Apple’s 2024 Underdogs film OOO (Out of Office) sent a packaging-business team racing around Thailand to complete a client order. Released on 18 July as the fifth reported installment in the series, the ten-minute comedy-thriller was also an Apple product showcase. After Thai viewers criticized its portrayal as dated and incomplete, Apple apologized and said it had stopped distributing the film.
What happens in The Underdogs: OOO?
The story follows the Underdogs’ packaging business as the team tries to fulfill a demanding client order. Much of the action takes place as they travel around Thailand. AppleInsider described the film as a ten-minute comedy thriller and the fifth adventure in the series. Read AppleInsider’s report.
As in the wider campaign, the narrative also places Apple hardware in view. Reporting on the film names Mac, Apple Vision Pro, iPhone and iPad, with Apple Watch and AirPods appearing among the supporting product cameos. The devices are part of the advertisement’s showcase, rather than the subject of a standalone product review.
How the film portrayed Thailand
Before release, Thailand’s government welcomed the production as an opportunity to show Thai locations, culture, food and travel imagery to an international audience. A 24 July 2024 report by Voice TV described references and scenes involving Thai food, elephant-print clothing, Thai massage, tuk-tuks, boats, buses and trains, as well as Hua Lamphong station, Yaowarat and Rayong. Those details describe what the report identified in the film; they should not be treated as a guide to Thailand or a comprehensive picture of everyday life. Read Voice TV’s report.
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The initial welcome and the later criticism reflect different responses at different points: officials saw the filming as a chance to promote the country, while viewers after release objected to how the finished advertisement represented it.
Why did Thai viewers criticize the advertisement?
Criticism from Thai viewers centered on the impression that the imagery was dated and did not fully reflect contemporary Thailand. The concern was not simply that the film showed recognizable locations or cultural references; it was that the resulting portrayal seemed incomplete as a picture of present-day life.
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Apple’s statement, reproduced in Thai by Blognone, said the company had worked closely with Thai companies to create and produce the advertisement in Thailand. In an English rendering of the statement, Apple said it had intended to convey Thai culture and a positive perspective on the country, apologized that the film did not portray current Thai life fully and appropriately, and said it had stopped distributing it. Read Blognone’s report and the statement in Thai.
Thai PBS also reported the controversy and Apple’s withdrawal of the film. Read Thai PBS’s coverage. The original film was reportedly removed from Apple’s YouTube channel after the apology; its current availability on official channels is not established here.
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Filming context in Thailand
Voice TV reported figures from Thailand’s Foreign Film and Video Office for January through July 2024: 259 foreign productions filmed in Thailand, including 106 advertising and public-relations productions. The office’s reported figures also covered 31 countries or special economic areas, activity across 49 provinces, and more than 3.881 billion baht in investment. These are figures for that seven-month period, not current totals. Voice TV’s report includes the figures.
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