American teacher’s Apple of discord: Thai backlash over ad critique
Drama unexpectedly unfolded for an American teacher and TikToker in Thailand, who criticised a controversial Apple advertisement. He faced criticism for not being a Thai national and was accused of being disingenuous, and only posted the video to solicit attention and engagement on social media.
The renowned American influencer, David William, released a video of himself criticising Apple’s advertisement, The Underdogs: OOO (Out Of Office) | Apple at Work, on July 25. He presented his stance as a Thai resident, arguing that the ad discredited Thailand and its residents by depicting outdated images of the country, reminiscent of 50 to 70 years ago.
William later gave an interview to CNN about the matter.
“Absolutely, for me, from the perspective of someone who has lived in Thailand for many, many years now, this ad, to me, really struck me as a failure on Apple’s part.
“Suvarnabhumi International Airport is wildly modern in many ways. In fact, more modern than I would say the vast majority of Western airports.
“Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is the main international airport in Bangkok, is very modern. It’s massive. It’s huge but the airport shown in the Apple ad looked nothing like Suvarnabhumi Airport.
“So that was my first question: why does the airport look so horrible? But as the ad progressed, what we saw was the same theme, which to me looked like Thailand 30 to 40 years ago, continually shown throughout the ad, whether it was in the taxi cab that they took.”
William added that the advertisement should have at least depicted the reality of modern Thailand and Bangkok instead of portraying the country as it was 30 years ago. He also noted that Bangkok is safe for tourists, as he had never experienced the loss of valuables as shown in the ad.
Foreigner with Thai heart
In another TikTok video, William showed himself abandoning his Apple band devices and opting for two Samsung mobile phones.
The majority of William’s Thai followers agreed that the Apple ad tarnished Thailand’s image internationally, sparking an angry response online until Apple deleted the video and issued an official apology to Thailand. However, many others were not offended by the ad and found it interesting and fun.
One Thai Facebook user shared his view on Apple’s advertising, stating that the advertisement displayed Bangkok and Thailand in a different light, avoiding clichés like temples, Yaowarat Road, Soi Cowboy, or Pattaya.
“This issue could potentially lead Thai production houses to lose opportunities to work with Apple or other international brands who might fear similar controversies.”
The Facebook user also mentioned that the video could serve as a reference for others wanting to film in Thailand.
“You know, foreigner with a Thai heart?”
The foreigner ‘with a Thai heart’ he alluded to was presumed to be William.
Another Thai netizen criticised William.
“The person who criticised this ad is not a Thai national and does not know Thailand better than me. There was nothing like a ‘Foreigner with a Thai heart.’
“He created that video only for his income and number of likes, viewers, and followers. He did not do it because he loves Thailand because he is not Thai.”
The American TikToker shared the post on his latest TikTok video and expressed his disappointment with the criticism and admitted that he felt sad and cried when reading it. William insists he feels like a Thai person.
Many Thai followers encouraged William and insisted they saw his good intentions and sincerity in his actions.
@davidwilliamdw บทสัมภาษณ์ของพี่กับ CNN ในประเด็นของ Apple #ข่าว #apple #thailand
@davidwilliamdw คลิปนี้อาจจะเป็นคลิปสุดท้ายของพี่ก็ได้ 😭 #ข่าวสด #apple #thailand
ORIGINAL STORY: Bad Apple: Thailand ad blunder sparks boycott fury (video)
A condescending new advertisement by US giant Apple sparked outrage in Thailand, with locals threatening to ditch Apple and their iPhones for Samsung.
Thai resident and English teacher David William, who boasts 1.6 million Facebook followers and 2.9 million TikTok followers, slammed the ad on his TikTok account @davidwilliamdw. His critique of the ad, The Underdogs: OOO (Out Of Office) | Apple at Work, has racked up over 9.7 million views and more than 10,000 comments.
William and many netizens are furious with Apple’s depiction of Thailand. Although filmed in Thailand and featuring Thai elements like food, clothing, and public transport, the ad’s old-fashioned colour tones and dated appearance portray the country as a third-world nation.
The 9.57-minute Apple ad follows the “Underdogs” on a business trip to Thailand to find a new packaging factory. It showcases Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, all while tackling last-minute design changes and language barriers.
Thai netizens are up in arms over the ad’s portrayal of Thailand. They criticise the adjusted colour tones, costumes, props, and vehicles, which all create a dated and backward image.
Even the airport, buses, taxis, and an executive hotel with a mosquito problem appear ancient.
Bad Apple
William accused Apple of making Thais look terrible in the eyes of the world.
“Both the airport and hotel look ancient, as if from 50 years ago. Compared to other Apple clips filmed in places like New York or Chicago, which look great. I want to ask Apple and their team, what’s wrong? You came all the way to Thailand, but sorry, it doesn’t look like this at all.
“Watching it, I wondered if this was Thailand 50 or 70 years ago. Why isn’t there any modernity? You didn’t need to come to my country. A quick Google search would show you that Thailand is modern. The answer that would immediately come up is Y-E-S, extremely modern.
“What Apple should know is that Thai people already feel looked down upon globally. Foreigners already tend to discriminate against us. The question is, was it necessary for you to add to this?
“Allow me to say, it’s not nice at all. If you’re going to sell things to us while looking down on us like this, making us look bad in the world’s eyes, out of the annoyance in my heart, I’ll run to buy a Samsung foldable phone immediately.”
What do The Thaiger readers make of it all? Watch the video and leave your comments.
