have its share of problems, it doesn’t exist. I’d much rather be in the one that has as many opportunities as possible. - shrugs -
It was sheer unfunny crap seemingly built for a target audience of uneducated, untraveled morons, so good riddance. 👍
In that case most people can tell it’s a lighthearted stereotype. For newly developed countries like Thailand, people might be more sensitive to their image abroad because a certain stereotype has been ingrained in people’s mind that has yet to be overcome. Charity ads featuring poverty stricken kids in Africa is similar.
I thought it was a much longer video not just 2 minutes long?
"Offensive" often means gaslighting these days. Did Apple show something that wasn't true?
The problem with this ad, is that there is no problem.
They actually captured most of the mishaps from my trip to Thailand that made me never want to go back.
Except maybe for me getting a debilitating fever and witnessing heartbreaking pollution due to overexploitation of nature for the sake of tourism.
Since a Thai company cooperated on this project, they knew very well what they were doing.
It's just strange, that with all the compliance and sensitivity, that Apple prides itself on, it still hasn't yet been adjusted to the hypersensitive audience they're facing on a daily basis.
They actually captured most of the mishaps from my trip to Thailand that made me never want to go back.
Except maybe for me getting a debilitating fever and witnessing heartbreaking pollution due to overexploitation of nature for the sake of tourism.
Since a Thai company cooperated on this project, they knew very well what they were doing.
It's just strange, that with all the compliance and sensitivity, that Apple prides itself on, it still hasn't yet been adjusted to the hypersensitive audience they're facing on a daily basis.
It's hardly a fair comparison. Charity ads are not there to promote tourism, and what you get to witness while traveling in Africa is nothing short of those charity ads. The way Apple presented those travelers' woes in Thailand is nothing but true, but with a positive spin.
Last edited:
The ad really isn't funny and seems completely pointless as a vehicle for selling products, but none of what it depicts is false, and I'm speaking from experience.
It really is hard to find luggage at the airport or get anything done for that matter, the people do seem cheerful, the places you get to stay at really can turn out to be crap and there really are tuk tuks being driven everywhere.
So do please enlighten me as to what kind of untraveled, uneducated morons are you speaking of?
Fiction? There was nothing in it that I haven't seen before and I've travelled there numerous times. All the locations were real, so what's the issue? It's a commercial folks!
Ban The Hangover next, Lol
Here we see American people complaining about the sensitivity of Thai people but ignoring the fact that promoting this cancelling culture to destroy the freedom of art is actually spread from the United States of America.
White man in profile picture is offended about other people being offended.
What kind? You mean there are sub classes of idiots online that need to be further categorized?
The definition is implicit and self-contained within my text that you quoted. I was stunned how stupid the ad was, came across as entitled, unfunny, sophmoric blather written by a committee of morons for an audience of morons. Pretty much like the equally cringe-inducing Mother Nature thing.
I'm not Thai, and have traveled extensively. I was insulted that Apple thinks we're all just stupid tourists.
Apple have totally lost the plot on producing worthwhile advertising content. Presumably it was done "in-house", i.e. "on the cheap". Pay peanuts, get monkeys.
Last edited:
I don’t think you know too much about Americans and or America.
BTW, which government is your government?
Agreed. Their last handful of ads have really missed the mark. I’m not sure why they were green lit. Maybe a different agency or account manager, or a different person within Apple that is responsible for approving these. I’m not sure! It does feel like something has changed, though. I don’t believe that Apple would have approved these newer ads even just 5 years ago.
Every country and city in the world has its pluses and minuses. That ad, while good-intentioned, takes the negatives of a city like Bangkok (which rivals any major western metropolitan center) and presents it in a manner that some could/would take as the norm. Seeing a nation as a tourist is not really seeing the nation and this ad is a perfect example and reminder of that.
As someone who’s traveled to and throughout Thailand multiple times — staying in everything from five star properties to budget hotels and friends homes — I can appreciate the reaction of the folks identified in the article. In every setting I’ve marveled at that nation’s genius in integrating the modern with the classic while maintaining its own style and culture. From the amazing architecture and professional operations of Suvarnabhumi airport, to the spectacles of Icon Siam, and Siam Paragon in Bangkok, to enjoying freshly brewed Thai coffee Americano with Buddhist monks in the rural corner of Chiang Rai, to living in Songkhla, walking to the market daily to pick up fresh fruits and artistically prepared food, talking to the merchants and interacting with Thai people from all walks of life, I can assure you that ad is a caricature of a nation that prides itself in achieving progress while still retaining its culture and they have achieved that balance better than most.
That ad is demeaning at worst .. and at best it is akin to the type of self-stereotyping remark that you might get away with with your close friends, but which would be fighting words to you and those friends if stated by someone on the outside. It’s human nature to be proud of your culture and it’s also human nature to be offended when your culture is portrayed in stereotypes that reflect extremes that are not representative of your nation, culture and people. Apple really dropped the ball with this.
Thank you @heretiq, I could not have stated it better.
stereotypes exist for a reason. Also I’ve been to Thailand, everything looks the same 😂
Apple's marketing material and gimmicks have been terrible for years now, this is just another incident of a few hundred embarrassing moments. Painfully unfunny every time, with many ugly aesthetic decisions. Apple's depiction of reality comes across as disconnected and obtuse. Good for Thailand.