Apple Taps 'Sesame Street's' Cookie Monster in iPhone 6s Ad
Apple has called on a perennial icon to endorse the hands-free feature of its digital assistant Siri that's available on the iPhone 6s. The superstar in question is none other than the cookie-obsessed Muppet from "Sesame Street," Cookie Monster.
The one-minute long ad (below) shows the blue-pawed character baking his most favorite food in all the world: cookies. Of course, as this is an Apple advertisement, Cookie Monster highlights that Siri can be activated effortlessly without even touching the phone simply by saying "Hey Siri." He asks Siri to set the timer and then after a while to play Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" while he waits for them cookies to bake.
Apple currently faces problems with the FBI and a potential legal battle regarding its encryption policies. To create buzz for its products amid these issues, the tech company has turned to A-list celebrities like Selena Gomez, Stevie Wonder, and Jamie Foxx. Including a recognized figure like Cookie Monster in a commercial will get people to pay attention to it more, Prof. Keith Wilcox of Columbia Business School told The Christian Science Monitor in an interview. The decades old Muppet character is expected to appeal to generations of Americans who grew up watching "Sesame Street."
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However, Dr. Wilcox views Cookie Monster's involvement with the ad as more of the "baby-money-puppy" phenomenon where a commercial slaps on a cute or furry creature to improve its appeal. He continues Apple runs the risk of the character "not representing" it's creative, intelligent designs.
Apple and "Sesame Street" come a long way though. The two started their partnership with games created for the Apple II such as "Big Bird's Special Delivery." In recent years, their collaboration has made available many iPad and iPhone apps for Apple users.
Funds for this commercial are expected to help prolong the life of the "Sesame Street" franchise that now airs on HBO instead of PBS. The latter has committed to only 10 percent funding for the show, which has had problems financially in recent years.
