Siri is making new friends with celebrity status. Apple started
airing two new TV ads featuring actors Samuel L. Jackson and Zooey Deschanel
and Siri, the voice-controlled personal assistant on the iPhone 4S. The ads
show the two actors using Siri to manage their daily lives, from
searching for restaurants and markets to creating appointments, setting
reminders and playing music.
Apple’s use of celebrity endorsements for its ads is a departure
from the company’s previous commercials, which were focused on the iPhone
itself, highlighting one of its features or apps. Apple also had two ads
promoting Siri, including one
featuring Santa in December. But
at the same time, it’s worth noting that Apple is using celebrity endorsement
for one of its beta products. Yes, Siri has been in beta since the iPhone 4S
launched last year, and it still has the beta tag on Apple’s website. The ad featuring
Samuel L. Jackson, who has played bad guys and action heroes, shows the actor
in the comfort of his own home, cooking in preparation for a date night. He
uses Siri to help him covert units for cooking, cancel an appointment, search
for a market and set reminders for his food.
Zooey Deschanel is shown
in the other ad wearing pajamas and quirkily asking Siri if it’s raining
outside. She also looks to find a restaurant that delivers soup and then plays
a tune to cheer her up. You can just notice at the
end of the ads a note saying that sequences have been shortened, which is
Apple’s disclaimer to the Hollywood sparkle of the ad, with Siri responding to
questions almost instantly. However, two
lawsuits were filed against Apple
last month over Siri, accusing the company of overselling Siri’s abilities in
ads. AT&T, Sprint and Verizon branding appears at the end of the ads, which
judging by the lack of a carrier name on the iPhone shown in the videos, were
made by Apple and their advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day. Apple has not posted
the ads on its official channels yet, but viewers have recorded them.
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