What’s wrong with this ad? Let’s count the ways:
Mainly, this ad’s attempt at humor fails, miserably - and I mean that literally, in that I felt miserable watching it - because nearly every scene they depict rings dispiritingly true. A satire only works when it’s an exaggeration, yet, with the possible exception of the wedding ceremony, and the surgeon, the rest of the scenes in this ad, more or less, are happening everywhere, every day. It’s disheartening reality masquerading as light-hearted satire.
The jaunty classical piece they’ve chosen for the soundtrack doesn’t add a humorous air to the commercial. Rather, it feels like a cruel experiment in incongruity. Barber’s somber Adagio for Strings (if it weren’t so overused) perhaps would have been a more appropriate soundtrack choice.
Lastly, the tag at the end “it’s time for a phone to save us from our phones… new windows phone, designed to get you in and out, and back to life” is essentially the epitome of the Big Lie inherent our advertising culture: the only way to save yourself from our consumption-based culture, is … to consume more. The relief from the tyranny of technology overtaking our lives is … more technology. People’s addictions to their phones is hardly related to the phones’ lack of speed or usability. In fact, the more bells and whistles, the more engaging and appealing the interface, the more you will use the phone.
The title card “Be here now” in the last frame is of course the knock-out blow of the Orwellian double-speak lie.
This is the most depressing, just flat-out deflating ad I’ve seen in a long time.
