iPhone falls off the table… the commercial and more!

Apple’s commercials promoting the iPhone 13 aim for the everyday American. What’s usually the biggest worry for any smartphone owner? Dropping their phone and/or cracking the screen. Take a look at their latest ad (titled, “Edge”) addressing this exact concern…

Boasting a Ceramic Shield, Apple says this is the toughest phone screen out there. I don’t know if it’s irony or folks getting duped, but the Ceramic Shield is made by Corning… the same company that makes Gorilla Glass. To learn more about Apple’s version of a tough screen, click here for a TechRadar article.

I actually really like the ad because it’s simple and relatable. I’m sure it still took 12 hours to shoot the commercial because, like I was told as a newby in the TV industry (and it wasn’t a compliment), “Everyone’s an artist.” The anxiety I felt from the ad was more than I expected. I think it’s the build-up because we all know what is about to happen as we see the phone inch closer to the edge of the table. It’s like riding up a roller coaster and you’re in the front cart. You see the top of the track and you know what comes next.

Nervous The Big Bang Theory GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

But this anxiety from the ad, while uncomfortable, is exactly what the creators intend the viewer to feel. That’s why they follow it up with, “Relax, it’s an iPhone.” They know the ad caused us to tense up.

Whether you’re an iPhone person or an Android user, what do you think about the commercial? Does the Ceramic Shield tip you towards the idea that dropping a grand for a phone is not a crazy idea? Comment below!

-Out of the Wilderness

Favorite Commercials From Childhood

Kind of like the episode of Punky Brewster where one of her friends gets trapped in a refrigerator, there are a few TV commercials that somehow became etched in my memory for life. If you were a kid in the 80s or 90s kid, I bet you’ll remember these, too.

Cindy Crawford… Ferrari… Pepsi. This is the first time I remember hearing the song in the ad and I’ve loved it ever since.

Guy singing Coca-Cola theme song loudly on a bus. A public nuisance in 2022, but not in 1994, I guess. I had a friend around this time in my life that looked like the guy on the bus, so I always liked the commercial.

Eggs never seem so inedible as when they’re compared to a human brain. Maybe scrambled is a better breakfast anyway?

Another drug commercial. Gosh, I guess there was a war on drugs meanwhile I was just excited to wake up and play Nintendo.

Are there ads you remember from your childhood? Share them in the comment section below. Thanks for dropping in, and remember…don’t climb in a refrigerator, you might get stuck!

-Out of the Wilderness

Will Smith sells an apology to Chris Rock, are you buying it?

Millions of people watched the Oscars this year and then millions more watched the only moment we’ll remember from the awards show. It’s the slap that keeps on slapping. Take a look then scroll down for more awkwardness.

Was this the beginning of the end of Will Smith’s acting career? Time will tell. But he’s sure not doing himself any favors by posting an apology video 3 months later. This was posted a few days ago in response to the slap, the backlash, and his soul-searching since then.

Is this damage control or a sincere apology? It’s hard to say but in Will’s defense, he’s generally thought of as a nice guy. Well, he WAS generally thought of as a nice guy. After watching the apology video a couple of times, I kind of wish he wasn’t sorry. Chris made fun of your wife and you defended her. Own it. Post a response video saying that if anyone else makes fun of my wife, I’ll slap them, too. But as it is, slapping Chris then crying about it is just kind of soft. Borderline pathetic. I mean, if you were defending the honor of your spouse, what’s there to be sorry about?

So, for me, the apology video just adds to the turbulence and confusion. I don’t think it does anything to repair Will’s image and so far it doesn’t appear to be repairing his relationship with Chris and his family.

The video’s also cringe-y in other ways. Can we talk about the composition? Who’s idea was it to put a white, round lamp behind Will’s head? YouTube viewer Gravewolf said it best, “Will is so lucky to have Jada’s boyfriends as the camera crew.” There’s the lamp, and then there’s the microphone to Will’s right, as seen in the side angle shot. It’s so distracting! How hard is it to move a mic and a lamp?

Ok let’s forgive the lamp and mic thing. But then there’s the merchandise. It’s kind of like those cars that have way too many Crimson Tide stickers on the back. Ok, we get the point, you love Alabama. It’s a bit much, though, to have a bumper sticker, license plate frame, and a sticker on the window, right? This video is another example of these distasteful (and annoying) trifectas. First, the hat. Will is wearing a hat representing his media company Westbrook, which he owns with wife, Jada. The water bottle (a company called ‘JUST Water’) is owned by the Smith’s, as well. And rounding out the overkill is in the description of the YouTube video.

I can only hope the writers of the synopsis were being jovial as they included this in the description:

“Will” is the story of how one person mastered his own emotions, written in a way that can help everyone else do the same.

He mastered his own emotions, huh? This, after just a few months ago he slapped a man on live TV. OK, sure. I have a feeling that no one who needs emotional help is going to, nor should they, buy this book!

If only Uncle Phil was still around to “slap” some sense into Will.

-Out of the Wilderness

The RealReal commercials – Are they really real?

I can’t exactly put a finger on why, but every time I see a “The RealReal” commercial, I am immediately frustrated and annoyed. Here’s the latest ad…

I have a couple of thoughts on why I don’t like the ads. First, the name of the company is dumb. What kind of name is “The RealReal,” anyway? Secondly, they offer luxury brand names at 90% off retail price. That’s quite a discount! Such a price reduction sounds fishy, like I’m buying a Rolex under a Manhattan bridge. This might be nitpicky, but in the ad above, the font type drives me crazy. The lines in each letter are too narrow.

Lastly, if you’re promoting the resale (they never actually say out loud that these are used clothes) of these luxurious brands, would it be a good idea to NOT shoot the ad in a small, very small, carpeted room that’s probably in an old warehouse near a Manhattan bridge?

Just my two cents. Maybe I should just use those two pennies to buy a name brand shirt, they’re so cheap at The RealReal!

-Out of the Wilderness

We all do this very weird thing every day

No matter how rich, no matter how poor, if someone is the biggest jerk or the nicest person in the world, everyone who’s ever lived lays down and waits… and waits… and waits… until they enter into a mysterious trance for 5 to 10 hours each day. Is that not super weird?

I think about the 21-year-old gang member running around with 15 guns, pounds of marijuana, tattoos on his face. At some point each day he lies down on a couch or mattress, pulls a sheet over himself and sleeps. The most feared person in a 5 block radius innocently sleeping. He probably has a calm look on his face while he’s in the most vulnerable state one can be in.

Think about someone you greatly admire. Let’s take football legend Tom Brady. When he’s awake he’s doing things like breaking records and winning Super Bowls. But even he, the GOAT, at some point each day puts on his soft clothes, rolls the sheets back to climb in bed for a good night’s sleep… just like the rest of us non-GOAT people. Like the gangster, he probably has a calm, peaceful look as his body recharges.

**Regarding famous people sleeping, check out this post on my best guess for how famous people sleep, based on their personalities.**

From the worst of us to the best of us, we all enter into such a vulnerable position… and we do it every day! Laying there, thinking about stuff but trying not to, listening to calm music or the sound of a fan, hoping and waiting for our minds to take us to a crazy place we call a dream.

It’s weird, right? But kind of cool, too, that we all do it.

-Out of the Wilderness