News Analysis
The Gist
- Apple criticism. The controversial “Crush” ad led to significant backlash due its portrayal of technology overriding human creativity.
- Public reaction. High-profile criticism and public outcry prompt Apple to apologize and retract the ad from television.
- Lesson learned. Apple’s experience showcases the importance of societal values and audience perceptions in marketing.
Apple’s latest “Crush” ad features a variety of artistic items — a trumpet, sculpture, paints, arcade game, sewing dress form and more — getting crushed by a machine press as Sonny & Cher’s “All I Ever Need Is You” plays in the background.
A bit on the nose, but it gets the point across — the new iPad Pro supposedly offers everything creatives need for their craft, all in a single device. So why are people so mad about it?
Critics Speak out Against Apple
The commercial, which Apple unveiled on Tuesday, May 7, faced immediate backlash. People took to the internet to share their interpretation of the video: technology crushing human creativity — a grim thought as many currently worry about AI’s impact on creative industries.
Actor Hugh Grant was one such person to criticize the spot, writing on X, “The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.”
The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley. https://t.co/273XB3CfnF
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) May 8, 2024
Reed Morano, director and cinematographer known for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” tweeted, “Hey @tim_cook READ THE ROOM, BRO,” going on to call the commercial “psychotic.”
Another X user wrote, “Who thought this was a good idea? Did you hire the one person that *liked* the scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit where the bad guy dips the animated shoe in the toon-killing bath??”
“It is a heartbreaking, uncomfortable, and egotistic advertisement. When I see this result, I’m ashamed to buy Apple products since nineteen years,” wrote another.
Related Article: Apple's AI Moment Is Coming. It May Not Be Smooth
Apple Apologizes for Missing the Mark
Within two days of the commercial’s release, Apple apologized for the spot and claimed the company no longer plans to run it on TV.
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Tor Myhren, Apple’s VP of marketing communications, told Ad Age.
He added, “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
While Apple has no plans to air the ad on TV, it still remains viewable to users on X and YouTube.
Apple Joins PR Disaster Club
The "Crush" ad marks a stumble for Apple, a company known for marketing campaigns that stand the test of time.
For instance, the “1984” Mac ad, which still remains one of the most iconic Super Bowl ads of all time. The tech company even won an Emmy in 2023 for its spot, “The Greatest,” which focused on how Apple’s products cater to people with disabilities.
The “Crush” ad debacle reminds us how important it is to understand your target audience’s values and perceptions and align messaging with societal sensitivities. And Apple’s target audience? The creatives that it signaled as obsolete.
It’s not the first time a company has bungled a marketing campaign, seemingly ignorant to what’s going on in the world around them.
Think the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad, where the socialite joins a protest and immediately defuses tensions by handing a police officer a can of soda — during a time when people were hyper-aware of the reality of police racism and violence.
Or the Bloomingdale’s “spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking” ad, which many claimed promoted date rape culture.
Then there’s the 2017 Dove “Real Beauty” ad, where a black woman turns into a white woman after using the brand’s body wash. The ad, which many called racist, spurred hashtags online like #DoneWithDove and #DoveMustFall.
Related Article: How to Not Market a Fantasy: Inside the Failed Willy Wonka Experience
Today's Customers Demand Social Awareness
Apple’s marketing mishap — along with its predecessors’ — reminds us that consumers have high expectations in an era defined by authenticity and social responsibility.
Today’s audiences demand transparency and accountability, holding brands to higher standards of ethical conduct. And misjudgments, like in Apple’s case, can have far-reaching consequences when it comes to eroding customer loyalty.
Brands need to prioritize empathy, authenticity and, perhaps most importantly, cultural awareness.
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Success lies in understanding your target audience and forging genuine connections with them by understanding their needs, values and aspirations. And Apple’s decision to pull the ad from TV shows that the company recognizes the need to course-correct and rebuild trust.
In Apple’s case, the ad had a lot of potential. As one user on X pointed out, it’s all a matter of framing and perspective. The user reversed the video to show how much of a difference it makes if all of the creative objects expand out of the iPad — rather than being crushed by it.
I think the ad would work much better if it was reversed. All the objects should be expanding out of the iPad rather than being crushed into it
— kepano (@kepano) May 8, 2024
made this edited version in five minutes (thanks iMovie!) pic.twitter.com/TZxzpuYzXu
