Introducing the New iPad Air?

I saw this ad recently on TV and felt compelled to share it. Released about a month ago, this commercial features a pencil. A voice in the background begins to praise a certain object, saying things like, "It can be used to start a poem or finish a symphony. It has transformed the way we work, learn, create, share..." All the while, the screen moves in closer onto the pencil, changing the background it's in. Finally, after the last of the compliments have been given, a hand reaches down behind the pencil, pulling out...an iPad! The announcer comes back saying, "Introducing the thinner, lighter, more powerful iPad Air."

I really like this commercial, as it is a wonderful example of how we are easily deceived by the world of advertising. In this ad, we see a pencil. We hear someone in the background talking about an object in a positive light. Most of us would naturally assume that the announcer is talking about the pencil, and that therefore, this is an advertisement for pencils. As the voice continues to talk, and as the main image continues to stay the same, we become more comfortable and assured that yes, this is an advertisement for a pencil, or some sort of object related to pencils. But when the entire focus is shifted to the iPad, we are thrown into a state of confusion, as our oh so sensible and logical assumption is shattered before our eyes.

And yet, looking back upon the advertisement, we see that the praises, the flattery that we had been so sure was directed toward the pencil, was in fact very vague and could have been about almost anything at all. Never does the voice actually refer to the object it is glorifying by name, only referring to the thing as "it". And the praises themselves! "It is an extremely simple tool, but also extremely powerful." The same could be said about a piece of tape, or even a paper clip. These objects are also simple, but are indispensable in holding things together. "It's used to illustrate things. Solve things. And think of new things." At this point, even what it does is shrouded in mystery. Illustrate "things"? What things?

The background in the commercial has its own part in fooling us as well. As the ad goes on, we see a variety of backgrounds, ranging from a classroom to a space station. All these different scenarios make us think that this object that they are talking about is universal, something that we see and use everyday. And what could be more universal than a pencil? Apparently, an iPad.