Apple’s worst ad ever?

No one will die from a bad Apple, but it’s a red flag whenever a company mistreats its top people. It’s a slap in the face to all of Apple’s in-house creatives, as well as the company’s many loyal creative users. 

The timing could not have been worse. People, especially creative pros, are understandably nervous about their work being stolen and losing their jobs to soulless AI algorithms and apps. This ad is that very fear crystallized into 60 seconds of video. 

This is not the kind of “Think Different,” people want to see from Apple. Indeed, this is the opposite of what people want. As Michael J. Miraflor, chief branding officer for venture capital company Hannah Grey VC, tweeted, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single commercial offend and turn off a core customer base as much as this iPad spot.“

James Cook, marketing director at venture capitalist firm Molten Ventures, summed it well on Xitter: 

Apple’s new “Crush” ad (let’s call it “2024”) is a visual & metaphorical bookend to the 1984 ad.

1984: Monochrome, conformist, industrial world exploded by colourful, vibrant human.

About Author

AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

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