Last night, one of the new iPhone ads came on the TV. As I was passing through the room, I said to my wife “Ugh! I hate those new iPhone ads.” She asked why, suggesting that she thought they were really good.

And that got me thinking … am I just so jaded on what I expect from “tech” ads (Lotus, Apple, etc.) that I think they all suck? Perhaps. - That prompted me to take a closer look at the latest round of iPhone ads. I quickly realized that they do a good job of demonstrating how the average person can use this powerful device is situations that happen frequently. Most of those situations are ones that, when they happen without an iPhone, leave you somewhat stranded.

Take the ad with the guy who tells the story about meeting his girlfriend’s boss and fiancé’s. At the restaurant waiting, they realize they didn’t know the woman’s name. So he whips out his iPhone, checks the bosses wedding website and finds it out. And the day is saved.

That scenario happens. And without an iPhone, you’d have to resort to “hi ………. you!”

So the ad serves to tell a story about how everyday problems are solved with this device. That’s a good message. And its one that Apple thinks is key to tell people in order to sell the phones.

So while I don’t like the look and feel of the ad, its effective. Especially if you knew what I was talking about before you saw the picture on the blog post.

So maybe, just maybe, I need to take a closer look at some of the Lotus Notes/Domino 8 ads I’ve been complaining about. Maybe I don’t like them, but they are effective. Maybe…