A UK woman was hospitalized after an Apple TV+ Pluribus advert displayed on her Samsung smart fridge led her to believe someone was attempting to communicate with her.
The ad, which read “We’re sorry we upset you, Carol,” is part of the marketing for the Apple TV+ series, but its phrasing caused her to think she was experiencing a psychotic episode.
The original post came from Reddit user Fun-Blueberry-2147, who explained that their sister has schizophrenia and has a history of psychotic episodes about once every two years. The post states she saw the message on her fridge’s LED screen, believed it was directed at her, and immediately booked a taxi to A&E.
She spent two days under monitoring while doctors adjusted her medication. A few days later, the sibling saw a screenshot of the same advert circulating on Facebook.
The promotional image features a bright yellow background and the text “We’re sorry we upset you, Carol,” which ties into the narrative of Pluribus. The poster showed the image to their sister, who confirmed it was exactly what she saw on her fridge.
LegalAdviceUK commenters say ad placement may be an issue
The thread drew extensive discussion from users who tried to determine whether the situation violated UK advertising rules. One top comment explained that the advert itself is legal unless the user disabled ads on the fridge and still received them.
However, the commenter noted that the UK Advertising Standards Authority evaluates “appropriate placement,” and an ad resembling a personal message delivered through an appliance could be considered problematic.
Others advised disabling the smart features on the fridge or filing a complaint with the ASA.
Other Samsung fridge owners report seeing the same ad
Separate Reddit posts unrelated to the LegalAdviceUK thread show Samsung smart fridge owners encountering the same Pluribus advert.
These users shared images of the identical display and questioned how to disable promotional content on the appliance. One linked to Samsung’s support page explaining how to turn off ads on the Family Hub interface.
Related
The incident has raised broader concerns about advertising on smart home devices, particularly promotional material written in a way that resembles direct communication. For the family involved, the misunderstanding resulted in a hospital stay and a reassessment of treatment before the true source of the message was identified.