Apple’s “Designed in California” ad campaign will likely be short-lived and is ultimately less powerful than the company’s product-focused ads. These commercials started to air on June 10th, the same day as Apple’s WWDC 2013 keynote. Since then, Act Metrix Inc, a consulting firm, analyzed the effectiveness of the advertisement on a group of 500 television viewers. Apple’s new ad scored a 489 on Act Metrx’s test, though Apple’s scores have topped 700 in the past. For contrast, a recent ad for the Galaxy S 4 scored a 757 on Act Metrix’s scale.
Bloomberg also chatted with Edward Boches, a professor of advertising at Boston University, about the campaign. He said the following:
Apple was never a company that bragged about itself. In a manifesto ad, it’s hard not to come across as self indulgent. And even though it suggests the wonderful things Apple products can do, the ad lacks joy.
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It feels like Apple is groping a bit. I wouldn’t be surprised if this campaign is short-lived.
Apple’s Designed In California ad campaign doesn’t focus in on a specific product, but it shows people using Apple devices in their daily lives and the experience they have while doing so. Throughout the commercial, we see people mesmerized by the devices and see them “get lost” while using them.
