Samsung's 'UnCrush' Ad Mocking Apple Invites Barrage Of Criticism Online: 'You Think This Will Make People Switch?'

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. SSNLF has released a new ad, “UnCrush,” to counter Apple Inc.’s AAPL controversial “Crush” ad. However, the attempt has been met with some major criticism.

What Happened: On Wednesday, Samsung released its new ad in response to Apple’s “Crush” ad, which was pulled after sparking controversy. Cupertino’s “Crush” ad depicted various creative tools being crushed by an industrial crusher, leaving only the new iPad Pro intact.

The ad was met with criticism from the creative community, who interpreted it as a grim representation of technology crushing human creativity.

The new “UnCrush” ad by Samsung features a person playing a broken guitar on a paint-covered industrial press, using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 to read sheet music. The ad concludes with a promotion of the tablet, displaying “with Galaxy AI.”

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We would never crush creativity. #UnCrush pic.twitter.com/qvlUqbRlnE

— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) May 15, 2024

However, Samsung’s “UnCrush” ad has failed to resonate with the audience. The ad has been criticized for ignoring the foundation of the complaints about Apple’s “Crush” ad like the increased usage of artificial intelligence.

One person on X, formerly Twitter, said that Samsung overlooked the primary cause of the backlash as they boasted by Galaxy AI, triggering the ire of many creatives who believe AI is “crushing creative industries.”

Samsung, you completely missed the main reason for the outrage against Apple's "Crush" ad 🤦🏼‍♂️

In the last second of this commercial, you brag that it comes "with Galaxy AI✨"

AI is the whole reason why many creatives are so upset—in their view, it's crushing creative industries. https://t.co/YFRfOKoe1X

— Josh Long (the JoshMeister) (@theJoshMeister) May 16, 2024

Here’s how others reacted:

You think this will make people switch? I've got some swamp land in Florida I'd like to sell you.

— Will It Work? (@BasicInteger) May 16, 2024

Samsung's inspiration lies in Apple's creativity 😎

— Breej (@thetech_wiz) May 15, 2024

Apple still living in Samsung's head rent free.

— jean (@jeanbutinfrench) May 16, 2024

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Why It Matters: Competitors, particularly Samsung, have a history of criticizing Apple. Interestingly, they often end up adopting the very features they mock in their ads, as seen with Samsung eventually embracing the notch.

"Imagine still having a notch in 2021." – #GalaxyZFold3 5G

— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) September 14, 2021

Apple’s ‘Crush’ ad, which was unveiled during the launch of the new iPad, was criticized for its portrayal of creative tools being crushed and replaced by the new iPad. The ad was seen as a symbol of Apple’s power and the potential replacement of human creativity by AI.

The tech giant later issued an apology for the same saying, “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”

Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.