#appleads

It Can’t Be Just Me… 

I mean it. I really mean it.

It can’t be just me who watches the ads we’re force-fed nowadays and thinks: Who greenlit this garbage? Who seriously sits on a plush boardroom chair, watches one of these “quirky” or “relatable” monstrosities, and says, “Yes. This will convert to sales. 

This will move people.” Because let’s be honest here it doesn’t.

No soul alive watches these new ads and goes, “Wow! I must absolutely buy this toothpaste because a guy in a llama costume screamed about it for 15 seconds on YouTube.”

Advertising used to mean something.

It used to have edge, wit, a message. It wasn’t just an attempt at virality or some watered-down focus-grouped nonsense trying to tick every demographic box. It was storytelling. It was a craft. It was vision backed by principles.

Bring me back to the golden era bring me back to Chiat/Day.

The Gold Standard: Chiat/Day and Apple

When people talk about advertising that sticks, that moves, that actually sells it’s impossible not to mention Chiat/Day and their revolutionary campaigns for Apple.

Yes, I’m an Apple fanboy. Proudly so. I don’t hide it. Why should I? The "1984" ad didn’t just sell a computer it declared a rebellion. The “Think Different” campaign didn’t shout; it whispered. It respected your intelligence. It reminded you that you weren’t just a consumer, you were part of something bigger.

Fast forward to July 2024, and Apple even now can still get it right.

Take their ad “Privacy on iPhone | Flock” 19,934,460 views and counting. And it deserves every click.

It didn’t rely on a meme. It didn’t jump on a YouTube trend. It took a real issue  data privacy, surveillance, digital exploitation and explained it with clarity and style. 

It showed how we’re being tracked, watched, sliced and diced into ad data like cattle. Then, it delivered a solution, not just a scare: your iPhone keeps that private.

Simple. Clear. Effective. Respectful. Linked below

Today’s Ads: A Race to the Bottom

Now contrast that with the sludge we get today.

Every second ad is either trying too hard to be funny, or so “inclusive” it forgets what it’s actually selling. It’s like marketers have completely forgotten their job is to sell a product, not to look trendy on Twitter for six hours.

We’ve dumbed everything down. Every product is a punchline, every ad a sketch show. There’s no narrative arc. No philosophy. No taste. Just visual vomit, loud colours, fake laughter, and a QR code slapped at the end.

What Happened to Respecting the Viewer?

You know what the best ads used to do?

They treated you like you were smart. Like you had discernment. Like you were capable of understanding nuance and meaning. They didn’t scream at you they invited you in.

What we’ve got now? It’s insulting. It’s like advertising has become just another branch of the short attention span economy. 

Make it louder, faster, and more chaotic maybe someone will click. But will they buy? Will they care? Will they remember?

No. Because no one remembers what feels like a cheap joke.

The Bottom Line

It’s not just about selling anymore it’s about soul. It’s about storytelling. And in an era where every company wants your time, your data, and your money, the least they could do is earn it with dignity and intelligence.

So to all the marketing execs out there:

If you want me to care, if you want me to buy, then give me ads that are more than noise.

Bring back the craft.

Bring back the substance.

And for heaven’s sake, bring back ads that actually respect the viewer.

Ever since the launch of the iPhone 11 Pro, Apple hasn’t stopped talking about its video and photo potential. The tech giants recently launched an ad to show us how awesome the video and photo capabilities of the three-lensed smartphone is. To do this, Apple filmed the most epic snowball battle ever on its iPhone 11. The action-packed ad had impressive cinematography like a Hollywood movie.

About the iPhone 11 Pro Epic Snowball Spot

The goal of the spot was twofold. First, it was created to highlight the professional quality videography that’s possible on the iPhone 11 pro. It also showcases storytelling tricks like mounting the iPhone to a garbage can lid as it skids along the ground (that might not be possible with a larger camera). The spot was filmed in 4K at 60 frames per second, the ad was shot by one of today’s top cinematographers, Robert Elswit, who won an Oscar for his work on 2007’s There Will Be Blood. More recently, he worked on Mission: Impossible–Rogue Nation, Nightcrawler and Skyscraper. It was also directed by director David Leitch.

More about the Spot