Apple released a new iPhone commercial that focuses on FaceTime video chats, and completely skips over hardware and software specifications, just like the other ads showing off iPhone features. Unlike companies that rattle off camera and processor specs along with screen size, Apple's ads go for an emotional pull.
The latest iPhone 5 commercial, called "FaceTime Every Day," shows friends and families staying in touch and sharing their lives even when they're apart. The ad pulls on viewers heartstrings and shows how the iPhone is a part of our daily lives and not just another smartphone.
Apple's iPhone 5 FaceTime commercial goes for the heart, not product specs
The last few seconds of the commercial includes a voiceover stating that the iPhone is used more than any other smartphone every day for video calls, giving the only branding shown in the TV spot.
There aren't any barbs thrown at competing products, no mention of operating systems, and no cell service providers named. Just people sharing. Contrast that with Nokia's new Lumia 925 ad that spends almost a minute and a half comparing photos with iPhone pics.
The commercial shows the Nokia name seven times, Lumia six times, and iPhone five times, plus a voice over says "Nokia" twice and "Lumia" once. Only once is "iPhone" shown or said during the FaceTime ad, and "Apple" isn't mentioned at all.
For Apple, ads feel like they're more about empowering people than burning brand names into our brains. That's a tactic more companies should learn because after a commercial break ends it's easier to remember feeling happy than how many megapixels a smartphone has.