Apple Blasted for "Genius" Ads

Not so Genius Apple's panned ads featured a Genius who helped a Mac owner on a plane make an anniversary film for his wife after forgetting the occasion, helped an expectant father make cards to send to the family while his wife was in labour, and advised a man who bought a PC that's "basically" a Mac.

Apple has removed a series of new Mac ads after they were deemed 'embarrassing', 'cringe-inducing', and `dreadful' by publications and Apple experts.

The three new adverts were broadcast in the US during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, and featured an Apple Genius helping various Mac owners in unlikely situations. But, unlike many of Apple's previous ad campaigns such as the Think Different campaign and the Get a Mac series, the new ads were widely criticised. Even former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gass& tweeted: "Ouch! Cringe-inducing new Apple 'Genius' ads for Mac. Put those back in the bottle."

The Mac maker has since pulled the ads from its YouTube channel and the Apple.com website. In what may be a coincidence, Scott Trattner, one of the team behind the ads,
has quit. He was an executive creative director at TBWA/Media Arts Lab, but is moving on to a post at agency 72andSunny.

While Trattner's latest ad campaign hasn't been well received, he had more success with previous Apple promotions, including the I'm a Mac campaign He had worked on commissions for Apple since 2004.