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Apple debuts new ‘Hollywood’ ad for iPad/iPad mini (with video)

Monday, February 25, 2013 · 9:06 am · 17 Comments

During last night’s Academy Awards, Apple debuted a new television commercial for iPad and iPad mini.

The new spot is now airing on U.S. broadcast and cable networks.

As with previous ads of this style, various related words flash on-screen stopping every few seconds with a “crowd” shouting out of one of the words:

MacDailyNews Take: That “crowd” shout is borderline irritating already, Apple. Steve Jobs would have nixed that element on first viewing. It’s a bit overly enthusiastic and just not very inventive. Now, to be clear: These ads, including this one, are not bad. They’re just “okay.” Nothing spectacular/maybe a bit grating at times.

That said, the fact that Apple’s advertising efforts have more misfires than hits in the post-Jobs era highlights the tremendous importance of having a knowledgeable, tasteful, experienced, omnipotent eye overseeing it all. Print and Web advertising? Much easier than TV. Jobs was a masterful marketer and one of the most glaring signs that he’s gone can be seen in Apple’s TV ads since his passing.

Categories: News

Tags: advertising, marketing, steve jobs, Tim Cook, tv ad, TV advertising, TV commercial, TV spot, with video

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Comment Feed

17 Comments

bluejay

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 9:13 am · Reply

MDN these are the first Apple ads that are so catchy im tapping and playing the song in my head all day.
mxnt41

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 9:15 am · Reply

The ads themselves are fine, the crowd shout is irritating though. Just strip that off and have the words and it would be fine.
macman1984

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 9:30 am · Reply

I totally agree with MDN’s take: the crowd shout is incredibly annoying and Steve NEVER would have approved this.

The sooner they move on, the better…
ppeterson

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 9:50 am · Reply

Agree with MDN that the ads are okay. And, even though they were approaching stupid, Samsung’s Unicorn overwhelmed the commercial breaks. You know, like Samsung is overwhelming the gadget world with all their plastic and features. Steve would not have been clueless as to what to do about that, but his predecessor is and last night demonstrated that fact anew.
- Ralph M
  
  Monday, February 25, 2013 - 10:24 am · Reply
  
  Wow, peterson, you and I finally agree on something: Steve’s “predecessor” – Gil Amelio – would have been clueless. But I doubt that he had much to do with last night’s tv ad.
- althegeo
  
  Monday, February 25, 2013 - 10:41 am · Reply
  
  Does the first p in ppeterson stand for prick?
  
  I think so!
Ballmer's left nut

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 9:52 am · Reply

10/10 on the Lame-O-Meter.
trondude

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 9:58 am · Reply

Finally the Academy Kiss everybody’s Ass awards are over, what a disgusting display of Rich bastard backpatting ever.
- Artist
  
  Monday, February 25, 2013 - 12:18 pm · Reply
  
  So why did you watch it?
aryugaetu

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 10:02 am · Reply

1. I agree with the crowd shout being annoying. If it were the voice of a real, Oscar-winning, director then it may mean something.

2. Otherwise, very similar image ideas can be found by doing a Google image search for each of those words. It really didn’t take their marketing department much effort.

3.. Overall, a quite sad and amateurishly derivative of their existing ads. An incredible opportunity to emphasize the iPad’s video ability, lost. For the Oscars, I would have shown an excellent/touching short (90 sec) movie, then the iPad shooting it, editing it, and showing it with no other hardware. Then a major director holding it saying, “Who needs a production crew?”
Jersey_Trader

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 10:53 am · Reply

I also believe that the largest missing piece in the public opinion arena in the post-Jobs era is the advertising. The pieces of truth in each of the playful “I am a Mac I am a PC” were great. A dead quiet PR and the general ads along with the almost silent CEO and Apple board have helped to grease the 5 month long 33% destruction of Apple’s stock.

Time to step up, man up and do something Apple. At least take on the BS that we hear from the talking heads. Try letting the new guy in the PR department be the on the road Apple Evangelist. Let that person humiliate the talking heads with facts in ads. They dismiss Apple and the real world facts, push the BS while holding and using Apple products and devices. Even a blind squirrel could humiliate these idiots!
Brian

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 11:32 am · Reply

I’m furious over the sheer mediocrity of the current ads. Apple must hold the high ground when it comes to branding and marketing. It’s critical that the public perception of Apple and its products be second to none. While advertising is but a promise, and the products and services must deliver on that promise, Samsung, with far less reliable and completely derivative, shameless copies of Apple’s inventions, is stealing the high ground.

I find nothing to like in Samsung’s ads. They embody the corruptions that is the soul of Samsung: they’re FUD attack ads. Sadly, they are working. Pundits are questioning Apple, raising doubts that our favorite company still has mojo. Of course, expectations about Apple are ridiculous. It’s assumed that if any product update is not a radical game changer, it’s a failure. Meanwhile Samsung gets a free pass with making their crappy products larger, and now, they are getting credit for a new “invention” that is not an invention at all: the stylus.

It comes down to perceptions.

I’m furious at Phil Schiller for green lighting these current ads. They are way below the ads that rolled out under Steve Jobs. It’s not that Apple writes the ads, but you can’t have great advertising without great and visionary clients. Phil, this is no time to rest on your laurels. Even without Steve Jobs, great advertising is possible. That means pushing the ad agency creative team. Hard.

I spent many years as an ad agency creative director. If I were the CD over the creative group at the ad agency responsible for this, I’d have killed these before they even became storyboards. What is the context of the shouting? The barrage of the words? If you, the viewer have to think about what the advertiser is trying to convey, the ad is a failure? Great advertising creative is instantaneously understandable. It’s not annoying, but rewarding to the viewer for their time. Great ads don’t posture or beat the viewer over the head. Sadly, these do.

Apple, get it together, damnit! Otherwise, the company I love is pouring millions of dollars down a hole, and with it, the company’s reputation.
theloudestlion

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 11:44 am · Reply

I was in the group of people that yelled the words for these ads.. We did 21 of them so get ready for more shouting ads..

Ill show myself out
- Superior Being
  
  Monday, February 25, 2013 - 11:53 am · Reply
  
  I think Apple can afford to take the hit and throw those audio files in the trash can where they belong alongside the “Mac Genius” campaign they aborted last year.
  
  Lose the ghey shouts, Apple, and the ads are fine.
SteveEmbalmer

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 11:56 am · Reply

The ad isn’t bad, but I agree with MDN that they have lost their ad mojo and need to get it back. SJ was such a great marketer that his absence is really showing their weakness in this area now.
MacRaven

Monday, February 25, 2013 - 1:54 pm · Reply

I just kinda went “meh” not great not awful.
Doug Ward

Friday, March 15, 2013 - 11:51 am · Reply

Anyone know the name of the background music?