Apple's recent “Crush!” spot for its new iPad Pro has ignited a firestorm of criticism and backlash from Hollywood personalities and industry creatives, and the company apologized Thursday for the misstep.
The one-minute commercial features an industrial press crushing various objects into the new iPad Pro to highlight that it is the thinnest iPad to date.
While the intention may make sense, the visual of an industrial press flattening a trumpet, a piano, a sculpture, and books, among others, did not sit well with many.
Apple’s iPad “Crush” Ad Is Bleak, Ominous and Threatening
— Ron Stauffer (@ronstauffer) May 10, 2024
I don’t know if you’ve seen Apple’s just-released commercial for the “New” iPad Pro, but it’s pretty awful. It is dark, humorless, and feels like a not-so-thinly veiled threat to writers, musicians, game makers,… pic.twitter.com/UPm6yS2sSK
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Tor Myhren, Apple’s VP of marketing communications, told Ad Age.
“Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
Apple has also stopped its plans to air the commercial on TV.
Celebrities, Creatives React on Social Media
The ad, set to Sonny and Cher's hit “All I Ever Need Is You,” has been interpreted as a metaphor for the tech industry's dominance over cultural sectors, leading to significant backlash on social media.
High-profile personalities, such as Hugh Grant and Justine Bateman, have voiced their disapproval, with Bateman reposting Apple CEO Tim Cook’s post of the “Crush!” ad and writing, “Truly, what is wrong with you?”
The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley. https://t.co/273XB3CfnF
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) May 8, 2024
Digital artist and software developer Sterling Crispin, who worked on the foundations of Apple’s VisionPro, also criticized the tech giant in a sarcastic X post.
“Crushing symbols of human creativity and cultural achievements to appeal to pro creators, nice,” Crispin wrote.
“Maybe for the next Apple Watch Pro you should crush sports equipment, show a robot running faster than a man, then turn to the camera and say, ‘God is dead and we have killed him,’” he added.
In a witty move, actor-writer-producer Reza Sixo Safai fixed the ad's problem by playing it in reverse and using Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" instead.
Hey @Apple, I fixed it for you (sound on) pic.twitter.com/OwVnYNgXhT
— Reza Sixo Safai (@rezawrecktion) May 8, 2024
On the other hand, NP Digital Founder Neil Patel, a New York Times bestselling author, stated what seems obvious: even though people are complaining about Apple’s ad, it definitely won't stop people from buying the new iPad Pro.
“Try ordering a new iPad with their new nano-texture screen that helps remove reflections. It costs more, and if you order, you can’t usually pick it up from an Apple store on May 15,” Patel stated in his post.
“It’s sold out in most places, and you must wait until mid to late June to get it. Marketing does matter, but a good product trumps it,” he added.
Despite the controversy, the ad has garnered over 1.7 million views on YouTube in the two days since it was posted and the video “introducing the all-new iPad Pro” has been viewed more than 21 million times.
It’s possible that the backlash the “Crush!” ad received made people curious about what the new iPad Pro is all about, driving interest and, most probably, conversion.
The way that Apple immediately apologized may have also earned them plus points to both consumers and businesses alike.
Expert Weighs In on Brands Apologizing for Mistakes
This particular scenario shows how important it is for brands to admit to their mistakes and properly apologize, no matter how difficult it is to do.
"People struggle to say: Hey, I was wrong, that thing we did, that was dumb and we shouldn't have done it. Here's what we'll do moving forward – the policies we will enact," HR specialist and Living Corporate CEO Zach Nunn explained as he talked about branding mistakes.
He further emphasized that "the ownership of just mistakes and taking lessons learned" is what builds trust between brands and their market.
Throughout his career, Nunn has made it his goal to champion workplace fairness and has collaborated with global brands like Pfizer, Visa, and Amazon.
