If imitation is the highest form of flattery then Apple TV+ has paid rival video streamer Disney+ Hotstar one of its biggest compliments— a near similar ad.
Made by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, we see a slightly disgruntled Jon Hamm (Mad Men fame) ask, “Hey Apple, did I do something to offend you?”
He goes on to list a litany of actors who star in shows on the video streamer: Samuel L Jackson, Billie Eilish, Tom Holland, Chris Evans, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Mahershala Ali, Octavia Spencer, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, and Jon Stewart).
The ad is hilarious but the subtle messaging works: If actor Jon Hamm is eager to get on Apple TV+, why haven’t you a view subscribed to it?
Back in September last year (2021), we saw an eerily similar ad featuring Shah Rukh Khan. Made by the same gang behind the CRED campaigns of’20 and ‘21 (Devaiah Bopanna, Tanmay Bhat, Vishal Dayama, Puneet Chadha, and Deep Joshi), we see the actor, in three ads, discuss possibilities of his own show on Disney+ Hotstar and being dismayed on learning the actors who’re already there on the streamer.
Close enough ads, super actors on both, and a similar urge to be a part of the herd on the platforms. Will you follow?
And yes, read the names of the two ads: Everybody but Jon and Siway SRK. Ring a bell?
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