In the latest installment of its “Honest Ads” series, Cracked released a video that is trying to show what a truly honest smartwatch commercial would look like. The short, 3-minute video makes fun of contemporary wearables by referring to them as questionably useful gadgets that no one really needs or wants, but are still being pushed by companies in the absence of a genuinely compelling product. As is the case with other ‘Honest Ads’ in the series, this particular video also features actor Jack Hunter portraying the role of a fictional businessman named Roger Horton making a curious sales pitch for his product. Trying to discuss the virtues of smartwatches, he points out every single reason why the devices have failed to catch the attention of consumers worldwide.
Derisively referring to smartwatches as “fitness-related status symbols,” “electric jewelry,” and “necklaces for your wrist,” Mr. Horton goes on to eloquently explain the virtues of his latest device that he describes as a “health-centric TV for mice” that most people end up using only because they’ve received it as a gift. As with the other “Honest Ads” from Cracked, this particular video is also as much a satire of the product itself as it is striving to provide insightful commentary on the consumerist culture of the 21st century. The video manages to do that by delving into some of the real reasons why the market response to these devices has continued to remain relatively lukewarm even after major tech companies spent years and massive amounts of money on developing and marketing wearables.
However, the majority of smart bracelets and connected watches still haven’t managed to convince consumers to purchase them. As many people continue to view the smartwatch as a niche, redundant addition to an already long list of smart, Internet-enabled devices that are infiltrating their everyday lives, sales have been on a downward spiral in recent times. That being the case, Motorola already announced that it’s not planning to release an Android Wear device this year, and a recent report also suggested that ASUS may be the next in line to exit the smartwatch business.