Did Motorola's agency 'borrow' Super Bowl ad concept?

Motorola is in hot water over its Apple-inspired Super Bowl advertisement for its upcoming XOOM tablet. The video ad features a world of drones dressed in white hoodies who are eternally plugged into white earbuds. Of course, the one character breaking the trend is the one with a Motorola XOOM tablet who is able to free both himself and a female friend from this mindless, solitary existence.

This idea of disconnecting from a connected world is a theme that dominates a popular Indie film produced by Mike Sarrow. The filmmmaker asserts his Do Not Disconnect film has been submitted to several Indie film festivals and the plot and concept of his production has been known for several years. In an interview with Cnet, he says, "We're really disappointed that Motorola and the Anomaly New York ad agency have made their Super Bowl ad 'Empower the People' with an identical concept." Sarrow is not seeking attribution from Motorola, just recognition from the public regarding the true roots of this concept.

The videos, including Apple's classic 1984 ad, are available after the break for you to view and compare. Has Motorola borrowed from Sarrow's film or is Apple the inspiration for this ad?


[Via Electronista]



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