In May 2024, Apple faced significant backlash over its “Crush” advertisement for the new iPad Pro. The 60-second commercial, produced in-house, featured a hydraulic press destroying various objects symbolizing human creativity, such as musical instruments, art supplies, and arcade machines, before revealing the ultrathin iPad Pro.
The ad sparked immediate controversy and criticism from marketing professionals, celebrities, and the public. Key points of the backlash include:
1. Misaligned messaging: Many viewed the ad as portraying technology overriding human creativity, which contradicted Apple’s usual stance of empowering creators.
2. Tone-deaf approach: Critics argued that Apple failed to understand the current fears surrounding technology and AI potentially erasing humanity.
3. Contrast with Apple’s history: The ad was seen as a stark departure from Apple’s iconic “1984” commercial, which positioned the company as a rebel against conformity.
4. Celebrity criticism: High-profile figures like Hugh Grant and Justine Bateman publicly condemned the ad on social media.
5. Comparison to cultural destruction: Some likened the ad to the destruction of art during China’s Cultural Revolution.
In response to the widespread criticism, Apple issued a rare apology, acknowledging that they “missed the mark” with the video. The company explained that their intention was to celebrate the various ways users express themselves through the iPad, but they fell short of this goal.
And It Gets Worse
a few days later, the Internet noticed several similarities between Apple’s controversial “Crush” ad for the iPad Pro in 2024 and an LG ad from 2008
The striking similarities between the two ads led some observers to question Apple’s originality, with one user commenting, “I’m shocked that Apple, with their substantial ad budget, seemingly copied LG’s idea from 2008. You’d think they’d come up with something more original”
Samsung tried to Take Advantage of the Situation
Soon, Apple’s competitor Samsung saw an opportunity to take advantage of Apple’s blunder, and created an ad called “UnCrush”. It features an artist walking through the carnage from the Crush ad, picking up a guitar, and playing on it.
The message seems to suggest that Samsung cares for creatives more than Apple, but the Internet just did not buy it, and Samsung too received backlash for their opportunist ad, and everyone was reminded of how uncreative Samsung is as a brand.
Fixed by The Internet
In the end, it was the Internet that fixed the ad. By simply playing the ad in reverse, the entire meaning of the ad was transformed. This version even added a “Think Different” to the end, reminding Apple, and everyone as well, what Apple really should do.
