Apple is known for its creative marketing campaigns the same way it’s known for its popular consumer electronics. It’s new TV ad boasts how Apple products are being designed specifically in California, as opposed to other states or even other countries overseas, and is enriching the lives of users everywhere. However, the new “Designed by Apple in California” campaign is proving to be Apple’s lowest scoring commercial advertisement ever.
Perhaps Apple is aiming to show the public that it’s making good on its promise to start bringing product creation back to the U.S. and help create jobs while fueling the economy. Or, perhaps it’s just trying to pat itself on the back. Either way, viewers aren’t buying it. Bloomberg reported Thursday that data consulting firm Ace Metrix analyzed the effectiveness of the commercial and found that, “The ad scored 489 on the company’s scoring system, below an industry average of 542 and far below past iconic Apple campaigns that often topped 700.”
MacRumors was able to get a quote form Boston University advertising professor Edward Boches to help shed some light on what Apple is doing wrong, and why. He noted, “Apple was never a company that bragged about itself. In a manifesto ad, it’s hard not to come across as self indulgent. And even though it suggests the wonderful things Apple products can do, the ad lacks joy.”
True, the ad lacks a certain jovial sentiment while suggesting at the same time that people should be more engaged in their Apple products while in school or at dinner instead of doing what’s appropriate for that respective setting.
Also noteworthy is how Apple is insistent on marketing its products as being, “Designed in California.” You’ll notice from these leaked photos that Apple is still manufacturing its devices overseas, most notably in the Asia Pacific region. Apple execs can design a gadget anywhere. That’s certainly not what people were expecting in terms of it bringing its business back to the U.S. Once the Cupertino-based conglomerate starts mass producing its celebrated products on U.S. soil, things could start looking up.
The ad also adds credence to those who suggest Apple has lost its creative spark since the passing of the late co-founder Steve Jobs. Jobs’s presence in the company was an extraordinary one, evidenced by the company’s demise after the board ousted him in the late 1980s and was rejuvenated upon his return in the mid 90s, which led to the conception of staple products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
Apple needs to start touting itself as an electronics manufacturer that goes against the grain, that forges its own path, that fosters creativity and the merging of liberal arts with technology. Only when Apple stops portraying itself as part of the status quo can they begin creating effective campaigns again, the way it did with its famed “1984” commercial and its “Think Different” campaign.
But what do you think? Has Apple lost its direction since the devastating loss of Steve Jobs? Is the new campaign a step backwards for the company, which is starting to lose its foothold in the smartphone and tablet markets? How would you remedy the situation?
Apple’s “1984” Commercial
Apple’s “Think Different” Commercial
Apple’s iPod “Silhouette”Commercials
