Phone commercial insults older people...

[Chuckanut]

And I don't mean just retirement age or those near it. In the commercial those under about 27 are seen as hip and knowledgeable, while those over about 30 don't seem to have a clue what is going on.

Why would they do this? What is the point in insulting any large group of people who might purchase your product? It reminds of of commercials which show the husband/father figure as some type of nitwit while the wife and kids are so smart. Gosh, that really makes me want to buy the product!

Or, maybe the older people have more important things to do with their lives than fuss over a phone with a few more features of limited utility?

 

[omni550]

Here's another Samsung commercial that is raising some hackles among men.

Perhaps that's their new strategy?

Yahoo! Shine - Women's Lifestyle | Healthy Living and Fashion Blogs

 

[haha]

These anti-male sexist portrayals are at least 50 years old in the US. And ageism is eternal.

Basically, look around at today's society, and ask yourself as a man of some age- would you take responsibility for any of this crap?

I will start worrying about the man's status when men start primping more than the ladies before a date.

Ha

 

[LOL!]

Right. Chuckanut probably started the whole "Don't trust anyone over 30" thing back when he was under 30.

 

[pb4uski]

Chuck, the truth is sometimes hurtful.

I wasn't at all offended.

 

[lemming]

you just wanted to post the bikini pics where you could play them over again
Seriously the commercial is dinging the I phone not the users age.

 

[Midpack]

While some seniors are tech savvy, there's certainly some truth to it. Plenty of people my age could play the part in the ad. I know people young and old with smartphones who don't begin to tap into what they can do, they use the phone and maybe text (only because their kids would never respond otherwise).

There are certainly ads that show seniors favorably, and Gen X/Y or Millenials unfavorably.

If you can't laugh at yourself...

 

[veremchuka]

The ad is obviously geared to those under 30 so I see no biggie here. Of course they made the white males look like idiots but that's been par for the course for many years. Younger people are better as a generalization using new technology. Hey I don't have a cell much less a smart phone and I couldn't give a f&$k if their GD smart a$$ phone can turn on a tv and share pictures by touching another smart phone, I have no need to do those things.

 

[donheff]

No insult, they simply play a little with stereotypes. And the commercial was not all old vs young. A young woman was impressed with a feature she never saw before and by the end the clueless, middle aged white guy was ready to buy one himself. I just returned from a biking trip in France with a bunch of boomers my age and older. I was impressed with the number of smart phones and other tech devices in wide use, including by some late 70s folks. We tend not to be into texting, instagram, twitter, and the like as much as kids but so what? That may just show that we are smarter than our clueless offspring.

 

[JoeWras]

Many of us are 50 and over, or approaching. I have news for you:

advertisers don't care about you anymore.

The "important demographic" is 18 to 49. After that, you are considered someone too stodgy with your cash, too hard to get you to make the impulse buy.

I consider it a sign of maturity. You're probably going to ignore the commercials anyway, so don't worry about them.
​

 

[Bestwifeever]

I laugh at myself all the time so I thought the commercial was funny.

 

[braumeister]

What is the point in insulting any large group of people who might purchase your product?

I didn't see it that way at all.
To me, the commercial came across as simply an ad for "the latest and greatest" version of a smartphone, which the younger early adopters were more likely to already own. The older folks were simply marveling at its capabilities. I saw no form of insult to them (me).

 

[ERD50]

The ad didn't bother me either - I was expecting something far more insulting based on your impression of it. But to each their own.

Many of us are 50 and over, or approaching. I have news for you:

advertisers don't care about you anymore.
​

It "depends" on what they are advertising.

-ERD50

 

[HFWR]

It "depends" on what they are advertising.

-ERD50

You want an annuity with those diapers?

 

[Bestwifeever]

The ad's dig was that people with iPhones are old, so we need to buy whatever this phone is so we'll not be perceived as old. Meaning being perceived as old is something everyone should try to avoid.

So yes, it was an insult, but I still thought it was funny. The funniest thing is that I remember "iPhone" but cannot remember the phone we all need to get so we're not old anymore. So maybe the ad backfired.

 

[JoeWras]

I thought the "neanderthal guy" ad was more insulting.

But I still laughed at it too. Doesn't really bother me.

Not sure I'm going to go out and buy a smart tv device now because I don't want to become the next Stepford Husband (which the ad fantasizes about).

Here's an article describing how advertisers are not only focusing on the younger set, but specifically young women, especially in tech. It is a change of sorts, at least for the cutting edge companies. Samsung seems to have bought into the idea with the neanderthal ad: Sorry, Young Man, You're Not the Most Important Demographic in Tech - Alexis C. Madrigal - The Atlantic

 

[Chuckanut]

Right. Chuckanut probably started the whole "Don't trust anyone over 30" thing back when he was under 30.

You bet I did. Those ignorant old folks couldn't even play an 8 Track tape without getting it tangled.

How did you know that?

 

[redduck]

I didn't get the insulting part. I thought the ad was funny (and clever). The kids in the ad weren't disrespectful and the adults weren't offended. It seemed that the people in the ad were all enjoying themselves. And, like the adults in the ad, I was amazed by some of the things the phones could do. What exactly in this ad did anyone find insulting?

 

[FinanceDude]

I don't take offense. I don't even have a smartphone, but I still have no problem messing with anyone under the age of 30. It's too easy........

 

[Katsmeow]

I usually am insulted by stereotyping of people over, say, 50 as being technologically ignorant. I didn't find this ad insulting.

I personally am not technologically ignorant. I own a gaming desktop, gaming notebook, an iPad, and a Smartphone - all of which I fully know how to use. However, I found the ad interesting because the phone in the ad did do some things that I hadn't seen before.

 

[HFWR]

I usually am insulted by stereotyping of people over, say, 50 as being technologically ignorant. I didn't find this ad insulting.

I personally am not technologically ignorant. I own a gaming desktop, gaming notebook, an iPad, and a Smartphone - all of which I fully know how to use. However, I found the ad interesting because the phone in the ad did do some things that I hadn't seen before.

I didn't bother to watch the ad. Why would I? I skip all ads when possible!

I may be a little rusty on cutting edge computer tech, but I have been using PCs more or less since they were invented, I have "some" skills at coding, and I've been in semiconductors for thirty years.

So there...

 

[zedd]

Come on guys. Pool party, bikinis, really. If this were a beer commercial would all y'all be offended?

Zedd

 

[Redbugdave]

I know it's a commercial, but I think it is a glimpse of our society and and an exaggerated look on how those things, (smartphones), have changed it.

If an alien landed and watched people acting like that...playing around with a funny little gadget that runs people's lives instead of really communicating and doing real life things...that alien would conclude that the human species is a pretty low form of life and move on to another planet. A little device is controlling the humans causing them to do illogical things, (like spending their last dime to keep the gadget up to date and with an unlimited subscription). A master race...the "Samsung's", are taking control of the humans through this device. That would be a good start for a science (non)fiction short story...by the way.

A deeper look at the commercial shows many older people have a different sense of values and politeness...but some of them are getting sucked in...like getting hooked on crack by the younger people.

Sorry...but that's also my take on the people that are wrapped up in their tweets and annoying habits those gadgets have caused to change the values of our society.

 

[Koolau]

All I know is you rarely hear of a 30+ running over a pedestrian (or into the back of a dump truck) while texting. Just an observation with no particular relevance to the discussion I suppose. Just suggesting that being hip isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be. Just ask Huey.

Huey Lewis and the News - Hip to be Square - YouTube

 

[Idnar7]

Took my wife for an eye exam last week. The office was packed. Myself and one other geezer were reading paperback books. Everyone else in the office was on devices. Same with waiting for a flight recently - everyone was locked into their devices. The former banks of phones have been replaced by tech counters with outlets. You will also see people driving while talking on their phones at any hour of the day. Who do they talk to? What can they find to talk about? I don't think I make more than a couple phone calls a month.