Motorola suggests Apple's iPhone is feminine in latest TV spot

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Motorola has continued its assault on the iPhone with a new commercial that indirectly compares Apple's handset to a "tiara-wearing digitally clueless beauty pageant queen."



The new commercial for the Motorola Droid, entitled "Pretty," debuted on TV this week. Thought it never specifically names the iPhone, it does show images of people admiring an iPhone-like device, albeit with concave sides. In one brief shot, a blonde woman holds a white mock iPhone in front of her as she crosses a street and applies lip gloss, with the word "princess" laid across the screen.



"It's not a princess, it's a robot," the commercial says of the Droid. "A phone that trades hair-do for can-do."



The advertisement also calls the Droid "fast -- racehorse duct-taped to a Scud missile fast." Clearly geared toward a male audience, it also states that the handset "does rip through the Web like a circular saw through a ripe banana," accompanied by footage of a destroyed fruit.



Motorola's advertising blitz focused on men could be working. At least one recent study found that men of ages 18-and-up have shown increased interest in Motorola while buzz about Apple has decreased.







View the new commercial in its entirety:







Both Motorola and Verizon have stepped up advertising to hype the Droid, which launched in October. The first ad campaign also directly targeted Apple, lampooning its commercial style with the tagline "iDon't." The TV spot, which teased the then-impending launch of the Droid, attacked the iPhone's lack of a physical keyboard, inability to multitask with third-party applications, and absence of a camera flash.



The Motorola Droid is the first handset on the Verizon network to utilize Google's Android mobile operating system. Tension built over the last few months between Verizon and AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the U.S., as Verizon began to run a series of advertisements mocking Apple's "There's an app for that" slogan with the tagline "There's a map for that," comparing 3G coverage maps of the two companies. The dispute led to a lawsuit from AT&T, which was dropped this week.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 328
    Someone should tell Motorola that the iphone is BOTH good looking, feels good in a hand AND is FAST.



    Nice to see someone other than Apple actually advertise they have a phone.



    Quote:

    "It's not a princess, it's a robot,"



    Sorry, Moto, I'll take that blonde over a robot anyday.
  • Reply 2 of 328
    kerrybkerryb Posts: 270member
    It is obvious this add is aimed at young men (boys) 14 to 21 that haven't realized their inner fantasy is to marry a beauty queen someday. The rough and tough graphics with plenty of things that "blow up real good" is perfect imagery for these guys. In a funny way this ad is more about style over substance than any of the iPhone ads have been. You don't really get to see the phone until the final seconds and guess what it looks like the iPhone or many of the clones out there already. This is a lifestyle fantasy ad and does nothing to inform us on the advantages of the Droid other than its a guy phone that wont emasculate you when you are asking your mom what she is making for dinner.
  • Reply 3 of 328
    Oh man... Thems is fightin words!!! I guess motorola is just jealous cuz he can't have an iphone!!! Cuz then they'd know the truth!!! Lolz!!!
  • Reply 4 of 328
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Steve and Jonny must be LIVID! and FURIOUS!



    That white iPhone was always a bit naff.
  • Reply 5 of 328
    Yeah, I know that car and beer commercials have been playing on guys' stupid need to feel macho/manly/etc etc for decades, but this is asinine.



    I could see this working if the iPhone was, say, pink, or had "feminine curves" (shaped like an hourglass or whatever), but it's a black and metal rectangle. That's it. You can't get much more "meat & potatoes" than that.



    I'm sure the Droid will sell pretty well, but I can't imagine that being due to this ad.
  • Reply 6 of 328
    should be entitled "Petty"
  • Reply 7 of 328
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BlueDjinn View Post


    Yeah, I know that car and beer commercials have been playing on guys' stupid need to feel macho/manly/etc etc for decades, but this is asinine.



    I could see this working if the iPhone was, say, pink, or had "feminine curves" (shaped like an hourglass or whatever), but it's a black and metal rectangle. That's it. You can't get much more "meat & potatoes" than that.



    I'm sure the Droid will sell pretty well, but I can't imagine that being due to this ad.



    Can you seriously see any NFL player with a white iPhone?
  • Reply 8 of 328
    It's a good Ad, will be interesting to see how Apple responds.
  • Reply 9 of 328
    Ya, but uh - well, my iPhone is black. That's still masculine, right?
  • Reply 9 of 328
    Sorry, from my personal experience, the Droid simply can't compete with the Iphone with regards to speed, ease of use and functionality. It really says something when all they have here is an attack on aesthetics
  • Reply 11 of 328
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Steve and Jonny must be LIVID! and FURIOUS!



    Well, it's kinda true. I've never seen so many people fascinated with the looks of their phone or its appearance than I do with iPhone users (myself included).



    You always hear bitching about "oh, I scratched the back of it... WHAT DO I DO!?", or "OMG, my keys slightly scratched the screen -- IT'S RUINED!"



    Most other phone owners don't give a shit; they just keep using their devices, battle scars and all.
  • Reply 12 of 328
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Can you seriously see any NFL player with a white iPhone?



    (shrug) So don't buy the white one, buy the black one. It's my understanding that the black iPhone outsells the white one by like 8 to 1 anyway.



    Besides, the white MacBook and iBooks have been selling like crazy for many years now. I don't think even college fratboys have been shying away from the MacBook for being too "girly" (well, maybe back when the original 'clamshell' iBook came out, but that was an impractical design anyway).



    Plus, women *do* buy phones as well. I don't think Apple really gives a crap who buys their phones as long as they pay for 'em. For that matter, Motorola might've just given Apple a great idea--start selling a hot pink iPhone for the "Princess demographic".
  • Reply 13 of 328
    Markting 101:

    If you can't have a fast phone that is also pretty, just say "pretty is for girls" xD
  • Reply 14 of 328
    They spent money on that ad.

    Stupid Stupid Stupid

    I think that commercial has topped "Welcome to the Social" for its inanity.
  • Reply 15 of 328
    drdbdrdb Posts: 99member
    This is hilarious. It's basically a schoolboy 'you're gay' comment at the iPhone.
  • Reply 16 of 328
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Can you seriously see any NFL player with a white iPhone?



    I remember when iPods were only available in white. iMacs too. And time capsules and Apple TV's.
  • Reply 17 of 328
    gee, it's the proverbial pot calliing the kettle black.



    so i take it that their marketing is suggesting that anything suggesting "femininity" is weak, sub-standard to "masculinity".



    masculinity is superior to femininity - very insightful marketing, motorola. how daft.



    PS: i guess Motorola and Microsoft share the same marketing people?
  • Reply 18 of 328
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member
    Wow.



    Sure didn't take long to reach the bottom of that barrel. I find this kind of offensive. They might as well write "The iPhone is Gay" right across the screen.



    I'd still rather be the Princess though. She's hot.



    BTW - Isn't it kind of a questionable advertising tactic to piss off one of the largest demographics buying smartphones today, i.e - young women?
  • Reply 19 of 328
    tofinotofino Posts: 697member
    there will. never. be. a. verizon. iphone.
  • Reply 20 of 328
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BlueDjinn View Post


    (shrug) So don't buy the white one, buy the black one. It's my understanding that the black iPhone outsells the white one by like 8 to 1 anyway.



    Besides, the white MacBook and iBooks have been selling like crazy for many years now. I don't think even college fratboys have been shying away from the MacBook for being too "girly" (well, maybe back when the original 'clamshell' iBook came out, but that was an impractical design anyway).



    Plus, women *do* buy phones as well. I don't think Apple really gives a crap who buys their phones as long as they pay for 'em. For that matter, Motorola might've just given Apple a great idea--start selling a hot pink iPhone for the "Princess demographic".



    Even the white iPod works. But there's something about holding a white object up to your head that doesn't look quite right unless you have a Chiwawa stuffed in your purse. They should have re-thought that. The Rock'r never looked right for that very reason- and Motorola should know since it was their phone.
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