Ad pros say Apple's chaotic new commercial fails at what the brand once did best

@Apple/YouTube Apple's latest ad, featuring a chaotic family scene, has viewers and ad pros divided.

Some viewers said the ad for its HomeView device was stressful, while others found it relatable.

Ad pros say Apple failed to make HomeView feel like a desirable product.

A cortisol-spiking nightmare or just another morning in a modern family home? Apple's latest ad has divided both the internet and advertising pros over whether its chaotic depiction of family life hits the mark.

The ad for its new HomeView smart home device follows a family hurrying to get ready for the day.

The parents and siblings variously bicker about the etymology of "French toast," the temperature of the thermostat, and the whereabouts of their missing belongings, all while barking commands at the device that's supposed to make their lives easier.

"As an unapologetic tech fan, it's been a while since a new product made me want to disconnect and, as one commentator put it, 'live in a cave for a bit,'" Richard Exon, founder of the creative agency Joint, told Business Insider.

"But this ad managed it." HomeView's marketing positioning matters as Apple tries to convince consumers to introduce another connected screen into their homes and draw them further into its deeply integrated ecosystem of products and services.

It's also the second major product launched under its new CEO, John Ternus, who faces the challenge of proving the company remains an innovator capable of creating must-have products across different categories.

Prominent tech analyst Benedict Evans wrote on Threads that the "stressful, confusing, complex situation" portrayed in the ad gave him few clues as to why he would want the device.

While some viewers found the commercial exhausting, others saw a familiar reflection of their own family lives.

Some ad pros think that was a mistake.

The company, renowned for making people want technology they never even knew they needed, may have failed to make its new device appear desirable.

"The question for any brand when launching a new product is, how do I turn need into want?" said famed ad man John Hegarty , who cofounded the ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty.