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Apple's 'Designed by Apple' TV Ad Scoring Poorly with Viewers

the line i don't like is "does it deserve to exist." what the heck does that mean? kinda dumb when talking about a phone or computer.

now if they were talking about those freakin stink bugs they would have a point and the answer is no!!!! they are a stupid, annoying bug that doesn't even factor in the food chain because so far nothing eats them!!!
 
I think people are feeling more more and more imprisoned by their mobile technologies. For most this realization is still in the semi-sub conscious, but its making it's way forward fast.

We are missing out to real life by staring at a screen. We go to coffee houses where no one talks anymore, because we are on the screen.

This ad celebrates that, and I think as a whole society is tiring of life being invaded by smart devices. That is why we are turned of by an AD proclaiming to improve life through "screen staring".

I am.

best,
SvK
 
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The ad was on point as a WWDC opener. I was surprised when Apple made an entire campaign out of it. They have full and two page print ads in the WSJ that made me scratch my head at the $ wasted here.

These ads fail because

1) Consumers understand the Apple brand. It doesn't need redefining, so people losing attention.

2) They are slow, serious, and plodding like an art film at a film festival, not hip, fun, and quirky like Apple's rep has been built up as.

Ultimately these ads come off as Apple masturbation for employees and people emotionally tied to the Apple brand, as a brand; a kind of humble brag that everyone loathes.
 
Jesla said:
Boy….are you way off track. I said the ads stink and the Designed in California is a slap in the face…..

Get it right dude…….
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Which statement do you have a problem with:
1) The phrase "slap in the face" is old, tired, and insulting to people who are actual victims of violence.
2) "Designed by Apple in California is a statement of fact, and has been printed on every Apple product for at least a decade.

...

Interestingly, I found a comment from 2004 talking about why it isn't "Designed in the USA"
Ancient History said:
Imagine if it said "Designed in the USA. Assembled in China." One, to non-US America-haters, that sound like "THOSE ELITIST AMERICAN B ASTARDS! THEY BRAG ABOUT EVERYTHING!" Saying "California" instead of "USA" takes the edge off, since to many non-Americans, California is almost not even part of the USA.
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Source: http://forums.ilounge.com/ipod-clas...esigned-apple-california-assembled-china.html

...

P.S.: I've already said that the ads don't work on TV, but that it's because of the context. There's nothing "political" or "insulting" happening here.
 
jasonv1 said:
You have to admit, phrases like "deserve to exist" and "make life better" are a little over the top for advertising devices like these.

Get back to showing what the device can do and how it can be used. Don't try to make me feel like my life is incomplete if I don't own one (which admittedly is the goal of marketing).

Perhaps this is just the shift in tactics given that many people own these devices now (talking US, can't speak for other countries). Now the focus is on getting people to upgrade over winning new customers. Not saying one group should be avoided over the other of course, just that there may be more money to be made in getting people to upgrade.
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Absolutely agree with you on the ads being over the top. They vocalize Apple's pursuit of perfection in an unsettling way. They are similar to the smart kid in class who annoys everyone by telling them how smart he is. No one wants to hear it. Every time I hear the "deserve to exist" line I cringe. It immediately draws me away from the ad and makes me think about the very negative connotation this phrase has in relation to human beings.

Brand ads that talk about what a company is or where they are going have to be very careful with their messaging. They must not come off as conceited. This one does. Look at the Crazy Ones ad and then look at the Our Signature ad. The "Crazy Ones" uses "They" and "Their", but you immediately know the ad is saying this is who Apple is and wants to be. The Our Signature uses "We" and "Our" and they hit you over the head with "Everything idea we touch" is the greatest thing ever.
 
I (as a german) really like the ad (and my wife also).

I especially like the ad because i am a developer and i understand what they say.
That it's easier to add a bunch of stupid not really working features, than to think through something, trying to make it as perfect as possible, and the joy you as an engineer have, at the moment you see how the people are happy, if they use it.

Truth is, it is the best reward you can get for hard work, where you work long and against all bad talk, because you believe in making a point, making it better, beeing proud of your work.

But i know it is something most people don't understand.

I as a developer, as a person who is an engineer, loves this ad.
It talks from the deepest part of my heart.
 
stol said:
Long time for whom? Journalists? "Analysts"?

Real people don't usually upgrade their Mac or iOS device every nine months (unless they make tons of money, I suppose...).

By the end of 2012 Apple updated most of its product line, including a brand new iPhone and a brand new iMac design. This month they just announced updates to their operating systems which, personally, excite me much more!

I really don't get this "lack of innovation" thing everyone is talking about. The things OS X Mavericks and iOS 7 will do out of the box, are amazing. Apple makes carefully planned moves and does not build superficial hardware products that flop in the market (well, at least in the past decade or so...).
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How about a long time for "potential customers" as those are the people that really matter.

They can't keep the buzz going around all things Apple if they don't keep feeding the market with exciting new products. That's why Steve insisted that they have at least one product announcement every month to spread things throughout the year and keep the buzz going.

Loading all of your updates into the space of a few short months is not a great idea IMO.

Apart from the update MBA we've still not had any new products released this year. iOS and OSX are coming which is great. Can't say I'm all that excited to be honest but that's ok I prefer to see the hardware updates.

If you don't think something is going wrong with their current strategy just look at the share price. Confidence is slipping away. Of course a few new stellar products could bring that back but we'll see.

I can't say I'm annoyed with Apple. I'm just bored. I've got money to spend on new kit and I'm bored waiting. Been waiting ages for the new Mac Pro so I can upgrade, been waiting ages for them to fix the issues with the Retina MBP so I can upgrade. Just seems like one endless wait while other brands roll out one great new product after the next.
 
It's all hypothetical because we all know CA will not secede. Same for other states. Anyway, if you personally feel something, that is your bias. I don't feel that the states policies are belittling or alienating at all. I was stating the fact of its economic strength and how detrimental it would be to the whole USA if god forbid the state fell into the ocean.

Jesla said:
We would survive…..and BTW exactly what is California a state of?….
California is not a country though they may think so…..

Being proud is one thing, alienating and belittling is totally different.
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Totally disagree with the results. I generally dislike real usage ads as most of the time, companies skew the real-life uses by displacing them with idealistic uses (Samsung are terrible for doing this with their music share/pictures with sound features).

Apple actually displays real life experiences very well. It's genuine, soft (bit cheesey) but doesn't trick itself. Why sensationalise it? No need when there's hundreds of millions of iOS users happy out there. :)
 
Maybe audiences don't respond well because it sucks

It builds to the signature and the California slogan which doesn't actually mean anything and it declares it means everything. It also says, "you may never look at it" right when she's looking at her phone, something everyone looks at all the time.

Also it's depressing. It would work in the middle of a movie. A dramatic scene. But as a stand alone out of context ad it completely sucks.
 
Krazy Bill said:
Can't wait to see the common Joe's reaction to an ad touting OSX "Mavericks" with that extra "s' on the end. It will be tough to mix stray cows, Sarah Palin, John McCain and a lone beach in Calif all into one 30 second spot. :D
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This distraction over naming reminds me of when Apple released a device that "sounded like a feminine hygiene product". God, what ever happened to the iPad anyway?
 
forty2j said:
Which statement do you have a problem with:
1) The phrase "slap in the face" is old, tired, and insulting to people who are actual victims of violence.
2) "Designed by Apple in California is a statement of fact, and has been printed on every Apple product for at least a decade.
Click to expand...

It's ok dude……everyone else knows what 'a slap in the face' means….

And Fact: California is not a country….it's simply a state of the United States of America…… a state nothing more…. one that can't balance it's own budget and thinks it's a leader of the whole country…..WRONG!

….unless you think high taxes and loss of personal freedoms is 'leading' and the right way to go.
 
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Digital Skunk said:
The ads are very un-Apple to be honest. Instead of focusing on the device, or the experience (ala the PC vs Mac ads) they decided to focus on a tagline.

Not to mention, the company is facing a lot of criticism for its supposed "lack of innovation" and these ads aren't very innovative.
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Umm. No these ads are VERY apple like. I suspect they are more an ad to inside Apple to remind them of their core being. Just like this one was

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SswMzUWOiJg
 
WhoDaKat said:
These are great ads. Anyone that says different has no taste. Sorry, not everything has to have sex and explosions to sell. We are a society of addle-minded, short sighted people. Its sad really.

Lets face it, Tim Cook could sh&t gold and the media would say oh this is only 14k gold, Steve would have sh&t pure 24k gold. It clearly gets play from the side that hates Apple as would any amount of drivel that made them feel like they might actually be right, and since us Apple fans are so die hard we tend to get up in arms as well which gives them the page hits and so on that they want. Don't expect the Apple bashing to end any time soon.
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Yep pretty much anything Apple does these days is considered something Steve wouldn't have done. But if you take any product Apple released from 1998-2011 and released it today these same people would be claiming Steve wouldn't have approved. What we have is this revisionist history that everything Steve did and said was golden. Yet these same people who worship Steve and hate on Cook or Ive or whoever conveniently forget that it was Steve who made Cook CEO and gave Ive all the operational power.
 
When Apple has new products to sell (this Fall) they will release commercials that will show them off. In the meantime these are fillers. They're meant to highlight Appleas a company who cares deeply about their products and users. I think they work in that regard. They might not sell many products but they certainly paint a distinct picture of Apple vs their competition.
 
A campaign has parts... just wait people.

This is just a phase 1, and I do believe this campaign will not die for quite a long time.

I personally love the ad, and I hope they make people realize what it IS that THEY ARE ALL ABOUT.

What up :apple:!!!
 
Buy our products, because we're Apple. Understand? Apple. From California. We know better.
 
Smith288 said:
Texas is similar in that they believe they can function autonomously from the rest of the country.

The difference is, they aren't smug. Proud, but not smug. They operate within their means and focus on the individual rather than collective. People admire that philosophy.

If Texas seceded, I have no doubts they would be a very well run country.

If California did, they'd likely be joining the ranks of Greece asking for money from the rest of us to prevent total economic collapse.

Though we're slightly off topic but it does offer explanation a person's negative reaction to a commercial focusing on Apple that touts California.
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Actually, most of the states that are net receivers of Federal funds are GOP leaning states, tending to be smaller states that want "less government intervention". Both California and Texas provide more than they receive, and Texas certainly generates a lot of Federal tax revenue from oil and natural gas in the gulf. Were it not for that, Texas might very well be one of the net receivers of federal funds.

California and the West Coast have an advantage over Texas in that trade with Asia goes through West Coat ports. I would take California over Texas merely for its breadth of geography. YMMV.

I'll probably live another three decades, and expect to see Texas as a blue state by then.
 
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