Apple Stock Down 18% In 2025: Could Company's Ad Removals Be Hurting Brand?

Technology giant Apple Inc AAPL may need to rethink its marketing strategy after the company quietly pulled another one of its advertisements this week, which is at least the fourth such move made in just over a year.

What Happened: Apple made a big splash with its return to advertising on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, with ads helping boost viewership for its streaming hit "Severance."

While ads for that show worked, recent ads from Apple have been pulled by the company for various reasons.

The latest advertisement to be pulled was called "The Parent Presentation" and was featured on Apple's YouTube channel and its website.

The ad featured comedian and "Saturday Night Live" cast member Martin Herlihy showing students how to convince their parents to buy a Mac computer, as reported by The Verge.

Apple shared the ad on Friday, and it had disappeared by Saturday, as reported by MacRumors. A slide presentation that says "45 undeniable reasons why a Mac is essential to college" was still available to download at the time of writing.

This marks the latest advertisement pulled by Apple. As reported by The Verge, Apple pulled its "Crush!" commercial last May after backlash. The ad featured a hydraulic press flattening creative tools like paint, a record player and a piano and then showing an iPad Pro in a demonstration of the tasks the device can do. Apple pulled the ad from TV and later from YouTube.

Apple also pulled an ad called "Out of Office OOO" that showed a group of coworkers using Apple products while on a business trip in Thailand. The ad received criticism in Thailand for its stereotyping of the country.

The tech giant also previously removed an ad for the iPhone 16 that featured "Last of Us" star Bella Ramsey using AI-upgraded Siri. The ad was pulled as it highlighted features that were not yet available on the smartphones.

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Why It's Important: Unlike the past Apple ads it pulled due to criticism, the latest one was pulled without a given reason. Apple did not respond to a request for comment from The Verge or MacRumors.

The report said some social media users said "The Parent Presentation" was "cringe," but that's not likely enough to just pull the ad.

Making advertisements costs money and typically comes with a target audience. With the latest ad likely focusing on the college and high school student sectors during the summer months and ahead of new school year, Apple may need to think of a new strategy to cater to that market.

Apple is one of the largest companies in the world and has many outlets to advertise its products, including TV, social media and through its own retail stores. The pulling of ads multiple times in the past year shows the company may need to focus more on its marketing plan ahead of new releases like the highly anticipated iPhone 17.

AAPL Price Action: Apple stock is trading up 0.40% at $202.31 on Tuesday at publication versus a 52-week trading range of $169.21 to $260.09. Apple stock is down 18% year-to-date in 2025.

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