More Insane Apple/Jobs Behavior - Can't Take a Joke

[Aristotle]

So......

Ellen Degeneres does a funny and harmless little parody video about the iPhone:

Ellen's New iPhone Commercial!

Well apparently Apple "didn't like it" and made a big enough stink about it that they either complained directly to Ellen's show or to some of her bosses. She actually had to APOLOGIZE. *boggle*

Ellen Degeneres Apologizes for iPhone Spoof Ad

I wonder if what we are seeing here is the final backlash against form over function Apple products?

[Gesslar]

rofl, that ad is hilarious and is OBVIOUSLY a caricature.

that's really sad of apple.

still love my iPhone though.

[anthson]

I read recently Ellen didn't know how/care how to text until just recently and that this newfangled technology stumps her often. I think this is more a parody of herself than of the iPhone.

[Halyanne]

The link gets me to youtube, but says the video is not available.

I was able to just search for it. Seriously, apple really needs to learn to laugh and take a joke.

[Aristotle]

Originally posted by Halyanne
The link gets me to youtube, but says the video is not available.

If you aren't getting hit with some kind of regional thing, hit the link again and wait a few seconds.

The video is available, its just that Ellen's show has a disclaimer that looks a lot like the stock youtube "this video is not available" message.

And I agree, Gesslar. I think she's making fun of herself as much or more than the iPhone.

Apple seriously needs to learn how to take a joke. They are so used to being the underdog, they don't know how to handle some good natured teasing as the top dog.

[Pyrosama]

I thought it was hilarious that she showed the mock ad AGAIN. Like, OH, you didn't like the commercial? Okay, I'm gonna apologize. But, first, let me repeat the commercial so everyone KNOWS what I'm apologizing for and so that more people can see it...or for that matter, see it AGAIN.

Well, that's the way I took it. I love Ellen!!

[Calan]

How can someone be offended by Ellen, of all people? She's completely harmless and hilarious

[Deokoria]

From a marketing point of view, Apple's response is pretty dumb. I also thought it was more of a spoof on Ellen herself rather than the iPhone brand. There were several different responses that Apple could have had:

1. They could have ignored the spoof, and have been secretly thankful for the free publicity. Ellen really didn't say anything bad about the iPhone, but she did show some nice closeups that highlighted iPhone features.

2. They could have capitalized on the parody and contacted the producers of the show with an offer to have a high-level exec from Apple appear on the show to give Ellen "free iPhone lessons" and even offered free iPhones or iPads for her to hand out to the studio audience. Considering Apple's ad budget, that would have been dirt cheap advertising for them with extremely high ROI.

Instead the Apple reaction negated the positive aspects of the free publicity and made them look like a whiny corporation that was picking on poor Ellen - this response is FAR more likely to alienate Ellen fans than her cute little spoof that was mostly mocking her own clumsy fingers.

[Rosuav]

Originally posted by Deokoria
2. They could have capitalized on the parody and contacted the producers of the show with an offer to have a high-level exec from Apple appear on the show to give Ellen "free iPhone lessons" and even offered free iPhones or iPads for her to hand out to the studio audience. Considering Apple's ad budget, that would have been dirt cheap advertising for them with extremely high ROI.

Yeah... dollar for dollar, this would surely have been one of the most cost-efficient "ad campaigns". It'd get them onto the show itself, rather than a dedicated ad segment. Solution: Apple should hire Threshers to arrange their campaigns, because we are obviously more intelligent than their own marketing department!

[Caer]

What's kinda silly about this is that the day before or so on her show she gave an iTouch to everyone in the audience (or possibly during the same episode....it all runs together). So it's clear she's not really dissing on Apple because she doesn't like their products. I saw her spoof ad when it first aired and totally thought she was making fun of herself and everyone who fat fingers all the new technology.

This and everything else Apple/Job has been doing lately really is quite ridiculous.