Apple Takes a Swing and a Miss With iPad Pro Ad
Ads do more than persuade a prospective customer to purchase your product – they color that customer’s opinion of your business and its values. That’s why it’s crucial to consider how you market what you’re selling.
Recently, Apple released an ad called “Crush!” for its iPad Pro with the first-ever M4 chip. In it, we see various creative tools – instruments, paint cans, art supplies, and more – crushed by a massive compactor. What’s left in the destructive aftermath is the new iPad Pro, with the assumption that all those artistic implements went “inside” the iPad.
Full disclosure: I believe Apple missed the mark here. Why?
Firstly, there’s a lack of awareness regarding the current societal climate. The youngest generation of adults, Gen Z, grew up using Apple products. Despite this, they still need tactile, tangible things in the real world. We all do. We need pianos, canvases, and physical copies of books.
Secondly, marketing the iPad Pro as the “smallest” is a moot point. Nobody cares how small it is because our phones are getting increasingly bigger with each new upgrade.
The ad also has an air of negativity. Why “crush” the creative tools and instruments? Why not let them “flow” into the iPad? This would still convey the ad’s message that this new iPad can do everything.
The negativity and darkness feel off-brand to me. This leads me to believe Apple wanted to subvert expectations and release something that pushed buttons to stand out above its competitors. After all, this ad debuted on Mother’s Day, a day for warmth and tenderness. Nothing says, “I love you, Mom,” like an ad that crushes the art supplies she gifted you.
However, while the ad is a fumble, the most glaring mistake is the overall outlook. The design should meet consumers where they’re at. Your product should never take precedence over your audience. It’s about what they need.
Crushing items that have brought about the greatest pieces of art in human history is a misstep. Nothing can replace a guitar or a paintbrush.
All this to say, the ad would’ve resonated better if Apple had shifted its focus to its audience and their needs instead of being controversial.
