Today Apple released an ad for its Apple Watch 4 promoting the “freedom of cellular.” In the ad a woman starts off running, becomes airborne and gyrates in midair, eventually falling face-first into a lake. The images of her tumbling in the air seem to recall famous images of people jumping from the World Trade Center on 9/11. One still from the ad (above) more clearly shows her falling head down, which perhaps is more evocative of the 9/11 images and memories of the event itself.
For some, this may well be a trigger––once again bringing to mind the awful site of seeing people plunging to their deaths (below) to escape terrible fires after terrorists flew two airliners into the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
One reader on the website macrumors.com likened it to someone committing suicide:
“Woman has a midlife crisis and falls into a deep depression.
She tries exercise (and consumerism) to help with it but is overwhelmed by feelings of fear and lack of control.
She decides to attempt suicide by drowning and for a brief time feels she has regained control.
She fails in her attempt and continues to shut out her friends who call to help her.
Weird ad.”
See the ad for yourself: https://youtu.be/4tfa-n1iSdo.
Does it evoke memories of 9/11 or does it seem to portray suicide?
Media Ethics Report 