A tale of two marketing campaigns

Back in 2023, technology company Apple’s corporate sustainability campaign was showcased in the commercial, “2030 Status | Mother Nature”.

The ad was a creative initiative designed to communicate the company’s progress toward its ambitious goal of achieving a net-zero carbon footprint across its entire business by 2030. The central character, Mother Nature, was played by Oscar-winning actress, Octavia Spencer.

Fast forward to last month, and Autodesk’s rebranding campaign was showcased in a commercial entitled, “Let there be anything”. It featured Emmy-winning actor, Tony Hale.

Autodesk is a software company that provides tools for designers, engineers, architects, manufacturers and creators across a wide range of industries. Its software helps professionals design, simulate, and build physical and digital products – from skyscrapers and bridges to films, factories, and consumer electronics.

According to Autodesk itself, the ad “features Hale as God, travelling the world in awe of what Autodesk customers have designed and made – from buildings and bikes to blockbusters and beyond. The ad draws a playful parallel between the omnipresence of divine creation and the omnipresence of human ingenuity – celebrating our customers’ impact while showcasing the power of Autodesk’s platform in an entertaining, unified, and memorable way.”

In different ways, both commercials have taken flak. For Autodesk, while there have not been any deep critiques by media commentators, on the company’s LinkedIn announcement of the advert, the majority of comments have been negative.

Some of the criticism related to concern that Autodesk Marketing authorised an advert that took liberties in its portrayal of God in the Bible (as exemplified by quotes from Genesis), while knowing full well that they would never have authorised an advert portraying Allah or Mohammed in the same way. One commenter wrote: “Now do one with Mohammad next and see how patient people are. Ok to mock the Christian God but not others?”

To my surprise, several of the negative comments about Autodesk’s advert were posted by people who didn’t self-identify as religious. For instance: “I’m not religious, and I have a good sense of humour, but I’m genuinely disappointed by this ad. This is a striking example of how dominant tech companies, having secured near-total control of their markets, now behave as if no boundary is off-limits. Autodesk’s ad doesn’t just trivialize sacred texts; it reflects a worldview steeped in deep capitalism and materialism.”

“Wow. Can God create a marketing video so odious even he can’t manage the PR fallout? I don’t know (theologians sound off below) but it’s clear Autodesk Marketing can.”

“What a joke! What a waste of money! Maybe it was the marketing team that needed to go and not all the other employees.”

To Autodesk’s credit, while they have not publicly responded to those criticisms, they have removed the video from the landing page for the “Let There Be Anything” campaign.

Two years ago, when Apple’s Mother Nature commercial was launched, it also faced criticism. In this case, media commentators highlighted the advert’s awkward attempts at comedy and its perceived overstatement of the impact of Apple’s first-ever ‘carbon-neutral’ products.

Yet, despite these drawbacks, media commentators were still impressed by the authenticity of Apple’s underlying message that redeemed the commercial from its flaws.

Jason Aten, tech columnist for Inc. magazine, wrote: “What Apple wants is for people to remember that it’s doing more than its competition. From that perspective, while this skit was definitely cringeworthy, it was also effective.”

In a similar vein, brand strategist, Lauren Russo, wrote: “This is what creativity and bravery look like on a practical level. It’s not just WHAT you say that matters, it’s HOW you deliver the message. Keep it interesting, folks, and be willing to go there. People WILL take note, and that’s really the point.”

In summary, Apple’s message amounted to far more than a boast about its sustainability achievements. It effectively conveyed a corporate ethos of transparency and ongoing accountability.

In contrast, the Autodesk advert’s parodied “send up” of the God of the Bible (who “mashes up” a riff on Genesis 1:1 with hipster “coolspeak” about human creativity) conveyed an ethos of freewheeling flippancy towards Abrahamic faiths.

Also, it is hardly courageous for Autodesk to authorise a parodied portrayal of the God of the Bible, when it is highly unlikely that they would authorise a similar parodied portrayal of Allah, or Mohammed mashing up Qu’ran verses with commercial messaging.

Ultimately, whether beneficially or detrimentally, advertising broadcasts corporate values far and wide.

In fact, long after this Autodesk campaign has concluded, it is likely that their advert will remain imprinted in their customers’ minds as inadvertently expressing the software company’s irreverence towards Biblical revelation that many of its customers (including this author) hold sacred.

On that basis, the “Let There Be Anything” advert may prove to be a very costly mistake.