Apple is no longer running those "Genius" ads during the Olympics—which feature Genius Bar employees helping people with their Mac problems—following withering criticism in the blogosphere, according to Mashable.
The official line from ad agency TBWA/Media/Arts Lab is:
The ads were intended only for a “first run” during the Olympics, which meant just the first weekend of the Games, the rep says.
The ads were a departure from Apple's tried-and-trusted strategy of presenting the product as the hero, and reducing the human presence to a finger that taps and swipes its way through the product's many capabilities. Most people, with some notable exceptions, seemed to find them irritating.
The other unanswered question is, what was the point of developing a three-spot campaign with an entirely new brand character if it was only going to last a weekend?
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