Apple dropped a new ad for its fourth-generation Apple TV over the weekend, and it’s actually hilarious!
Called “Father Time,” the ad features Lakers player Kobe Bryant and actor Michael B. Jordan (of Chronicle and Creed fame) as they bicker while showing off Apple TV’s smart Siri Remote and App Store. Check it out below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CxQW3bzIss&nohtml5=False
I’m always a bit iffy on tech ads starring celebrities, because way too often what you wind up with is a bit of lazy backslapping that gives the star an easy paycheck for a few days work, while making the company look a bit desperate.
Although I’d argue that Samsung is more guilty of this, Apple is no stranger to celeb-stocked ads which fail to raise a smile. The original iPhone Siri ads, for instance, were flops back in the days of the iPhone 4s, while more recently an Emmys ad for Apple Music — featuring the combined star power of no less than singer Mary J. Blige, Scandal actress Kerry Washington, and Hustle & Flow actress Taraji P. Henson — was a total dud.
In this case, though, I’d say Apple is right on the money. It’s a fun, irreverent ad, that also succeeds at getting across to a possibly-uninitiated audience what Apple TV can do.
Humor, of course, is subjective, so you may disagree that this is one of Apple’s stronger recent ads. What do you think? Whether you think this is a big hit or a swing and a miss for Apple, leave your comments below.
