Apple’s advertising for the new iPad Pro presented on May 7 triggered virulent reactions on the Web and social networks. To the point that the Apple firm apologized for having “missed the boat”.
Pan, on the beak! As usual, Apple hoped to create a buzz after the presentation of its new iPads on Tuesday May 7 (see our article). But definitely not this way! In fact, during this keynote online, the Apple firm broadcast an advertising spot to praise the qualities of its new high-end model, the iPad Pro, powered by its new powerful chip, the M4, and equipped with a unique Oled screen giving it exceptional finesse. A tablet so powerful that it would replace all traditional tools to become the ultimate creative instrument.
This is the message that Apple wanted to convey in its “Crush” music video (see below). A short advertising film made with computer-generated images, which shows a set of creative tools and devices (musical instruments, audio systems, brushes and paints, etc.) which are literally crushed by a huge press to reveal the new iPad Pro, as in a divine revelation.
Except that the message went down very badly among the public. And it even had the opposite effect to that hoped for. Because not only is the spot not the most successful on a graphic level, with a curious gory aspect when we see the musical instruments being crushed like bones and the pots of paint bursting, flowing like blood, but, above all , it conveys an unhealthy message by suggesting that Apple’s new jewel exterminates everything that has been used until then to create works of art. A “totalitarian” vision which was not to everyone’s taste, in particular among creatives who constitute a natural clientele for the Apple brand, graphic designers, photographers, videographers and other musicians having always been major users of Apple products.
Thus, as soon as this spot was previewed, many artists expressed their surprise and indignation on social networks, with messages that were often mocking, and sometimes angry. “The destruction of the human experience thanks to Silicon Valley”for example commented British actor Hugh Grant on X (ex-Twitter). “It’s the most honest metaphor for what tech companies are doing to the arts, to artists, musicians, creators, writers, filmmakers: squeezing them, using them, not paying them well, taking everything and then saying it was created by them,” said producer, director and writer Asif Kapadia,
iPad Pro ad: a counterproductive message
Faced with this very bad buzzApple had no choice but to quickly make its mea culpa by presenting an official apology through Tor Myhren, vice-president in charge of marketing in Cupertino. “Creativity is part of our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to build products that enable creatives around the world to flourish. Our goal is to always celebrate the countless ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life using the iPad We missed the mark with this video and we’re sorry.”thus recognizes the Apple firm in a carefully worded message with elements of language, also promising that the clip will not be broadcast on television as initially planned.
This is not the first time that a large company has made a communication blunder – the history of advertising is full of examples of often comical failures – and Apple has already stood out a few times for clips and questionable messages: in recent examples, we remember in particular the humorous sketch which accompanied the presentation of the latest Apple Watch which had earned the firm accusations of green washing or the sequence where a father filmed his children’s birthday through his Vision Pro headset, which gave off a feeling of unease in the face of this “augmented” life scene. But this is undoubtedly the first time that Apple has alienated a category of loyal users. Let’s hope that this bad step is quickly forgotten, and, above all, that Apple learns a little lesson from it. A bit of humility never hurts.