These Ads Are Genuinely Stupid
It Can’t Be Just Me…
I mean it. I really mean it.
It can’t be just me who watches the ads we’re force-fed nowadays and thinks: Who greenlit this garbage? Who seriously sits on a plush boardroom chair, watches one of these “quirky” or “relatable” monstrosities, and says, “Yes. This will convert to sales.
This will move people.” Because let’s be honest here it doesn’t.
No soul alive watches these new ads and goes, “Wow! I must absolutely buy this toothpaste because a guy in a llama costume screamed about it for 15 seconds on YouTube.”
Advertising used to mean something.
It used to have edge, wit, a message. It wasn’t just an attempt at virality or some watered-down focus-grouped nonsense trying to tick every demographic box. It was storytelling. It was a craft. It was vision backed by principles.
Bring me back to the golden era bring me back to Chiat/Day.
The Gold Standard: Chiat/Day and Apple
When people talk about advertising that sticks, that moves, that actually sells it’s impossible not to mention Chiat/Day and their revolutionary campaigns for Apple.
Yes, I’m an Apple fanboy. Proudly so. I don’t hide it. Why should I? The "1984" ad didn’t just sell a computer it declared a rebellion. The “Think Different” campaign didn’t shout; it whispered. It respected your intelligence. It reminded you that you weren’t just a consumer, you were part of something bigger.
Fast forward to July 2024, and Apple even now can still get it right.
Take their ad “Privacy on iPhone | Flock” 19,934,460 views and counting. And it deserves every click.
It didn’t rely on a meme. It didn’t jump on a YouTube trend. It took a real issue data privacy, surveillance, digital exploitation and explained it with clarity and style.
It showed how we’re being tracked, watched, sliced and diced into ad data like cattle. Then, it delivered a solution, not just a scare: your iPhone keeps that private.
Simple. Clear. Effective. Respectful. Linked below
Today’s Ads: A Race to the Bottom
Now contrast that with the sludge we get today.
Every second ad is either trying too hard to be funny, or so “inclusive” it forgets what it’s actually selling. It’s like marketers have completely forgotten their job is to sell a product, not to look trendy on Twitter for six hours.
We’ve dumbed everything down. Every product is a punchline, every ad a sketch show. There’s no narrative arc. No philosophy. No taste. Just visual vomit, loud colours, fake laughter, and a QR code slapped at the end.
What Happened to Respecting the Viewer?
You know what the best ads used to do?
They treated you like you were smart. Like you had discernment. Like you were capable of understanding nuance and meaning. They didn’t scream at you they invited you in.
What we’ve got now? It’s insulting. It’s like advertising has become just another branch of the short attention span economy.
Make it louder, faster, and more chaotic maybe someone will click. But will they buy? Will they care? Will they remember?
No. Because no one remembers what feels like a cheap joke.
The Bottom Line
It’s not just about selling anymore it’s about soul. It’s about storytelling. And in an era where every company wants your time, your data, and your money, the least they could do is earn it with dignity and intelligence.
So to all the marketing execs out there:
If you want me to care, if you want me to buy, then give me ads that are more than noise.
Bring back the craft.
Bring back the substance.
And for heaven’s sake, bring back ads that actually respect the viewer.
Apple’s still doing it. Why can’t the rest of you?