Is the ‘Crush’ Backlash a Dead Canary in the Apple Brand Coal Mine?
David Heinemeier Hansson:
This should all be eerily familiar to anyone who saw Microsoft
fall from grace in the 90s. From being America’s favorite software
company to being the bully pursued by the DOJ for illegalities.
Just like Apple now, Microsoft’s reputation and good standing
suddenly evaporated seemingly overnight once enough critical
stories had accumulated about its behavior.
It’s not easy to predict these tipping points. Tim Cook
enthusiastically introduced this awful ad with a big smile, and
I’m sure he’s sitting with at least some sense of “wtf just
happened?” and “why don’t they love us any more?”. Because
companies like Apple almost have to ignore the haters as the cost
of doing business, but then they also can’t easily tell when the
sentiment has changed from “the usual number” to “one too many”.
And then, boom, the game is forever changed.
Ever since this controversy regarding the “Crush” ad erupted yesterday, I’ve been wondering the same thing. As I wrote yesterday, when I first saw the ad during the keynote, I didn’t think twice about it. It didn’t strike me as particularly clever, but I didn’t suspect for even a second that it might prove even slighty controversial. It just didn’t strike a nerve for me. But clearly it stuck a nerve for many, evoking negative emotional responses — which for a brand like Apple’s, makes it ipso facto a failed ad.
But Apple could have used this exact same concept for any previous “thinnest ever” iPad. They could have used this exact same commercial for the original iPad in 2010 — a device that doesn’t seem thin or light by today’s standards but was rightly considered remarkably thin and light at the time it launched. You can paint, you can draw, you can edit photos and video, you can make music, you can play games — all in this single incredibly thin device. That’s not a new message for iPads.
Would this exact same commercial have evoked the same collective response in 2010? I’m going to say no, it would not have. What about in 2018? I’m going to say … probably not? Something has changed. Part of it is that our culture has changed. But part too is that Apple’s position in our culture has changed. They’re no longer, and never again will be, the upstart. They’re The Man now. They’re part of the firmament of our entire society, not just the tech world.
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David Heinemeier Hansson:
This should all be eerily familiar to anyone who saw Microsoft
fall from grace in the 90s. From being America’s favorite software
company to being the bully pursued by the DOJ for illegalities.
Just like Apple now, Microsoft’s reputation and good standing
suddenly evaporated seemingly overnight once enough critical
stories had accumulated about its behavior.
It’s not easy to predict these tipping points. Tim Cook
enthusiastically introduced this awful ad with a big smile, and
I’m sure he’s sitting with at least some sense of “wtf just
happened?” and “why don’t they love us any more?”. Because
companies like Apple almost have to ignore the haters as the cost
of doing business, but then they also can’t easily tell when the
sentiment has changed from “the usual number” to “one too many”.
And then, boom, the game is forever changed.
Ever since this controversy regarding the “Crush” ad erupted yesterday, I’ve been wondering the same thing. As I wrote yesterday, when I first saw the ad during the keynote, I didn’t think twice about it. It didn’t strike me as particularly clever, but I didn’t suspect for even a second that it might prove even slighty controversial. It just didn’t strike a nerve for me. But clearly it stuck a nerve for many, evoking negative emotional responses — which for a brand like Apple’s, makes it ipso facto a failed ad.
But Apple could have used this exact same concept for any previous “thinnest ever” iPad. They could have used this exact same commercial for the original iPad in 2010 — a device that doesn’t seem thin or light by today’s standards but was rightly considered remarkably thin and light at the time it launched. You can paint, you can draw, you can edit photos and video, you can make music, you can play games — all in this single incredibly thin device. That’s not a new message for iPads.
Would this exact same commercial have evoked the same collective response in 2010? I’m going to say no, it would not have. What about in 2018? I’m going to say … probably not? Something has changed. Part of it is that our culture has changed. But part too is that Apple’s position in our culture has changed. They’re no longer, and never again will be, the upstart. They’re The Man now. They’re part of the firmament of our entire society, not just the tech world.