Apple has debuted a new television advertisement now appearing on U.S. broadcast and cable networks.
Actually titled “Strength,” the ad features a dubious musical choice which makes copious references to “chicken fat.” Yes, it’s meant to be fun, we can manage to get the facile concept, but, among other issues (see another below), it comes off as incongruous with the imagery (not to mention with the target audience), as if the wrong music had been slapped on a decent-looking ad.
The “Chicken Fat” song in the ad was originally composed for John F. Kennedy’s physical fitness program and was performed by Robert Preston. Recordings of the song were sent to U.S. school officials to accompany the official US Physical Fitness program of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness back in the 1960s.
Anyone familiar with the song would be in their 50s or 60s now — or precisely the demographic alleged by Samsung’s ads showing Apple Retail Store lines full of moms and dads waiting for Apple iPhones. Great job subliminally reinforcing your competitor’s marketing message, Phil.
Clearly, Apple’s continues to feel and exhibit the loss of Steve Jobs when it comes to advertising.
Sigh.
Direct link to video here.
MacDailyNews Take: To put it diplomatically: Steve Jobs would have made better choices.
Less diplomatically: We have but one question, if Phil Schiller is worth millions of dollars as Apple VP of worldwide marketing, why can’t he recognize good TV ads vs. mediocre or worse?
To be a bit more blatant: Without Steve Jobs by their side – Eddy, we’re looking at you, too – some of these VPs at Apple don’t seem able to produce at levels previously attributed, perhaps wrongly, to them.
B.S.J., everything these guys touched turned to gold. A.S.J., well, they look a bit more mortal.
As we wrote in April: As Apple CEO, Steve Jobs focused on two things – product design and marketing. He was a genius at both. His talents cannot be replaced with one person. In fact, his talents in either discipline cannot be replaced by one person. Jony Ive and Phil Schiller without Jobs cannot be expected to perform as if Jobs was still working with them.
After witnessing Apple’s hit-and-miss post-Jobs advertising efforts, we await Apple’s next “new product category” with even more interest, and certainly more trepidation, than usual.
Related articles:
Apple shifts TV ads production in-house as rift widens with TBWA\Chiat\Day – June 5, 2014
Emails show Phil Schiller shocked over Apple’s ad agency suggestions – April 8, 2014
Apple’s advertising dilemma aired at $2 billion trial – April 4, 2014
Samsung again mocks Apple customers in iPhone 5 queue via new Galaxy S III ad (with video) – September 19, 2012
Apple pulls ‘Genius’ ad series from its website, YouTube channel – August 22, 2012
Samsung runs print ad attacking Apple’s iPhone 5 in major U.S. newspapers – September 16, 2012
Samsung Super Bowl ad mocks Apple iPhone users – February 6, 2012
Could the Apple-TBWA love affair, one of advertising’s most-storied matchups, survive without Jobs? – January 24, 2011
