iPhone

advertising / apple / apple news / creative / iPad / iPhone / observatory / strategy — 61 Comments
11
Jun 13

Schiller’s zinger: Apple’s rallying cry

“Can’t innovate anymore, my ass.”

Phil Schiller’s one-liner in yesterday’s WWDC keynote just may be one of the best in Apple history.

People may forget what drives Apple, but Apple does not. Back in the dark days, before Steve Jobs returned, the company really had become mediocre.

The success of iMac proved that Apple wasn’t dead yet. From that point on, a series of successes put Apple into the black and removed all the question marks surrounding its viability.

The kinds of products that were fueling Apple’s rise — iMac, iBook, AirPort, etc. — made one thing abundantly clear. Apple would continue to grow as long as it continued to innovate.

Schiller’s zinger was the 2013 affirmation of this belief. It was spirited and confident. Continue reading →

advertising / apple / creative / iPhone / itunes / observatory — 8 Comments
10
Jun 13

iPhone ads: Apple plays the ubiquity card

A few weeks ago, Apple started running a new commercial for iPhone.

I thought it was a beautiful spot. It’s perfectly produced and acted, hits the right emotional notes and demonstrates how iPhone photography has become deeply ingrained in our culture.

With a second spot, this approach becomes a campaign. The most recent commercial (above) uses the identical structure, this time celebrating our love of music.

We see situations that capture the many ways we interact with music, and then the voiceover comes on to seal the deal: “Every day, more people enjoy their music on the iPhone than any other phone.”

It’s a good sequel to the first ad, which concluded “Every day, more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera.”

While Samsung is out there showering us with ads celebrating the new features in the Galaxy S4, Apple isn’t talking about product features at all — other than the fact that iPhone takes pictures and plays music. Continue reading →

advertising / apple / creative / iPhone / observatory — 40 Comments
9
May 13

Apple demos the power of creativity

A wise man in advertising once said that 90% of the world’s ads failed before the creative team even got the assignment. Not enough time was spent first honing the strategy.

Fair enough.

However, one can’t diminish the importance of the creative execution. Because there are a hundred ways to bring a strategy to life, and it takes talent and smarts to do this well.

With its newest commercial for iPhone, Apple (or, I should say, agency TBWA\Chiat\Day) provides a wonderful demonstration of the power of creativity — the ability to take a simple idea and turn it into a stunner.

Some say this might be the best iPhone ad ever made.

What this commercial does so well is capture the human side of technology. It’s a reflection of daily life, and it’s easy to see ourselves in it. The ad shows us how essential our phones have become, enabling us to capture the people, places and images we don’t want to forget.

I say this is a great example of the power of creativity because … Continue reading →

apple / iPhone / observatory / strategy / technology — 27 Comments
7
May 13

The iPod-ization of iPhone

It happened to iPod — time for iPhone to get the family treatment?

For months, we’ve heard that Apple isn’t the innovator it used to be.

iPhone has fallen behind. Samsung is now the real innovator. iPhone 5S is an also-ran before it’s even launched.

Of course, Apple’s “problems” are more perception than reality. But perceptions do fuel momentum, and the negative buzz about Apple has been (a) tarnishing the brand and (b) driving the stock price lower. So what’s Apple to do? Will we really have to wait until 2014 to see a major upgrade to iPhone?

We can’t predict the future. However, we all know the past — and you’ll find some important clues there.

Back when the very first iPhone was about to launch, it was assumed by many inside Apple that iPhone would follow the path of iPod before it. The first year or two would be devoted to evolving and perfecting the device — and then the iPhone line would be expanded to address various types of customers.

iPod’s biggest years came after it had expanded into a family of products. Continue reading →

advertising / android / creative / iPhone / microsoft / observatory / samsung / strategy / windows phone — 22 Comments
1
May 13

Microsoft & Nokia groom their comedy act

Let’s give credit where credit is due. An ad associated with Microsoft is making people laugh.

Not that this hasn’t happened before. The difference is, this time viewers are laughing with Microsoft — not at it.

It’s remarkable, because for many years Microsoft has been the older guy at the party trying to prove he’s cool or funny. Mostly, it’s turned out awkward (the Gates/Seinfeld buddy series), lame (“I’m a PC”) and/or befuddling (Surface dancing ads).

Given this track record, I’m assuming that the creative spark in this ad originated with Nokia. (Although Nokia hasn’t exactly behaved like a creative powerhouse in the past either.) But the branding here is heavily Microsoft, which has obviously opened its wallet to put the concept of “Windows Phone” front and center. Continue reading →

apple / apple news / iPhone / naming / observatory / strategy — 204 Comments
4
Apr 13

iPhone naming: when simple gets complicated

When Apple introduced the iPad 3 as “the new iPad” — dropping its number altogether — it gave Apple watchers something new to ponder.

Would the coming iPhone 5 simply be “the new iPhone”? Would Apple’s naming convention finally be applied equally across all product lines?

The answer, we soon discovered, was “no.” The new iPhone stubbornly held onto its number — even though iPod, iPad, iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro were living in a world where numbers had become excess baggage.

There was good reason, of course.

iPhone is sold differently. Since two previous models are still available when a new model is launched, the number is needed to distinguish one from the other. Consider it a necessary evil.

But once you accept that iPhone models can’t live without a model identifier, the question becomes: what should that identifier be? Continue reading →

android / iPhone / observatory / samsung — 14 Comments
20
Mar 13

That was fast: Samsung buzz falls to earth

Wow, things really do happen faster in the world of Samsung.

Apple enjoyed a good 15 years of ever-increasing buzz before it finally took a hit. Samsung’s buzz has suffered a wound in just a fraction of that time.

What a difference a launch can make.

Samsung was on a tremendous winning streak over the last year or so. It way outspent Apple on marketing, effectively hitting the company while it was down. It had a monster hit with the Galaxy S III. It was hailed by many as “the new leader in innovation.” And it was all set to be anointed the king of smartphones with an epic unveiling of the Galaxy S4 at Radio City Music Hall last week.

But the next day, there wasn’t a lot of anointing going on. In fact, Samsung was taking hits on several levels. Continue reading →

advertising / creative / iPhone / observatory / samsung / technology — 5 Comments
10
Oct 12

Watching the Samsung-Apple playoffs

Last time Apple went heavy on advertising in a sporting event, it didn’t exactly end well.

But let us not speak of the Genius anymore. All traces of that campaign have been hidden from our sight.

Now the baseball playoffs are here. And once again, Apple has made a very expensive media buy. This time, it’s blanketing the games with the new iPhone 5 ads.

But look. Someone else has moved into the neighborhood. Samsung showed up for the playoffs with equal force, in the form of its Galaxy S III ads. You know — the ones that make fun of the lost souls who line up to buy an iPhone, when they could just as easily have a much cooler Samsung phone. Continue reading →

advertising / apple / creative / iPhone / observatory — 19 Comments
22
Sep 12

Whew! Apple shines again in new iPhone ads

Did you hear that? That was the sound of millions of Apple customers watching the new iPhone 5 ads and together breathing a huge sigh of relief.

After soiling its nest with the short-lived Genius campaign, Apple has created the best iPhone commercials since … well, since iPhone.

While previous years’ ads have been good enough to keep the natives happy, they never really rose to the “magical” level.

The celebrity ads for Siri were probably the first to go someplace new — even if that place was troublesome for a lot of people.

With these iPhone 5 ads, Apple breathes new life into the product demo genre, and that’s not an easy trick. Thanks to some good old-fashioned creativity, all the elements feel fresh. Continue reading →

advertising / android / creative / iPhone / observatory — 19 Comments
17
Sep 12

Where Samsung doesn’t copy Apple

Click to enlarge

While Samsung has been accused of copying Apple technology, no one will ever accuse it of copying Apple advertising.

Unfortunately, its ads remain distinctly Samsung.

No, I am not a fan of Samsung advertising in general. This isn’t because of the company’s products, it’s more of a tone and creative quality issue. Samsung ads just feel cheap to me. They feel like the ideas that inevitably show up in internal agency meetings, but are quickly scrapped in favor of something smarter.

This new ad lives up to my low expectations.

First, it’s visually unappealing. I  like to believe that a company capable of creating a smartphone can hobble together a decent-looking ad.

The headline “It doesn’t take a genius” carries on in the tradition of Samsung TV commercials mocking those who line up for a new iPhone at the Apple Store. You find yourself wishing it was more clever than it is. Continue reading →

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