Marketing Calculator

2024 The iPad Campaign
– Apple 0524

I realize I am late to the party on this one but I wanted to let the dust settle before adding my two cents. I started my career (and my education for that matter) on Apple products. I was a founding member of the Apple Megasphere that became the “i-Everything”. I graduated high school in 1984 for crikes sake! I learned desktop publishing on a 2e (yes, I know that’s not how it’s spelled!). Believe me when I say; “This hurts me more than it hurts you”.

Technologically speaking, this is a solid creation but creatively speaking – “What were you thinking?” I don’t know if the creative team was channeling their inner Ragu “It’s in there” or what forces drove them toward this ideation of a launch product – but whomever were the decision makers they are definitely not founding members of the Apple Megasphere. They would have immediately seen the undertone. It’s beautiful if you ignore the message and everything about marketing is… about.the.message! Even worse; everything about Apple is about design. Design is not subjective, appreciation of design is subjective. Design of a campaign is the same thing as design of a product. What was the goal of this campaign? How did ending on the visceral destruction of a stress ball fit in that goal?

The team behind this campaign needs to be punished. The backlash of this campaign clearly sends a message to the team that they missed the boat, but Apple should question everything about everyone associated with this campaign. From FX designer to Cher to the CMO that approved this.