Apple's Spent $38 Million Advertising the Apple Watch on TV in the Last Month

Apple has spent a total of $38 million on Apple Watch television advertisements since its March 9 media event, reports Reuters, citing numbers from TV ad tracking site iSpot.tv. Apple has been marketing the Apple Watch aggressively as it marks an entirely new product category and the company's first serious venture into wearable devices.

$38 million is just $4 million less than the $42 million Apple spent on advertising for the iPhone and iPhone 6 Plus over the course of the last five months. The Apple Watch commercial has been shown on TV more than 300 times since March 9, and more than half of those spots have come during primetime shows like "The Walking Dead," "The Voice," and the NCAA basketball tournament.


Reality television show "The Voice" also marked one of the Apple Watch's first appearances on a celebrity wrist. One of the singing competition's judges, Pharell Williams, wore an Apple Watch on Monday's episode.

Apple Watch advertising picked up on Monday of this week as we began the countdown to Apple Watch pre-orders. Apple began airing the Apple Watch commercial more frequently, as Monday also marked an NCAA final between Duke and Wisconsin.

In addition to being shown on TV, the Apple Watch has also graced the covers of several magazines in the United States and other countries around the world in an effort to highlight its usefulness as a fitness device and its position as a fashion accessory. It's been shown off in Fitness, Self, Vogue, and more.

Apple Watch pre-orders begin at 12:01 AM Pacific Time on April 10, which is also the date that Apple will begin offering Apple Watch try-on appointments in its retail stores. We can expect Apple Watch advertising to pick up even more over the course of the next two weeks as we approach the device's official April 24 launch date.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive These Five Perks

Wednesday July 9, 2025 9:20 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, did you know that Apple offers you five perks beyond the extra storage space, at no additional cost? Here are the perks included with all iCloud+ plans:Private Relay keeps your Safari browsing history entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple. Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed. Hom...

Top Rated Comments

DakotaGuy Avatar
134 months ago
Demand will exceed supply no matter how well or poorly it sells. Apple will make sure of that.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JeffyTheQuik Avatar
134 months ago
This is Tim's first new product category post-Steve.

Failure is not an option.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sampaul Avatar
134 months ago
That's nothing......
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fortheus Avatar
134 months ago
They need to build up the hype because its mediocre [emoji1]
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mejsric Avatar
134 months ago
I've worked in advertising for the last 15 years - I know a thing or two. My point was, this launch will be different from the others. Normal/average people aren't interested in the watch, just the Apple faithful who were going to buy it anyway.

Perhaps I should have just said "Waste of money"

Lets me guess... You was fired, right?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mazeman Avatar
134 months ago
I'll bet a lot of people are going to order one tonight, then make an appointment tomorrow to try one on, then decide whether or not to cancel their order.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)