Apple Withdraws Ad Amid Thai Backlash, Extends Apology

[BangkokReady]

4 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Actually your own problem and that of the viewers to whom Apple tried to appeal.

 

I think you're projecting. No one who enjoyed the advert is looking down on anyone. It's just normal life for many people in Thailand.

 

You're looking down on working class Thai people, along with anyone else you can.

 

Most foreigners don't have your weird obsessing with the elite 20% of Thais.

 

4 minutes ago, BigStar said:

An inapplicable, unrealistic, negative (in the context) slice of Thai life for what would be the reality of the business-to business situation. Insecurity has nothing to do with it, but is merely a projection of your own need to feel superior.

 

Again, your own biases are coming into play here. As above, these aren't wealthy people in a high-tech sector. You're making that up due to your lack of tolerance of working class Thais.

 

4 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Can't think of any reason they'd want people to think that and reinforce all the pre-existing bigotry in the West and on the forum. San Fran residents wouldn't like a portrayal of their city as a hotbed of crime, homeless, and poop, although there it all is, right there downtown.

 

You seem to have this weird problem where you'll kind of acknowledge that it reflects reality for 80% of Thais, but then come back to trying to make out that talking about it is bigoted.

 

No one is bigoted, except for you, and no one is viewing Thais negatively, except for you.

 

You might want to take a step back from this and think for a while.

[BangkokReady]

11 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Yes, that happens in the ad. But in modern day real life, for these business travelers on expense accounts doing a business-to-business transaction with middle-class (Chinese) Thai business people, in Bangkok, it wouldn't happen. This is the point you continue to ignore--because you want to so much.

 

Rewatch the video, as you've clearly misunderstood it.

 

They're a very small, slightly incompetent company, trying to fulfil a very short notice order from a demanding client in the low-tech industry of box printing. They keep messing up then using apple features to help them fix things.

 

It's totally on theme for them to be facing the same challenges that working class Thais do.

 

11 minutes ago, BigStar said:

I'm going to stop repeating it for you.

 

You're going to stop repeating your mistaken wrongness to me??? Oh no!!!

[BigStar]

3 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

I think you're projecting. No one who enjoyed the advert is looking down on anyone. It's just normal life for many people in Thailand.

 

No. In fact they are, through the selection bias shown in the ad, which is what you enjoy so much. It's normal life for many people in Thailand, and many impecunious farangs, just as stepping around poop is normal life for many in San Francisco; but not for many others, notably the people these sorts of business travelers would be dealing with.

 

6 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

You're looking down on working class Thai people, along with anyone else you can.

 

Not at all. I'm a budget traveler myself. I'm known to stay in a youth hostel if convenient. You don't have a clue, really.

 

8 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

You seem to have this weird problem where you'll kind of acknowledge that it reflects reality for 80% of Thais, but then come back to trying to make out that talking about it is bigoted.

 

I don't know about 80%, but a high percentage. "Talking about it" isn't the point. A realistic context of what would be the real situation in the ad, is the point that you're missing.

 

11 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

No one is bigoted, except for you

 

Actually you're well-known here for bigotry and negativity. It shows.

 

11 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

You might want to take a step back from this and think for a while.

 

Speak for yourself. Won't do any good, however.  What did good was the Thais putting on the pressure against this condescending, backward stereotyping.

[BigStar]

37 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Most Thais experience what is in the advert

 

And business travelers, on expense accounts, don't. Their experience is the middle-class Thai experience.

 

39 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

A few don't, and they aren't happy about it being made to look like they do.

 

Many don't, and these travelers wouldn't. Nothing to be happy about here.

 

And the backlash has been widespread, NOT by just a few. Quite understandable.

 

41 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

But reality is what reality is, even if you don’t like it.

 

Reality for whom and in what context is the issue, even if you don't like it.

 

 

[Reddavy]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai Tourism Committee to Summon Apple Over Controversial Ad

Naark Rojanasuvan

 

 

The Tourism Committee is set to summon Apple for a hearing next week following the release of a controversial advertisement that has sparked backlash in Thailand. 

 

The advertisement, part of Apple's "Underdogs" series, has been widely criticized on social media for its portrayal of Thailand's infrastructure and safety standards, which many feel damages Thailand's reputation, particularly in the tourism sector.

 

Sastra Sripan, MP for Songkhla and spokesperson for the committee, expressed concerns over the ad's negative portrayal of Thailand, depicting it as outdated and unsafe. This portrayal contradicts the government's efforts to promote the country's image through Soft Power initiatives.

 

The committee plans to invite officials from relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Apple Thailand's managing director, to address these concerns. The MP also mentioned that continued dissatisfaction could lead to a call for boycotting Apple products in favor of other brands.

 

The move aims to address public grievances and ensure that Thailand's image is accurately represented to support the tourism industry's growth and development. The committee will seek to understand Apple's perspective and work towards a resolution that aligns with Thailand's promotional efforts and national interests.

 

The hearing will also serve as a platform for discussing measures to prevent similar incidents in the future and to reinforce positive portrayals of Thailand in international media.

 

Source: NNT 2024-08-03

 

-  Cigna offers a variety of health insurance plans designed to meet the minimum requirement for medical treatment coverage, with benefits reaching up to THB 3 million. These plans are tailored to provide comprehensive healthcare solutions for expatriates, ensuring peace of mind and access to quality medical services. To explore the full range of Cigna's expat health insurance options and find a plan that suits your needs, click here for more information.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

Safety standards in Thailand???? 😱 I didn’t know they existed 🤷🏼

[animatic]

5 hours ago, bob smith said:

completely and utterly pathetic.

 

bob.

This only net effect of the ad is to make people come to Thailand. To do business, and see the sights. It’s never going to look like somewhere like NYC so why try to pretend it can.

it portrayed thai people in many lights including a funny hotel guy who proved useful and resourceful. 
The only thing wrong with the funny sales clip is how bent out of shape some got over it. After 20 years here it looked like Thailand and Thais I readily recognize.

 

The ONLY people shown in a bad light are the arrogant box customer and his mercurial attitude and demands! Thais and Thailand came out looking good.
 

But forget that there was sepia tone…. Except I only saw warm tone color film stock used not sepia toned B&W stock. 
Tea in a tempest pot. Nothing burger!

[TonyFromItaly]

".. presented Thailand as an underdeveloped nation". 

And what would Thailand be instead, a first world nation? Come on Thailand, Don't be arrogant, you'll only make a bad impression.

[watthong]

37 minutes ago, animatic said:

This only net effect of the ad is to make people come to Thailand. To do business, and see the sights. It’s never going to look like somewhere like NYC

 

NYC subway CANNOT compare to BKK BTS. So don't even suggest it.

Thailand throws away a tourist spot made by Apple for free and delivered on a silver platter because yes,  "This only net effect of the ad is to make people come to Thailand. To do business, and see the sights." If only for New Yorkers to see how decrepit their subway system is.

[RethairedJarhead]

5 hours ago, RethairedJarhead said:

This is my surprised face: 😐

 

Interestingly enough, the article says they consulted with a Thai firm when making the advertisement. It leaves me to wonder if that consulting firm had the blessing of the government on this project. 
 

The U.S. is sensitive to a history of racism in media- be it Black, Asian or Native American. So I am not surprised regarding the Apple apology- if outcries continue snowballing, future lost profits are bad for busine$$. Let us not forget this is about the money.
 

Regarding this advertisement, it’s not difficult to see both sides of the argument. 
 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a detailed take from a youtuber:

 

[cardinalblue]

When your road safety system is solely based on u-turns and your trash collection system is based on 10 guys sorting garbage on a open moving 1970 truck, thailand is so removed from a cutting edge society it’s embarrassing 

[phetphet]

15 hours ago, chiman said:

Thin skin... it's so obviously a joke and actually makes Thais and Thailand look great.  

I agree. i thought it was lighthearted and actually did show Thailand in a good light.

 

 

 

[watthong]

11 hours ago, daveAustin said:

the Thais that are genuinely upset should have a good look in the mirror and try to laugh at themselves more. Guess it's a sign of a growing up people.

 

 Remember the Queen of England parachuting out of a helicopter down to London Olympic Dome?  With Bond in tow? That's the Brits laughing at themselves. And the world laughed along with them. All the money in the world could not have bought that spot. 

[Skeptic7]

T.I.T...the forever whining, always offended, hypocritical bad 🍎 

[Skeptic7]

🍎

[bob smith]

17 hours ago, BigStar said:

 

Negative selection bias.

are you on the payroll for your services as a thai apologist?

 

you must be raking it in!

 

bob.

[bob smith]

14 hours ago, TonyFromItaly said:

Come on Thailand, Don't be arrogant, you'll only make a bad impression.

Thailand and Thais are anything but humble.

 

They think it's the be all and end all here.

 

bob.

[jimgilly]

One word - idiots

[john donson]

thailand, land of fake promises and fake apologies 

 

that cannot take criticism or honest competition, they have laws for both

 

defamation + 112

[artotle]

Honestly I didn't see anything wrong with this. Doesn't even come close to how undeveloped Thailand in reality is.

[Aussie999]

On 8/3/2024 at 2:51 PM, BigStar said:

 

No. The problem with bigots is that somehow bigotry is innate, learned from the culture and elementary school onwards, and so imperceivable to the bigot himself. Some of our biggest bigots here are married to Thais. I remember one POTY who couldn't wait until his Thai wife, good woman who took care of him extremely well, went off to work as a teacher so he could enjoy himself denigrating her race, culture, country, politics, and everything else Thai.

 

There seems to be no cure for it, so suppression by force is the only way towards proper respect.

What's you problem. Facts are facts, and that is what my comment is based on... You need to understand, Thailand is not all roses 

[umbrellahead]

See for your self:

https://www.campaignasia.com/article/makes-the-brand-feel-old-apples-thai-ad-criticised-for-stereotypical-depictio/497515

[BigStar]

19 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

Facts are facts, and that is what my comment is based on

 

The thread has made me realize that bigotry alters the occipital lobe in brain controlling vision.

 

 

Therefore, many, such as yourself, see Thailand in sepia tones, as in Apple's ad, so sepia tone is just a fact. And facts are facts. There's much more, such as the magic eraser effect. Here, it's dramatically applied to our bigots' perceptions of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Despite their having traveled through there multiple times, their brain cells have erased all its international modernity, leaving them believing it looks like old unused area at Don Muang just as in the ad. Fact. 

 

Actually, to those of us with unaltered occipital lobes, Suvarnabhumi Airport looks like it does in this more realistic, far more effective ad for Google's Pixel 7 & 7 Pro, though you may also see this in sepia tones and magically erase the vast difference.

 

 

Plenty of local color, tuk-tuks, buses as tourist use--but Thais not denigrated but portrayed and treated respectfully, emphasis on the phones themselves with realistic demonstration of their impressive capabilities.

 

You see, that ad is aimed at the Japanese market, not Western bigots enjoying feeling superior as their ignorant, negative stereotypes are reinforced and impaired vision validated.

 

19 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

You need to understand, Thailand is not all roses 

 

It's sepia-toned. Fact.

 

As noted, bigotry is incurable and can only be countered with force. Chinese know that, so Apple wouldn't dare make that ad set in China. Thais are learning. So they threatened a boycott and forced Apple to withdraw that negative, outdated, unrealistic portrayal. Good on 'em. 

 

[animatic]

On 8/3/2024 at 4:28 PM, watthong said:

 

NYC subway CANNOT compare to BKK BTS. So don't even suggest it.

Thailand throws away a tourist spot made by Apple for free and delivered on a silver platter because yes,  "This only net effect of the ad is to make people come to Thailand. To do business, and see the sights." If only for New Yorkers to see how decrepit their subway system is.

I lived in NYC for 5 years and Paris for 5 years. I was in NYC last summer.  I have a very good idea about transport quality, look and feel.
 

I was thinking more buildings and general infrastructure like wires and highways falling down. And general look. Never going to be similar. Though Bangkok does have some lovely big structures.

[animatic]

Won’t be the first of Thaksin’s puppet parties to be dissolved. TRT & PPP fell before this iteration. More business as usual.

 

 Just a ‘here we go again’ moment.