New Kindle Fire Commercial Takes iPad Air Head-On

Interesting spot. Does a good job playing up the Kindle Fire HDX’s strengths — its display quality, weight, and price. But in some ways an ad like this is good for Apple, because the whole spot is predicated on the notion that the iPad is the tablet to beat. Almost any time you mention the competition by name, you’re playing for second place. Pepsi will mock Coke, Burger King will mock McDonald’s, but never the other way around.

It’s also interesting that Amazon chose a British narrator for the iPad Air — seemingly mocking Jony Ive. But how many companies in the world have an employee famous enough to be mocked in a competitor’s advertisement?

★ Monday, 2 December 2013