Apple Needs to “Think Different”

According to recent news, Apple has decided to pull their Genius Bar Campaign commercials due to the enormous amounts of backlash the commercials have taken during the Olympics.

An interesting move on their part.

What will their next move be? Start from scratch?

This appears to be the only next step they can take. Looks like Apple will have to go back to the chalk board. However, despite the ads coming from a whole new outlook, I do not think they were a complete fail. Yes, people criticized them. That was because they were so different from the typical Apple we are so use to seeing.

Did Facebook remove Timeline when numerous of people complained? No! Society just needs time to adjust to new content. “Rome was not built in a day!”

Apple no longer has Steve Jobs. They must learn how to rebrand themselves without him, which will come along with the banter. I believe the new ads were more driven towards to an older generation and no longer the young and hip style that many companies have used against them in advertisements (such as Samsung.)

My parents own Apple laptops and they love the Genius Bar. Whenever they have a problem or need to ask a question, they simply go online and make an appointment. If anyone can easily explain technology to my mother, then they must be a Genius!

Check out the article below by Scott Van Camp on PR News. Even though I slightly disagree with him, it was an interesting and thoughtful viewpoint!

What did you think of the Apple ads? Was it a smart move to pull them? Leave a comment below!

Apple Pulls Genius Bar Ads After Backlash

For years, Apple has been telling the public to “think different” when it comes to computers, and in the process the company has become wildly successful.

Now, however, the tables have been turned, with a different outcome. For its three “Genius Bar” broadcast ads that debuted during the London Olympic Games, Apple itself thought differently, and as a result it was learned on Monday, August 7 that the ads have been pulled from TV (you can still see them on Apple’s home page, though).

The spots featured an Apple Genius Bar employee helping people in different settings—with customers portrayed as pretty clueless on matters of computers and technology. Some consumers and tech bloggers weren’t happy with this tack. After all, Apple products are generally thought of as cool and cutting edge, therefore automatically making those who buy its products cool and cutting edge. So portraying Apple customers as ignoramuses struck the wrong chord—with the public and for the brand.

Lesson learned: Sync up your marketing and communications messaging so that it’s seamless. Brand messaging shouldn’t clash—it has to make sense. In this case, thinking differently wasn’t the way to go.