A recent advertising campaign by Apple focuses on the promotion of its privacy capabilities. Particularly, in May 2021, Apple posted a commercial, which advertises its iOS privacy features (Apple, 2021). This one-minute-long video is a modern example of emotion-based marketing. User privacy is an immensely sensitive issue, which forces millions of people to seek devices, services, and technology, which would ensure their anonymity on the Internet. The promise to keep users’ activities on the web or on iPhone a secret constitutes the Pathos strategy of Apple’s recent ad.
The emotional appeal is seen in the way the commercial is structured. The ad centers around a young man named Felix, who uses various services, such as buying a coffee, taking a taxi, and ordering an expenditures report. Each time the service is provided, the person who delivered it follows Felix in his other activities, implying that more and more people know about his personal life, needs, and details. As more and more people gather, Felix becomes increasingly anxious and uncomfortable. Finally, he picks up his iPhone, which offers him an option of restricting outside tracking of his activities, after which all people literally disappear.
Felix’s discomfort at the number of people who follow his activities elicits similar emotions from the viewers. The emotional appeal is done with the visuals, camera angle, and acting, without any words, which is indicative of effective nonverbal persuasion (McLean, 2010). In my opinion, the use of such imagery combined with the background song “Mind Your Own Business” provides a persuasive message that user privacy is an actual issue. However, I do not think that the commercial is successful in promoting iPhone because the customers have to take Apple’s promise to respect their privacy at face value.
References
Apple. (2021). Privacy on iPhone | Tracked | Apple [Video file]. Web.
McLean, S. (2010). Business communication for success. Minneapolis, MN: Flat World Knowledge.