Apple ads with Asian (American) Women
Every so often, I notice that an iPhone ad or an image on Apple’s site has some reference to API* folks. Here are some of the latest I’ve spotted: the “you’re talking to your wife who says…” part of this iPhone ad (clip above) and this iChat screenshot (clip below).
I think that contacts with Asian American names show up from time to time on iPhone commercials as do references to sushi and Asian restaurants (like SF’s the Slanted Door), and an older iChat screenshot shows, I think, some non-Asian person video chatting with an Asian (American?) woman holding a little kid. While I have several opinions and hunches about all this, I’ll just mention one here… Maybe it’s all just a coincidence or an effort to be more demographically inclusive, but could it be that Apple targets its products towards a more “hip” multicultural audience that includes sushi connoisseurs and Asian Americans and people with Asian American romantic preferences? Any thoughts on this?
I must admit, I think that “Janet Cao” has a lovely smile…
Last 5 posts by sudo
- "...a stir-fried masterpiece, sizzling hot both in flavor and temperature” - January 28th, 2010
- "...always profound when we holdin' it down." - January 27th, 2010
- Hushaboo by Iris Leu - January 24th, 2010
- "I Study Japanese because... - January 11th, 2010
- Dear BRPLive, what's your new year's resolution? - January 9th, 2010
Tags: advertising, Apple.
4 comments
the media always pairs an asian woman with a non-asian man, particularly white man. it’s marketing for asiaphiles and self-loathers.
In Mandarin, “Cao” (pronounced “ts-hhhow”) can be translated as the F-word.
It can also be translated as “grass” — but I wonder how many Mandarin speakers fell out of their chairs when they saw that commercial?
Thanks for the comments! Kevin, your words were all it too to transform my suspicions into sheer disgruntlement. And Dwacon, I had no idea there were other aspects (unintended consequences?!) involved with this particular name.
One interesting aspect of that iPhone commercial is that it’s not obvious whether the husband of Janet is API* or not, but the hand holding the iPhone can’t get much whiter than that…
OH NO! Its a ploy of Apple to start the trend of White guys dating Asian women! All the Apple obsessed individuals will now run out and try to get one for themselves!
But all joking aside, I got hit with the same question when I saw this commercial. Why not Asian guy with blonde white wife or just a straight Asian, black, hispanic latino couple? I am on a constant search for an answer to this.
One answer that I can think up right now would have to be because well in a designer’s point of view ie ME, to put a black person in that little window, would be a bit too dark with all that black background. A white girl would be too pale and would clash with the white hand creating a bit of a boring composition, but an Asian girl might just be all right. It also talks a lot about the interracial dating and the hip image apple tries to convey as has already been noted. Also there is the fact that Apple has always tried to spread the Idea of Thinking “Differently.” This was one of their catch phrases back when they were competing with Windows Os and were making horrible designs for computers. Maybe this is following up with that idea of thinking “differently” so go out there and find an Asian girl!
I always get to asking questions whenever I see these sort of ads, commercials, and posters with this. Always White dude with Asian woman. One positive to all this though is that theres an Asian sister getting work out there in the ad, movie, commercial, and modeling business. She might be used for her Asian attributes but at least shes getting face time?