HTC launches ‘Be Brilliant’ ad for the One A9, starts kicking apples

At the tail-end of October, HTC announced a new Android-based smartphone, the One A9. Immediately, it was apparent that the new phone took plenty of design cues from Apple’s iPhone 6.

The conversation about who copied who, of course, raged on. HTC, for its part, pointed out that Apple copied them first, with the iPhone 6 taking its own design cues from HTC’s One M7 it launched years before the iPhone 6’s debut. Of course, the iPhone 6 may have taken some cues from the One M7, it didn’t look like a straight copy. Meanwhile, the One A9 looks like a straight copy of the iPhone 6/6s.

Now, HTC is taking to its marketing department to raise awareness for the One A9 by telling folks to “be brilliant” and “be different.” Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on who is asked, HTC’s newest ad harkens back to Apple’s original “1984” commercial for the original Macintosh. We get to see a lone individual in color, running against a sea of gray and boring. Unlike Apple’s old commercial, though, we eventually get to see others breaking ranks, fighting against the boring, and striking out on their own.

Oh, and we also get a clear view of the protagonist kicking a bowl of apples. Because why not?

You can check out the video below to see it in action. It’s an interesting approach. HTC is essentially telling people to be different, to break apart from the masses — the iPhone — by promoting a device that looks like an iPhone. So, break from conformity by buying a device that just looks like what you’re supposed to be breaking away from.