I think the watch is a tough product to advertise, just because when they show the notifications, it’s like “who gives a shit, I can just check my phone” - but it’s significant when it’s hundreds of times a day. It’s really difficult to show this in ads, and how it really frees you from constantly being stuck to the phone.
It's not that the watch is a solution, but that phone notification and other settings are an issue. Or the pricey watch is a solution to a problem created by the phone user. Why pay to move the problem from your pocket to your wrist?
It's still a tough sell. Apple Watch v2.0 needs to show better use case scenarios or I believe the long term prospects aren't good.
Even Apple fan tech journalists have stopped using the watch a few months after the initial excitement.
I've said all along, it's a very niche product that will serve the Apple fan and early adopters. But I don't believe it's one of those revolutionary products that will change how we do things (like the iPhone). Most people I come across make the same argument which is why...when the iPhone is nearby. The tether is the big issue for me. Granted it's early in wearables, and maybe Apple Watch 4.0 will be an untethered paper thin wristband.
My phone rarely leaves my pants pocket anymore: Making and receiving calls, sending and receiving messages, Apple Pay, breaking news at my fingertips, a stunning piece of jewelry, and a definite "chick magnet". Also it reminds me when I'm sitting on my ass too long by saying "Time to stand". It has become personal and personalized.
The Watch won't be an "absolutely must have" for many people, but after wearing it for several weeks, it is to me.
I have no problem with having gays in commercials. Its just they make it so hard to tell if they actually are or they aren't. Its just confusing. First time I watched it I thought they were gay. Second time I thought they were just close friends.
You have no problems with gays in ads, you just want it to be clear if the people in the ads are gay that they are clearly labeled as such. Why do you even care?
In some cultures straight girls hold hands with other straight girls. Just wish they were more clear about whats going on. If it was about gays then dont make it so hard to tell.
In some cultures straight guys hold hands with other straight guys.
I just think Apple should be less vague. If they want to champion gay rights than make it clear on the commercial.
Its just a distraction. If they clearly show they are gay thats fine. Or clearly show they are not gay. In someways it feels sneaky. Like they want to please the gay community by giving hints they are gay but not offend the religo demo that may scoff at gays in a commercial.
I just think Apple should be less vague. If they want to champion gay rights than make it clear on the commercial.
Its just a distraction. If they clearly show they are gay thats fine. Or clearly show they are not gay. In someways it feels sneaky. Like they want to please the gay community by giving hints they are gay but not offend the religo demo that may scoff at gays in a commercial.
Actually in Chinese culture straight women do hold hands. Also in Africa and middle east.
Now I'm more confused.
It is really impossible to prove that either couple were gay in the video, but not many usa know the culture of holding hands in asia
It's only a distraction because you choose to make it a distraction. Do you also do the same thing of the ethnicity of the actor in an ad is ambiguous? Does the utility offered by the device change because it's on the wrist of a heterosexual v homosexual?
I have no problem with having gays in commercials. Its just they make it so hard to tell if they actually are or they aren't. Its just confusing. First time I watched it I thought they were gay. Second time I thought they were just close friends. In some cultures straight girls hold hands with other straight girls. Just wish they were more clear about whats going on. If it was about gays then dont make it so hard to tell.
Why does it matter? do you want to know what their childhoods were like too?
I just think Apple should be less vague. If they want to champion gay rights than make it clear on the commercial.
The way to champion gay rights is to make it blend seamlessly with the rest of society, without having to "make it clear". The fact the line is blurry here means we're getting closer. Apple is making progress here.
These ads are excellent - wordless, visual storytelling that simply exemplifies how the Watch easily integrates into and can enrich your life. Good stuff.
Much better than the copy writing in the "hardware part, software part, whose part" iPhone ad. Intent and overall style of those new iPhone ads are very good, but that voiceover is hokey...
You have no problems with gays in ads, you just want it to be clear if the people in the ads are gay that they are clearly labeled as such. Why do you even care?
In some cultures straight guys hold hands with other straight guys.
In some cultures straight women use the restroom together even when there's only one stall. What's the big deal about holding hands?
This thread didn't take too long to go way off topic and yes I know I'm not helping. Sorry.
In the past week I've seen two negative Apple Watch stories - one from Fortune and one from design publication Dezeen slagging off the Apple Watch. Both stories quote designers who work for the design firm New Deal Design.....which just happens to have Fitbit as one of its clients. The Fortune article conveniently forgot to mention this fact. I find it a bit curious that the media is pushing Apple Watch FUD and D&G really hard ever since the Fitbit IPO. Nobody had ever heard of Slice Intelligence yet we got a week of Apple Watch is a flop solely based on unproven data and methodology from an analytics for most people have never heard of. If Slice Ingelligence data is so valuable and their methodology so sound why haven't we seen predictive analytics around other products? Why just Apple Watch? Why is the media asking Fitbit designers for their opinions on Apple Watch? Are we supposed to conclude that Apple Watch is a flop because designers of a competing product are slagging it off? Ben Bajarin is working with a group called Wristly that is currently surveying over 1,000 Apple Watch owners. Based on some of his tweets it appears they're getting a lot of good feedback most of it positive with hgh satisfaction rate. Yet I'm not aware of anyone in the media even sniffing around any of this analysis.
Something about all of this stinks to high heavens.
Seriously this Dezeen article was shocking. Mostly because I would expect them to be above clickbait. Their headline is: Designers: Apple Watch "fails to excite," is "underwhelming" yet the story is comprised of mostly New Deal Design firm designers. What purpose does this article serve? And why the interest all of a sudden in what 'designers' think about Apple Watch? Is Dezeen going to write another story asking Apple designers what they think about Fitbit?
Why does it matter? When does anything in a commercial really matter? Its just a marketing tool.
I'm coming from a marketing/shareholder point of view.
Its simply a distraction IMO to the commercial. If the watch suppose to highlight PERSONAL COMMUNICATION it would help if we knew exactly what the relationship is between the two people in the commercial.
I'll give you an extreme example. What if there was an AppleWatch commerical of an older white man sending messages on his watch to a 12 year old Chinese boy. What would you conclude then? Would it not be kinda creepy? Would not want Apple to make it CRYSTAL clear that the boy was his grandkid and he wasn't being a preditor? Look at the other Apple watch commericals that highlight PERSONAL COMMUNICATION. It is crystal clear what the relationships are between the parties.
IMO Apple could have gotten some nice buzz and credit for showing CLEARLY a gay relationship in a 30 second commerical. Instead they choose to make it extremely VAGUE and leave the viewer guessing.
Congrats ! You've managed to quickly comment about homosexuality and pedophilia in the same thread !
I'll give you an extreme example. What if there was an AppleWatch commerical of an older white man sending messages on his watch to a 12 year old Chinese boy. What would you conclude then? Would it not be kinda creepy? Would not want Apple to make it CRYSTAL clear that the boy was his grandkid and he wasn't being a preditor? Look at the other Apple watch commericals that highlight PERSONAL COMMUNICATION. It is crystal clear what the relationships are between the parties.
My whole point is making relationships between 2 parties VAGUE does not help in the marketing message.
If you notice in my comment I never said the old man WAS a pedo. You assumed it. You assumed it because it was VAGUE. See my point?
I see your point, but do you? You're being oddly homophobic. You have a problem with the relationship potentially being homosexual in nature despite that having zero affect on how the product — the focus of the ad — functions.
Remember that iPhone ad a few years ago where the introverted kid seemed withdrawn from the rest of the people but he was taking video which he then edited on his phone to make a video of the holiday gathering. Where are your comments asking for a complete family tree of how the boy connects to everyone else in the commercial. You may think that the girl is his sister when it's really his cousin of that the older guy might be his grandfather when it's really his uncle. *gasp* The horror¡
WRONG. I said numerous times on this thread that I have ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM with them showing a homosexual relationship in their ads. NONE. ZERO. ZILCH.
I only have a problem when they are VAGUE about it.
That's my point, you say you don't have a problem with it and yet you're consumed with having to know this make believe relationship, hence you have a problem with it. Do you know if the actors' characters are suppose to be liberal, conservative or other? Are they religious? If so, which religion(s)? You didn't ask those questions because it's irrelevant, but you need to know the other for the worst reason possible and you don't even realize it.
Comments
I think the watch is a tough product to advertise, just because when they show the notifications, it’s like “who gives a shit, I can just check my phone” - but it’s significant when it’s hundreds of times a day. It’s really difficult to show this in ads, and how it really frees you from constantly being stuck to the phone.
It's not that the watch is a solution, but that phone notification and other settings are an issue. Or the pricey watch is a solution to a problem created by the phone user. Why pay to move the problem from your pocket to your wrist?
I'm a little confused about the first 2 videos with the pair of women. Are they suppose to be gay? really confusing.
Yes, I think they were.
The first one is gay and inter-ethnic too. Apple is not pulling any punches. Inclusivity inspires customers to buy. Maybe. Probably. Almost certainly?
As a straight white guy, I find the ad charming. Okay, maybe a little too charming.
LOL
It's still a tough sell. Apple Watch v2.0 needs to show better use case scenarios or I believe the long term prospects aren't good.
Even Apple fan tech journalists have stopped using the watch a few months after the initial excitement.
I've said all along, it's a very niche product that will serve the Apple fan and early adopters. But I don't believe it's one of those revolutionary products that will change how we do things (like the iPhone). Most people I come across make the same argument which is why...when the iPhone is nearby. The tether is the big issue for me. Granted it's early in wearables, and maybe Apple Watch 4.0 will be an untethered paper thin wristband.
Here's how the Apple Watch has changed my habits.
My phone rarely leaves my pants pocket anymore: Making and receiving calls, sending and receiving messages, Apple Pay, breaking news at my fingertips, a stunning piece of jewelry, and a definite "chick magnet". Also it reminds me when I'm sitting on my ass too long by saying "Time to stand". It has become personal and personalized.
The Watch won't be an "absolutely must have" for many people, but after wearing it for several weeks, it is to me.
You have no problems with gays in ads, you just want it to be clear if the people in the ads are gay that they are clearly labeled as such. Why do you even care?
In some cultures straight guys hold hands with other straight guys.
Saudi Arabia: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E4D71E31F932A35756C0A9639C8B63
It's only a distraction because you choose to make it a distraction. Do you also do the same thing of the ethnicity of the actor in an ad is ambiguous? Does the utility offered by the device change because it's on the wrist of a heterosexual v homosexual?
Thanks. Learn something new every day
In India it's not uncommon for straight guys to hold hands, or walk with their arms over each others' shoulders.
I have no problem with having gays in commercials. Its just they make it so hard to tell if they actually are or they aren't. Its just confusing. First time I watched it I thought they were gay. Second time I thought they were just close friends. In some cultures straight girls hold hands with other straight girls. Just wish they were more clear about whats going on. If it was about gays then dont make it so hard to tell.
Why does it matter? do you want to know what their childhoods were like too?
I just think Apple should be less vague. If they want to champion gay rights than make it clear on the commercial.
The way to champion gay rights is to make it blend seamlessly with the rest of society, without having to "make it clear". The fact the line is blurry here means we're getting closer. Apple is making progress here.
Much better than the copy writing in the "hardware part, software part, whose part" iPhone ad. Intent and overall style of those new iPhone ads are very good, but that voiceover is hokey...
In some cultures straight women use the restroom together even when there's only one stall. What's the big deal about holding hands?
This thread didn't take too long to go way off topic and yes I know I'm not helping. Sorry.
Something about all of this stinks to high heavens.
why even bother commenting
Is this kind of comment accepted? Do people need to ask for your authorization to post?
Why does it matter? When does anything in a commercial really matter? Its just a marketing tool.
I'm coming from a marketing/shareholder point of view.
Its simply a distraction IMO to the commercial. If the watch suppose to highlight PERSONAL COMMUNICATION it would help if we knew exactly what the relationship is between the two people in the commercial.
I'll give you an extreme example. What if there was an AppleWatch commerical of an older white man sending messages on his watch to a 12 year old Chinese boy. What would you conclude then? Would it not be kinda creepy? Would not want Apple to make it CRYSTAL clear that the boy was his grandkid and he wasn't being a preditor? Look at the other Apple watch commericals that highlight PERSONAL COMMUNICATION. It is crystal clear what the relationships are between the parties.
IMO Apple could have gotten some nice buzz and credit for showing CLEARLY a gay relationship in a 30 second commerical. Instead they choose to make it extremely VAGUE and leave the viewer guessing.
Congrats ! You've managed to quickly comment about homosexuality and pedophilia in the same thread !
Infinite facepalms
I see your point, but do you? You're being oddly homophobic. You have a problem with the relationship potentially being homosexual in nature despite that having zero affect on how the product — the focus of the ad — functions.
Remember that iPhone ad a few years ago where the introverted kid seemed withdrawn from the rest of the people but he was taking video which he then edited on his phone to make a video of the holiday gathering. Where are your comments asking for a complete family tree of how the boy connects to everyone else in the commercial. You may think that the girl is his sister when it's really his cousin of that the older guy might be his grandfather when it's really his uncle. *gasp* The horror¡
That's my point, you say you don't have a problem with it and yet you're consumed with having to know this make believe relationship, hence you have a problem with it. Do you know if the actors' characters are suppose to be liberal, conservative or other? Are they religious? If so, which religion(s)? You didn't ask those questions because it's irrelevant, but you need to know the other for the worst reason possible and you don't even realize it.