Apple today released a new version of its holiday ad "The Song" to coincide with the Chinese New Year holiday, using new actresses and showing a variety of Apple products throughout the video.

applethesongchina
Like the original version, the Chinese version of "The Song" centers around a girl who comes across a vintage record sung by her grandmother as she secretly learns the notes and vocals to put together her own rendition alongside the original. The commercial ends with the girl and her grandmother listening side-by-side to the new record on an iPad.

The ad is currently being featured on Apple's Chinese website. The company has opened a number of new stores in the past couple of weeks in time for Chinese New Year, with new locations popping up in Chongqing and Hangzhou.

Top Rated Comments

Kaibelf Avatar
133 months ago
Kind of cheapens the idea of the original ad in my opinion to repeat it like this just with different actors.

What they think China won't like black actors? Nothing gets said in the original ad except for the music lyrics and they could have dubbed those with a chinese song.

Just my two cents.

1. There are far more Chinese than blacks in China.
2. It helps to sell the product if the song is actually in a language the viewer understands.
3. What cheapens the original ad, frankly, is playing the race card. More than one ethnicity actually cares about their grandparents. Therefore, race card DENIED.

:apple:
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xionxiox Avatar
133 months ago
My understanding is that Chinese culture and interaction is largely built upon respect; face-to-face meetings rather than phone or video calls and the like.

Apple's targeting to China all seems a bit cheap; make an advert aimed at China, mention China explicitly in keynotes, feign a respect for the culture, and watch them buy our stuff. Nothing about it seems sincere.

Admittedly, as I'm typing this, I realise Apple is a company looking to make money, but it all just seems so transparent.

Huh? You don't know much about my culture.

----------

Kind of cheapens the idea of the original ad in my opinion to repeat it like this just with different actors.

What they think China won't like black actors? Nothing gets said in the original ad except for the music lyrics and they could have dubbed those with a chinese song.

Just my two cents.

Fair point, but I think it's because the song is in chinese and it wouldn't make much sense for the girl to be mouthing english words to chinese dub. Plus, the father in the previous ad appeared to be a war veteran for the United states, so it is more appropriate to customize this particular ad.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DanielSw Avatar
133 months ago
Kind of cheapens the idea of the original ad in my opinion to repeat it like this just with different actors.

What they think China won't like black actors? Nothing gets said in the original ad except for the music lyrics and they could have dubbed those with a chinese song.

Just my two cents.

You're totally missing the message of the ad if you hang up on racial color.

Amongst many other important values, the Chinese culture still reveres the elderly.

This ad reaches across racial barriers erected by the unenightened, and celebrates this far more important and sustaining truth. It also celebrates youth and new beginnings aided by technology, which has been Apple's theme for a good while now--quite appropriate for the Chinese New Year.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chocolaterabbit Avatar
133 months ago
My point is that they already made this ad in America. Why do the same exact advertisement with chinese actors? To me it loses its genuineness and now feels really generic. I liked the original it felt real, now it just feels cheap both the original and this recreation because they just remade it like it was worthless.

Remember Apple isn't just making advertisements like other companies they want people to feel things. By redoing this ad it makes me feel like they are just like any other cold company, this isn't what they are striving for, it's what they are. Remember the narrative and brand image they are trying to drive and reality are two separate things.

1. As was already pointed out, Apple remade the ad so Chinese customers can identify with the actors, which makes perfect sense. How are they supposed to identify with a black family with a American army veteran, singing in English? And suggesting that they dub the original is exactly the kind of tacky thing Apple wouldn't do. It feels cheap and unthoughtful.

2. If another company copied the Apple ad, does that cheapen the original?

----------

I think race came in to it when Apple remade their advertisement 1:1 and just changed the race of the actors shown in the ad. :rolleyes:

Because people seem to be surprised that different countries identify with different races.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
133 months ago
Huh? You don't know much about my culture.
He's probably basing his understanding on things he's seen in television shows and movies rather than any real experience, similar to how some people assume that everyone in China rides around on a bicycle with a cone shaped hat instead of going about their modern lives like everyone else.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gasu E. Avatar
133 months ago
How many countries does apple customize it's advertisements for? Im doing this for China, do they risk making other countries (eg other Asian countries) feel left out?

Kind of cheapens the idea of the original ad in my opinion to repeat it like this just with different actors.

What they think China won't like black actors? Nothing gets said in the original ad except for the music lyrics and they could have dubbed those with a chinese song.

The purpose of an ad is advertising (duh)! The target audience is supposed to identify with the people in the ad. Why would you put people who are obviously Americans in an ad aimed at China? And it isn't an "artistic statement", it's a sales pitch; you can't "cheapen the idea". You can, however, make it pointless; for example, by misfiring on the target audience.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...