Apple vs. Postal
It turns out to be a “false alarm” after all. “There’s a simple explantion why Apple’s new cleanroom ad looks just like a music video for The Postal Service: they were both made by the same people.”
My question now is, Why would you pick the same people? Especially looking at the whole negative feedback after the Luggz incident? Why would TBWA\Chiat Day let this happen twice? They have done some great work for Apple, but I hope there won’t be a third “coincidental copy”, otherwise Apple will be looking for a new agency.
What is your oppinion on this? Does it hurt Apple or does it just make TBWA look bad?
Some more at the Wired Blog.
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January 18th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Apple is known for communicating in a unique way. So for them, it lessens the strength of their brand. The average viewer will see the ad but it won’t have the same impact because they will have already seen the same execution.
It could be even worse for TBWAChiat Day. They have a long-standing reputation for doing such fantastic and innovative work.
It’s possible for two similar ad concepts to break in relative timing with each other — it’s happened before. The point is “similiar”. I can even understand two commercials looking the same from a style, lighting, editing, and directing standpoint if you use the same director and production crew. But these are just too close. Someone really fell asleep at the wheel on this one.
My question is, even if the CD’s at TBWAChiat Day missed it, I would think the director/production company would have said something? “Oh, by the way, before we shoot this really cool spot for you, wanted to let you know we already did it for someone else.” Doh!
January 23rd, 2006 at 12:20 pm
I wouldn’t say that the “average” viewer will have already seen the same thing. I’m not so sure that the Postal Service has that large of an audience. That said, I do think that it is very poor form by Apple. No matter who’s “fault” it is, Apple should have recognized that it was the same thing, and not green-lit the commercial.
January 24th, 2006 at 11:25 am
I think you kinda misunderstood the “same people” thing. It’s not that both the Apple ads were made by the same people (..the people that stole the last time and that stole now again), but the music video and the ad were made by the same people. Quite a difference!
January 24th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
I don’t care if it is the same people, that’s simply lame of the artists that made it. Some of the scenes are shot for shot, or at least look it. Both are awsome pieces of motion design, too bad their pretty much the same piece of motion design.