It seems that Apple can’t do much right at the moment. After Crush was subjected to scathing reviews and several parody commercials, Apple has pulled its latest Underdogs commercial, OOO (Out of Office). its outdated portrayal of Thailand didn’t go down well in social media. Then the Thai government added to the scorn with prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, encouraging Thais to stop using Apple products.

The humorous commercial was considered to depict a Thailand the country left years ago – a tired airport, the classic Thai tuk-tuk, a dilapidated hotel. Apple stated that it used a local production company for the shoot and exaggerated its presentation of Thailand for comedic effect. It has however, removed the commercial.

It has to be said that Apple has created some brilliant – and much awarded – advertising in the past. These missteps are out of character.

Meanwhile Google pulled its controversial Olympics ad, Dear Sydney, commercial this week. In the 60-second spot, a father writes a fan letter on behalf of his daughter to her Olympic idol – letting Gemini do the “talking” for him. The ad has been criticised both for missing the point of writing a fan letter – an attempt to make a real and heartfelt connection, and for using technology over self-expression.