Apple is many things. One of the world’s most valuable companies, the pioneer of the smartphone as we know and love today, as well as a company who dares to try some truly interesting things with their devices (removing the CD drive on computers, and potentially the headphone jack on the next iPhone).
Now, I’ve been called many things in the past, “Apple basher” being one of them, and much of that is because I don’t agree with many of the things the Cupertino company does. But, there has always been one thing I like that Apple gets so right — their ads.
Debuting their latest piece showcasing the “Hey Siri” hands-free functionality on the iPhone 6s, Apple enlisted the help of Sesame Street’s favourite cookie-loving monster.
It probably isn’t the best representation of Siri’s accuracy considering how it often struggles with strong accents (no offence Cookie, but you’ve got a pretty strong accent too), but it does leave you with a warm feeling and a smile on your face.
I don’t know about you, but it’s ads that evoke this feeling that I remember best.
Now I’m not one to buy something because I saw what it could do in an ad, but I know there are many who do that. Ads are really powerful and more and more companies are realising that the best ads aren’t really ads at all — they represent something special or human. Apple does this by adding a touch of humour and wit.
It’s subtle and smart, and that makes all the difference. It humanises the ad.
Nobody gets it right the first time, not even Apple. Just look at their old ads for the older iPhones. What they mostly did was boast about the features and it wasn’t until the iPhone 6/6 Plus commercial about Health that I started to see them get it right.
They’ve almost perfected this aspect of ad-making and it’s truly awesome to see. It’s almost magical how Apple can take some of the most mundane and gimmicky smartphone features, build an ad around them, and make the audience feel like they must have it on their smartphone right now.
I can tell you that the next iPhone will have killer specifications and some kick-ass features, but in all honesty, the thing I’m looking forward to the most are its ads. Not the launch one because that will probably be pompous if the iPad Pro’s ad is going to be a trend, but the ones that come after.
The ones like this 3D Touch ad that I absolutely love.
