The 43-second spot launched on social media exhibits a younger girl navigating by means of assorted particles strewn on the ground earlier than stopping at a damaged guitar she picks up.

Studying sheet music displayed on her Galaxy Tab S9, she begins strumming just a few chords, not caring that the broken instrument is out of tune. 

“Creativity cannot be crushed,” ran the Samsung advert in a transparent dig at its competitor in Cupertino nonetheless reeling from a badly conceived commercial.

We would by no means crush creativity. #UnCrush pic.twitter.com/qvlUqbRlnE

— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) May 15, 2024

In a world the place machines may quickly show superior to their creators, Apple thought the perfect metaphor when promoting its first new iPad Pro in almost two years was a large hydraulic press figuratively and actually crushing inventive instruments humanity has relied on for hundreds of years into one ultra-thin Apple pill—all to a cheerful Sonny and Cher melody. 

“Just think of all the things it’ll be used to create,” posted a giddy Tim Cook, solely to be inundated with 19,000 replies of overwhelmingly offended shoppers.

Storm prompts uncommon Apple apology

People like actor Hugh Grant got here away from viewing the advert disgusted at what was considered as a vulgar and obscene show of Silicon Valley techno-fetishism personally endorsed by Steve Jobs’ anointed successor as CEO, Tim Cook.

“Steve wouldn’t have shipped that ad,” wrote Paul Graham, who based startup accelerator Y Combinator. “It would have pained him too much to watch.”

The destruction of the human expertise. Courtesy of Silicon Valley. https://t.co/273XB3CfnF

— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) May 8, 2024

The backlash in opposition to its Crush! spot prompted Apple, an organization that in any other case has lengthy loved a popularity for savvy advertisements that talk to the zeitgeist, to difficulty a uncommon apology.

“We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry,” Tor Myhren, vp of promoting, advised commerce publication Ad Age final week. 

In 2023, Apple ended Samsung’s 12-year run as the most important smartphone supplier on this planet. However, weak spot in China allowed the South Korean large to reclaim the highest spot within the first quarter of this 12 months. 

That victory didn’t cease it from twisting the proverbial knife, nonetheless.

With Apple on the ropes over its poorly conceived advert, Samsung is at present making an attempt to get the hashtag #UnCrush to pattern on social media.