Say whatever about the iPhone X, but the fact is that its Animoji feature, which sees an animated emoji mimic a user's facial expressions, is one of its most entertaining functions.
At $1,000, the iPhone X is a hard sell. Sure, there's no doubt Apple loyalists would salivate over its nearly bezel-less OLED display and its full glass body, but convincing casual consumers to shell out $1,000 for a phone is a tall order. Apple knows this, and its latest ad reflects that.
New iPhone X Ad Showcases Animoji Karaoke
In its latest iPhone X ad, Apple is relying on Animoji to sell its new flagship. Perfect timing, too. Twitter users recently invented this Animoji karaoke craze, in which Animojis sing along to various songs. The trend picked up on Twitter shortly after Fast Company tech editor Harry McCracken tweeted a fox Animoji rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. Videos of different Animojis singing different songs soon followed suit, thus birthing a new fad.
So, as any company would do, Apple took the opportunity and milked it. In the ad, various Animojis nod their head and sing along to "All Night" by Big Boi. In some scenes, a woman sings alongside an Animoji, with the subtle implication that her facial expressions and head movements are mimicked with perfect accuracy.
By featuring Animoji, which is pretty much a mere add-on, Apple isn't selling the iPhone X — it's selling the experience of an iPhone X. If the iPhone X were a mattress, Apple isn't trying to sell the mattress per se but is selling a good night's sleep, so to speak. As a concept, it's clever, and it represents Apple's flamboyant, stylish, and straightforward advertising signature. But as for the ad itself, well, The Verge calls it a little more cringey than those uploaded by Twitter users.
Apple's Face ID Ads
Along with the Animoji ad, Apple has also uploaded a bunch of new videos focusing on Face ID. One is an overview of its unlocking mechanisms, highlighting that it works even when the user is wearing different clothes, heavy makeup, has a different hairstyle, that sort of thing. The other ads focus on Face ID's ability to work even in the dark and adapt to one's changing facial features.
You can check out the iPhone X Animoji karaoke ad below. What do you think? Is Apple doing the right thing by featuring Animoji this heavily? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
