Whatever your opinion of the Apple brand, it’s hard to ignore the fact their marketing department certainly “gets” how to do commercials correctly. Whether it’s the iPod’s famous silhouette commercials or the “I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC” series, Apple is quite adept at leveraging the television to promote their brand.
Their latest offering comes just in time for the Christmas rush, and instead of concentrating on a particular device, Apple is showing off Siri, the digital personal assistant that operates via vocal commands. Whether it’s looking for old emails or checking the weather in your area, Siri’s capabilities are what’s being promoted here, not the device itself. Sure, you still need an Apple 4S to use Siri — no, I’m not talking about jailbroken iPhones, either — but Siri’s capabilities are what’s on display here, not the phone.
Considering the time of the year, one person in particular has a busy enough schedule to test even Siri’s capable organization skills. I’m talking about, of course, Santa Claus, who’s only a few short days away from embarking on a delivery mission that shames all other delivery services. When was the last time a UPS driver had to make almost 4 billion deliveries in one night? To help Saint Nick along the way is, of course, Apple’s voice-commanded assistant, reminding Santa of his responsibilities, while delivering messages from Mrs. Claus.
Now, if you’re the type who turns into an Ebenezer Scrooge during this time of year, the Siri/Santa commercial is not for you, but if you’re willing to let your heart grow three sizes and enjoy the season, you might find the commercial pretty endearing, even if you’re not an Apple fanboy.