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Android tablet ad with Steve Jobs lookalike draws mixed reactions
Reported by Dean Wilson on Friday, February 3 2012 12:29 am
A television advert that contains a Steve Jobs lookalike, who praises an Android tablet computer, has resulted in mixed reactions from consumers.
A television advert that contains a Steve Jobs lookalike, who praises an Android tablet computer, has resulted in mixed reactions from consumers.
The Taiwanese ad features Ah-Ken, a comedian and impersonator, who is decked out in the iconic attire of Jobs: black turtleneck, jeans and round glasses. Instead of touting an iPad, however, he shows off the Android-powered Action Pad from Action Electronics.
Perhaps the most controversial element of the ad is the fact that the lookalike is wearing wings and a halo, a nod to the death of Jobs from cancer last year, a caricature that some might consider insensitive.
“Thank God I can finally play another pad,” the impersonator says in the final seconds of the video, suggesting that Jobs changed his long-time hatred of Google's Android platform into a glowing admiration after he passed through the pearly gates.
The ad led to conflicting responses from consumers, with some labelling it as “awesome” and “funny,” while others found it “disrespectful.”
Apple fans were not alone in their complaints about the video, however. Several Android supporters found the ad in “bad taste,” labelling it as “very disturbing.” Many users called for more respect to be shown for the late co-founder and former CEO of Apple.
Since the video does not name Jobs or Apple, Action Electronics claims that it should not be liable to legal action, a reality which ended the sale of a Steve Jobs action figure. One thing is for sure, however – the controversy surrounding this video will likely have succeeded in generating the intended buzz around the Action Pad.
Source: Reuters
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