Moto Z Video Ad Is Beyond Weird

We're no stranger to smartphone ads. Some are joyfully entertaining, while some are woefully abhorrent. Some, however, defy description. Like this latest ad to come from the creative minds at Motorola and Lenovo. It is, at the end of the day, an advertisement for the Moto Mods system that takes a not so subtle shot at Apple. But, as some would say, delivery is key, and in this case, you'll completely forget about the message because of the out of this world delivery.

In a short span of 47 seconds, Motorola will have successfully baffled and perhaps even frightened you. It has two men, supposedly designers, in turtlenecks, a not so subtle jab at the late Steve Jobs, singing a trance-like song, if you could call it that, obsessing about the headphone jack. Again, a jab at Apple's decision to "move" the headphone jack.

Moto's fixation on the headphone jack is both old and ironic. Everybody loves to hate on how Apple removed the venerable 3.5 mm hole, and how it has influenced other OEMs to do likewise. And, ironically, Motorola is actually one of those. The Moto Z and Moto Z Force don't have a headphone jack either, though the Moto Z Play does. Pot calling kettle black?

Whatever the case, the ad's "punchline" is about how Moto didn't just change the headphone jack, it changed the smartphone. Which happens to be the Moto Mod slogan. One of those Mods should have a headphone jack, just for kicks.

The strangest advertisement will still bring attention to the Moto Z and the Moto Mod system, though probably not enough to boost sales. Moto Mods do seem to be popular among third-party developers and tinkerers, unlike the LG G5. At the end of the day, however, it will be sales numbers that will make or break the Moto Z, and ads like these are unlikely to raise those figures.