Soft power, who? Apple’s viral video campaign proves dodgy Thai stereotypes still exist

Apple’s latest video campaign is set in Thailand, and netizens are not happy. Portraying four Americans who travel to Bangkok to “work from anywhere,” the 10-minute clip comes dipped in sepia tones and dripping in stereotypes. Reactions have been so intense that Apple has had to disable comments. Here’s the tea.

This time, the fact that a character is wearing elephant pants (or in this case, an elephant shirt) isn’t even the worst part. Apple’s latest episode in the ‘Apple at Work’ series has faced a lot of backlash, as netizens have been quick to call out the tech giant’s portrayal of Thailand as “condescending” and having “missed the mark.”

The video has raised questions about accurate depictions of Thailand in the media, in particular the exoticised, Western lens through which the country is often portrayed. In anticipation of The White Lotus set in Koh Samui, and against Google’s advert in Thailand as a foil, tensions continue to rise. Even the Prime Minister has stepped in with a comment, causing many to wonder: poor stereotype, or somehow a soft power?

Update 2/8/2024: Apple has removed the Thailand video from its Youtube channel, and has issued an apology. According to The Nation, the statement reads: “We would like to apologise that the advertisement has failed to present the Thai way of life in a complete and appropriate manner.”

Inside the Apple Thailand video controversy: Reactions, backlash, and a battle of stereotypes

What is the ‘Apple at Work’ Thailand video about?

The ‘Apple at Work’ series is meant to showcase how Apple’s wide range of products can solve workplace issues for employees working from office or abroad. It features a team of four “underdogs,” who take on different challenges in each episode. In this recent episode, they head to Thailand, on assignment to find a packaging factory, and handle last-minute design changes for a client in the U.S. Naturally, there are also language barriers and transportation concerns, all of which are solved using Apple devices.

The episode begins with a cameo from Christopher Mintz-Plasse (you know him as McLovin in Superbad), acting as a tycoon client who requests tailor-made boxes for his kitty litter company. It is apparent from the start that the clip is meant to be light-hearted — even funny — as the gang heads to Thailand to meet this very particular demand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbYckRAt5os&t

After they arrive in Thailand at definitely-not-Suvarnabhumi-airport, they face several hurdles. One character loses his luggage, and is assisted by an office worker named ‘Happy.’ They stay at a dodgy-looking hotel (even though they seem to have enough budget for a USD 3500 Apple Vision Pro). They wear tacky gift shop outfits, and take every mode of transportation beside an actual car. One of them eats a spider, and another speaks broken Thai, somehow always messing up the gender pronoun we don’t even really use.

And thus, the eye rolls began.

The backlash (and the boycott threats) that followed

Whilst Apple released the video in late July, it garnered more attention when Thai residents watched the video, posting heated reactions online, and even threatening to boycott Apple products.

One particular user, David William, went viral overnight when he called out the tech company in a longer TikTok rant. To his 3 million followers, the English teacher expressed his frustration in seeing an outdated version of Thailand, like from “70 years ago.” The taxi, the airport, the lack of modernity; William even took a jab at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, stating that Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport is far more developed.

https://www.tiktok.com/@davidwilliamdw/video/7395468467828264210?lang=en

Another user, @englishwith.nanear, said she was “disappointed” by how her country was portrayed, and described the clip as being “far from reality.”

@englishwith.nanear

ฟาด!! Apple ทำคลิปเหยียดไทย! #ภาษาอังกฤษ #english #นาเนียสอนอิ้ง #tiktokuni #longervideos #เรียนภาษาอังกฤษ #เรียนออนไลน์ #เทรนด์วันนี้ #ข่าวtiktok #พูดภาษาอังกฤษ #ข่าววันนี้ #ข่าว #Apple #แอปเปิ้ล

♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – Englishwith.NaNear – Englishwith.NaNear

Many others echoed the sentiment, highlighting especially the old-fashioned filter, and a missing sense of the metropolis Bangkok really is — a skyscraper-strapped city of large luxury shopping malls, world-class hotels, and Michelin-star dining. Instead, the portrayal is “condescending,” and shows the country “as a third-world nation.”

One user put it very bluntly: “Apple takes a dump on Thailand.”

Whilst Apple soon disabled comments on the Youtube video, the outrage did not stop there. Several netizens called for a boycott of Apple products, with some even posting videos of themselves throwing their AirPods, MacBook, iPhone, and so on, into the trash.

Thailand in the media: Where logic fails, will luxury prevail?

Thailand’s battle with its portrayal in the media is no new duel. Where The Hangover grossly overplayed ‘lawless’ Bangkok nightlife, and The Gray Man ridiculed our use of tuk-tuks, there is an underlying sense that Apple should have known better, and that they could have brought a truer image to light.

Why can’t Dave just head to Siam Paragon to buy clothes like any other person in Bangkok? Who doesn’t research their hotel before travelling somewhere? Why couldn’t the crew hail a regular taxi, or better yet, download the Grab app from the App Store? And who here actually has a Thai friend named ‘Happy’?

While the characters in the video never say anything negative about Thailand, the setting is used to communicate a sense of exotic ‘other.’ Everything is strange here, but your handy, familiar, Westernised iPhone will save you. In 2024, there is a growing audience that is tired of this orientalist view.

For many netizens, a recent comparison to another tech giant sours the story even more. A 2023 video campaign by Google Japan has been floating social media networks, as users have commented on the more positive Asian gaze in the Google Pixel advert. Even though it follows the tourist path too, it shows the country in a far more realistic light. Many of the same hurdles are also overcome using technology, including language barriers especially.

The debate comes at an interesting time, as Thailand is soon set to premiere as the location for HBO’s hit show The White Lotus. Following in the footsteps of luxury resorts in Hawaii and Italy, the show famously brings a huge amount of tourism to its filming locations. If seasons one and two are any indication, it is likely that at least this portrayal will give Thailand a higher-end edge, and benefit its local economy.

Can the same be said of Apple’s video?

Where there’s room for Thai soft power

According to CNN, the clip was filmed by a Thailand-based studio, and Thai authorities have been “hailing it as a win for the country on the world stage.” The article continues to quote Chai Wacharonke, spokesperson for Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who said, “The prime minister has continuously supported the development of the country’s potential by implementing policies to promote Thai soft power as a magnet to attract people worldwide to visit, work, and live in Thailand, making Thailand a key destination for people globally.”

The spokesperson outlined the touches of soft power in the video, bringing our culture and cuisine onto a world stage, and proving how easy and convenient it is to work in Thailand, thanks to the internet infrastructure.

The last point in particular is a subtle nod to Thailand’s recently launched Destination Thailand Visa for digital nomads, which encourages those who can “work from anywhere” (sound familiar?) to come to Thailand. In some way, then, it is assumed that Apple’s advert could even help the local industry.

Perhaps, instead of cringing at the details in every frame, we need to look at the bigger picture. As the humour falls flat and the representation is inaccurate, at least we have a high-speed internet connection with which we can comment on the case.

Unlike tarantula-eating Dave, at least we’ll never have to fly across the globe for that.

At the time of writing, ‘The Underdogs: OOO (Out of Office) | Apple at Work’ has over 5.5 million views on Apple’s Youtube channel.

Update 2/8/2024: Apple has removed the Thailand video from its Youtube channel, and has issued an apology. According to The Nation, the statement reads: “We would like to apologise that the advertisement has failed to present the Thai way of life in a complete and appropriate manner.”