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Keeping you in the loop about some of the things that happened around Apple AAPL -1.37% this week.

Designed by Apple in Cupertino. For those of us who attended the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this week, it wasn’t the new operating systems, updated MacBook Air or Mac Pro preview that stood out. It was the mission statement and TV ad unveiled by CEO Tim Cook.

Why? Well, for much of the past 16 years, Apple has been about show, not tell. They showed new products — candy-colored iMacs, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad — and we could see immediately how different, how elegant, how innovative they were. And even though showman Steve Jobs was a master at making users covet Apple’s technology, his superlatives – Amazing! Cool! Magical! – were really unnecessary because the products spoke for themselves. That’s why the new messaging is kind of curious. In both videos, Apple talks about what it takes for a product to bear the “Made by Apple in California” label rather than show its tech in action. Here’s the text from the 90-second mission statement, called “Intention.” Video above.

if everyone/ is busy making everything/how can anyone perfect anything?/we start to confuse convenience/with joy/abundance with choice./designing something requires/focus/the first thing we ask is/what do people want to feel?/delight/surprise/love/connection/then we begin to craft around our intention/it takes time…/there are thousand no’s/for every yes./we simplify/we perfect/we start over/until everything we touch/enhances each life/it touches./only then do we sign our work./Designed by Apple in California

I asked some marketing experts what they thought about Apple’s approach. Former Apple ad man Ken Segall says the ad, called “Our Signature,” is “filler” messaging until Apple delivers new products later this year. “If they had great products to talk about, we wouldn’t be seeing those ads. It is a bit defensive because they’re under attack, not just from Samsung, but also from all the critics out there because there are no new products. I think it is defensive – ‘We may not have new products, but we really work hard on these things. We don’t put our signature on it until it’s right.’” Hayes Roth of Landor Associates gives Apple kudos for the ad because it “supports how integrated Apple products are in one’s life. They really do enhance people’s lives, connecting across borders, cultures, languages, and experiences – whether in your personal or professional life – Apple has found a way to be a part of it. It truly is a lifestyle brand for the digital age, and while they may have a hiccup here and there, Apple remains a cult brand, and its consumers are some of the most loyal in the world. This ad does a great job of underscoring that, and bringing it to life

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