When I walked into my office building yesterday morning, I was a little surprised to see that the halls had been fully decked. Garland with twinkling lights hung from the ceiling of the main corridor of the building, and red bows and decorated Christmas trees were everywhere. I'm sure that I am not alone in thinking that it just seems weird to see Christmas decorations before we have even had Thanksgiving.
If you feel the same way, then stop reading now, and come back to iPhone J.D. on Friday to read the rest of this post. And speaking of Black Friday, Apple has just announced that it will be having a sale that day; click here for more details.
For those of you who are ready to think about the most wonderful time of the year even before you eat your turkey and stuffing, then read on. Today's post is about Apple's Holiday commercials, because yesterday Apple released its new 2016 spot.
Before talking about the new ad, let's talk briefly about the commercials that ran in the past. One of my favorites is the one called "Misunderstood" that run in 2013. Like many of Apple's best ads, it tells a story, includes a twist, and brings a tear to your eye:
For a good collection of Apple ads from the past 30 years, you can look at this compilation video:
I love the Christmas-themed "I'm a Mac / I'm a PC" ads that appear around the 3:30 mark in the above video.
With that history providing some context, here is Apple's ad for 2016. Like the other recent spots done by Apple, it doesn't sell any particular Apple product (although there is an iPhone used) but instead the ad promotes the spirit of the holidays. But unlike prior years, this one features a character who I don't think anyone associates with the Christmas holiday season. I won't say more until you watch it so as to not ruin the surprise:
When I first saw this ad, called "Frankie's Holiday," I thought it was pretty bizarre. But the more that I think about it, the more I like it. It is certainly a memorable commercial, and it reminds me of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. And like the other great Apple holiday ads, it tells a story, includes a twist, and brings a tear to your eye.
If you want some of the back-story on the making of this commercial, Jeff Beer of FastCompany interviewed Apple's Vice President of Marketing Tor Myhren.
