Samsung has a history of taking jabs to target Apple. It is now capitalizing on the controversial iPad Pro ad as well. The Apple ad drew a lot of attention as it showed various creative tools being crushed by a hydraulic press.
The idea was to showcase versatility and creative capabilities of the iPad Pro. However, Apple’s Crushed ad got a lot of flak; it was interpreted as a metaphor for the suppression of creativity by technology. Apple eventually apologized, with an exec saying it “missed the mark.”
We would never crush creativity. #UnCrush pic.twitter.com/qvlUqbRlnE
— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) May 15, 2024
Samsung has a lot to say in the 43-second ad. Samsung’s message is “Creativity cannot be crushed”. The ad shows a woman walking through the destruction Apple’s hydraulic crush left behind. Amidst the rubble, she picks up a crushed guitar and starts strumming. The camera then pans to show that she’s reading musical notes on the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. Samsung conveys the message that while instruments may be crushed, creativity cannot be.
Internet was quick to react. Communications consultant Karthik Srinivasan applauded Samsung’s ad in a LinkedIn post.
The tone deaf ad drew flak from celebrities like Hrithik Roshan and Hugh Grant.