Apple is responsible for some of the best ads of all time, with its dystopian '1984' ad often topping lists of the most iconic TV spots ever. But over the last year the company seems to have run into hot water with several ads. Since last May, Apple has released then promptly pulled not one, not two, but four (!) ads, leading fans to ask what on earth is going on in its marketing department.
Apple yesterday launched an ad titled The Parent Presentation, in which SNL's Martin Herlihy delivers a presentation on, yes, how to convince your parents to buy you a Mac. The whole thing is pretty cringeworthy and the reaction wasn't kind – but in almost immediately deleting it, Apple is adding to what's becoming an alarming track record.
"This is perhaps the cringiest thing the company has ever done," one Redditor comments on a re-upload of the ad, while another adds, "The ad was somewhat funny, but it was pretty cringe and probably missed the mark with Gen Z audience it was intended for." Indeed, Daring Fireball's John Gruber gives a solid description of why it doesn't work: "The gist is that everyone involved is stupid: high school kids (the ostensible target audience?) are too stupid to know how to ask their parents for a MacBook for college, parents are too stupid to know they should buy their kids a good laptop, and even Herlihy’s lecturer is a doofus who himself doesn’t know how to deliver a presentation."
Back in May, Apple took the rare step of apologising for an ad. Released to coincide with the launch of the ultra-thin iPad Pro M4, the ad, titled 'Crush', featured a bunch of creative objects being crushed. With its destruction of artistic tools and musical instruments, it faced an immediate backlash for its dystopian nature.
A few months later, it apologised again for its stereotypical depiction of Thailand in another ad. From the 'sepia filter' that so often pervades cinematic depictions of 'otherness' to shabby buildings and tuktuks, the ad made Thailand appear particularly dated for comic effect.
And then earlier this year, Apple pulled another ad in which actor Bella Ramsey explores Apple Intelligence's advanced Siri features – features that have failed to materialise, reportedly causing internal tension in the company.
Oh, and let's not forget those dreadful Genmoji billboards which recently prompted us to ask whether Apple is losing its advertising touch.
It's somewhat bizarre that one of the world's richest companies is making so many advertising missteps of late. But with Apple Intelligence floundering, Vision Pro being called a flop and the iPhone itself no longer so exciting, there's a looming sense that Apple needs to do something bold, and fast. Perhaps it needs to bring in some fresh advertising blood while it's at it.
