iPhone 4 FaceTime Commercials: Are Apple's TV Ads Really "Heartbreaking?" (Video)

First there was the 1-minute wordless Apple FaceTime spot set to Louis Armstrong music featuring the intimate moments in family life which can now be shared over distances thanks to this new iOS4 technology. Fortune online is calling Apple's new commercials for FaceTime "heartbreaking." Spolier warning: nobody gets any bad news. As a matter of fact, in two out of the four spots, the characters in fact receive good news. In the other two, things are bittersweet at worst and basically all the ads have happy endings. We think the emotional term the business-minded folks over at fortune were looking for was "heart-warming." Hey, it's July -- it must have been the heat (wave) going to their heads. Perhaps, Philip Elmer-DeWitt, no matter how good his in-depth of knowledge of Apple, is thinking of this heartbreaking iPhone 4 FaceTime ad. In any event, the misnomer is evidence of how little premium our society puts on emotional literacy. Or phrased less pretentiously: being able to name what we're feeling. Put more vividly: heartwarming = "I'm expecting a baby," heartbreaking = "I lost the baby." As the messenger usually gets hung, perhaps best to leave miscarriages out of marketing. That said, who knows what kind of deep buy-in would-be customers might have were they to see how even troubling news is a part of life's rich fabric and lo, without our hero product they might not have been there to support a loved one in need.

Overall and in sum, the creative approach and execution of these ads is bang-on: intimate, human but never quotidian. While quiet and without music to skew the emotions, the pieces are even a bit awkward. Such is life itself.

We're a tad disappointed not to see video call communication involving deaf folks not get foregrounded play in this round of spots. Especially with this iPhone 4 FaceTime service coming on line that bridges the gaps between the hearing and the deaf. This video is pretty heartwarming if we do say so ourselves.

As for the spot titled "Meet Her" our take is that the actor playing the grandfather comes off a bit Uncle Remus and seems to have been cast according to an unchecked stereotype. If his performance had knocked it out of the park, that would be one thing. But the character just seems to be out of it. Barely reactive. The awkwardness of messy, human existence is one thing, the alzheimer'sesque unbelievability of grandpa's read on the line "incredible" is quite another. It's almost creepy how he responds to his son's question. It jangles the transference of son-to-father making those Jurassic feelings well up saying "Um, hello, Dad? I asked you a damn question -- how does it feel to be a grandfather. Have you ever really cared about me at all?"

And we note that three out of the four spots have women front and center broadcasting themselves to the men holding the iPhone 4. To git a bit old school feminista here, looks like pops has them ladies in the palm of his hand -- right where he wants 'em *wink*. From a practical standpoint, the ad "Big News" might have come across better were the screens swapped and the new papa reacting to the news. In any event, hey, the first adopters of iPhone 4 units are probably going to be guys -- and dads, a marketing target that I resemble with iPhone 4 in my possession at present. So by all means, these ads should target the guy demo and do in fact seem aimed there.

Originally Posted on Susty

Smile:

Meet Her:

Haircut:

Big News:

 

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Comments

[MrVee]

05:03 PM on 07/28/2010

What they are doing is selling a technology that has existed for years using emotion.

[drmrfzl]

04:17 PM on 07/28/2010

for some reason I always feel uncomfortable whenever these ads come on, they make me want to change the channel.

and the woman in the 'big news' one creeps me out.

[LuluOne]

05:05 PM on 07/31/2010

I second this. I can't dive for the remote fast enough when one of these ads comes on. They are creepy and voyeuristic and the acting feels odd.

Plus the only thing worse that having to overhear private cell conversations is having to "oversee" them.

[Angelus2007]

03:26 PM on 07/28/2010

I don't find them heartbreaking, but they are emotional. This is a technology that has been on phones before, but Apple does a great job at telling you how you can use it. They create a connection. This is sales 101, every sales job I have had told me the same thing, don't sell the steak sell the sizzle. You are selling benefits not features. I could create a laundry list of features but if the consumer doesn't understand the benefit of that feature for them, they won't care. These commercials are more than a feature on the side of the box, they let people imagine how they can use it. Many people have had times where there have told a loved one something over the phone wishing they can be there. Now in a way they feel they can. Of course both loved ones need and iPhone 4 and wifi, but customers start thinking of personal experiences where they could have utilized this feature.

[JohnnyLawson]

01:08 PM on 07/28/2010

you'd think the meeting of a grandchild or telling your husband you finally got knocked up is one of those "I'd rather tell you face to face" situations instead of using an overpriced toy to communicate...

[wordjunkie]

09:45 AM on 07/28/2010

Personally, I find the ads cloying and annoying. They are a strange departure from Apple's "coolness" of campaigns past. The setups are very cliche (I'm pregnant!) and the acting feels forced. I hope they get back to the good stuff soon.

[garystartswithg]

11:30 PM on 07/27/2010

i don't find much heartbreaking other than in the 21st century babies are still used for advertising. where are the puppies? maybe babies and puppies together would be awesome. .