This is an interesting tactic to take to sell smartphones — making fun of people’s addictions to their smartphones.
“We have a theory that people are actually in love with their phones,” says Kutcher in the above spot.
The test? Putting people in a booth and asking them to keep their hands off their phones.
How do the contestants do? They fail. Miserably.
“Just 42 seconds?” says one woman, when she’s caught touching her phone. “That felt like forever.”
It’s part of Motorola’s campaign called #PhoneLove, with Kutcher starring as the merry prankster, taking a page from his MTV Punk’D days, testing people’s addictions to their phones.
“#PhoneLove is the intense and many times irrational relationships people have with their smartphones,” writes Motorola on its blog post about the spots.
What’s even more disturbing? In another series of video shorts, Kutcher plays “Would you rather?” on the street, asking people questions like, “Would you rather go a day without food or your phone?” or “Would you rather drop your phone on the street, or drop your sandwich on the floor and have to eat it?”
It’s an interesting approach to selling phones, Motorola using a sort of anti-tech sentiment — “you’re pathetically addicted, people!” to sell its latest product, the Moto X, which verbally alerts you to the types of messages you’re receiving so you’re not constantly checking your phone.
As Motorola writes, Moto X is meant to free you from your phone. A little. “At Moto, we believe you deserve a better mobile relationship with your phone,” the blog post states. “One that is reciprocal and two way. Unobtrusive, yet intuitive. Supportive, but not co-dependent. Where all the care and devotion you show is returned.”
Enjoy a “would you rather” spot below:
