Apple iPad Pro ‘Crush!’: The Anatomy of a Campaign

Sookio Bootcamp graduate Aman Dilhe analyses the new Apple ‘Crush!’ iPad Pro campaign and how it sparked huge controversy as it advocated the destruction of creativity.

Was Apple’s new campaign a crush… or a crash?

Generally, critics and the public alike both agreed it was the latter. The tech giant’s campaign involved Apple’s CEO Tim Cook releasing the video on X in May 2024, showing various instruments of creativity – pianos, paint cans, sculptures, cameras, typewriters and more - get literally ‘crushed’ inside a huge hydraulic press to produce the thinnest-ever, new iPad Pro.

This sparked an immense controversy claiming Apple had visually represented people’s fear of technology and AI overtaking creativity, humanity and basically the whole world.

However, despite the reaction being widely considered negative, it has still managed to amass over 64 million views on X and YouTube combined, and prompted a huge conversation with the brand front and centre. So regardless of whatever message they miserably tried to convey, this may be one of those cases that confirm ‘there’s no such thing as bad publicity’.

Who was behind the Apple iPad Pro ‘Crush!’ campaign?

The marketing team who created ‘Crush!’ was in-house and was directed by Vania & Muggia from Iconoclast. From a company that emphasises creativity and innovation, this was not their greatest work.

A huge grey press that kills everything with colour doesn’t exactly scream creativity and the overwhelming, negative reception of it lead Apple’s VP of Marketing, Tor Myhren, to apologise, as stated in Ad Age: ‘We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry’.

He reassured that Apple and the marketing team still continuously aim to empower creatives and display how their products could be used to bring things to life, rather than the opposite.

By targeting new consumers, they have managed to alienate their existing loyal customer base. Apple once produced the must-have products for creatives and those who wanted to help change the future, but now they have almost abandoned their customers and allied with the larger industry. The campaign acknowledges the disconnect between the company and its consumers as it confirms its position as a tech giant.

How much engagement did the Apple iPad Pro Crush campaign get?

Apple promoted their campaign on X and YouTube. They also planned to show it on TV but this was pulled 48 hours after the launch and online response. But Tim Cook has left the video and original post up on both platforms, left to get more hate, more views and more shares.

If the campaign was really such ‘a bad apple’ it could have been removed completely. Pulling the TV ad stopped further criticism and appeared like they were empathetic with their audience, but keeping the video up on X and YouTube keeps Apple at the forefront of a conversation for as long as possible.

This mirrors Oscar Wilde’s quote saying, ‘there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.’ Their engagement to date includes:

• YouTube: 3.6M views, 47K likes

• X: 61.4M views, 31K likes, 6.4K reposts, 27.9K comments

• Different campaigns for the product were also posted onto Instagram and LinkedIn

With this much interaction, and Apple’s longstanding reputation likely preventing long-term damage, I think this campaign may have just enough negatives to result as a positive.

What was the reaction to the Apple iPad Pro ‘Crush’ campaign?

‘Crush!’ got crushed – to put it lightly. The campaign ignited agitation amongst consumers online. Many were concerned with the message the tech giant was choosing to express which eradicated creativity. Some compared the spilled paint to blood, actor Hugh Grant named it ‘the destruction of human experience’ and the general verdict was that Apple were completely out of touch.

The press were also flooded with write-ups broadcasting Apple’s mistake across different platforms, quickly stating their disappointment in the brand’s creative direction.

The pile of creativity set in a grey environment, annihalated by a machine and replaced by a sleek rectangle didn’t really match the brands usual principles valuing innovation and creativity.

This also gave one of their biggest competitors, Samsung, an opportunity to create a campaign that indirectly/directly pounces on Apple’s misstep by correcting everything they were criticised for.

They emphasised creativity in their video, showed a woman stepping over spilled paint and debris, and created the opposing hashtag ‘UnCrush’ as well as stating ‘creativity cannot be crushed’. They curated their campaign to address the consumer concerns to capitalise on the ‘Crush!’ failure, and highlight the competition between the two companies.

How does iPad Pro ‘Crush!’ compare to other Apple campaigns?

Many, including myself, agree the latest campaign contrasts their 1984 advertisement. That campaign, directed by Ridley Scott, highlighted the Macintosh computer to be the remedy against monotone corporate culture.

That advert acted as a mechanism to pave the way for Apple to be the company it is today, but 40 years later it has become the very dystopian tech giant it claimed to deviate from.

I feel as though the shift from start-up to success is contradictory for Apple, as their edge in the early stages relied on their authenticity, innovation and being that start-up that saw how the world could be different. They made bold statements against the norms of the time and now that they are the norm, they struggle to keep the authenticity of that narrative.

However, though I think the in-house marketers fell short with this campaign, the spotlight on this setback subdues their other material. Other recent campaigns, such as ‘Flock’ for Apple’s Safari showing surveillance-camera birds attacking people and their privacy, demonstrates how their marketing team can be creative and not soul-crushing. This was largely overshadowed by Apple’s lesser ‘Crush!’ campaign.

Was Apple’s iPad Pro ‘Crush’ campaign a success?

The campaign did present its ideas in a grey, ominous setting which could arguably be said to mirror the ubiquitous, tech-controlled future that everyone dreads, justifying the criticism it got. However, it could also be that their message was misconstrued and it was released to an increasingly fragile society at the wrong moment in time.

Either way, Apple receives brand visibility, exposure and potential success from it, reminding everyone of their brand, products and confirmed position in the industry. For the new Apple iPad Pro, was this campaign a crush or a crash? I’d probably say a bit of both.

What do you think of the campaign?

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This piece was written by a student from the Sookio Bootcamp in 2024, a week of remote work experience for young, aspiring marketers. Check out the other related campaign analysis posts including Fiat, Nike and Duolingo.