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Friday, May 24, 2013, 12:47 am

Apple airs new iPhone ad, continues brilliant 'quiet' TV campaignBy Mikey Campbell

Apple on Thursday released a new ad focusing on the iPhone as a music player, with its quiet, serene style following in the footsteps of the company's last spot, and paving the way for a new breed of commercial.

Titled "Music Every Day," Apple's latest iPhone promo continues "Photos Every Day" in being near-silent, with only a tamped down background track and a few giggles or foot taps breaking the stillness.

The ad starts out with a shot of a woman positioned at the far left of the screen. Hunched over a wall, she is seemingly lost in thought as she slowly touches at the air with her fingers, almost twirling the unseen strands of a rising sun's light. The tell-tale white wires and silhouette of Apple's EarPods standout in relief against an otherwise gray background daubed with out of focus browns and blacks.

Next, a man just finishing an workout is shown, again at left of center, overlooking a city after what appears to be the end of a daily exercise routine. This is where the viewer catches their first glimpse of a product, a black iPhone 5, but the device is largely hidden in the hands of the runner.

In fact, throughout the entire commercial, viewers see very little of the iPhone itself and, except for two brief "slices of life" ? one in which a DJ at a club scans a playlist, and another where the passenger in a car is holding the handset as his friends rock out in the back seat ? the screen isn't shown at all. The device remains hidden in almost every frame, nestled in someone's pocket, obscured by a jar of jelly as someone eats. It never becomes the focus of attention.

The ad moves quickly from one scene to the next, the common physical thread being the iPhone and EarPods, but a more important underlying theme is the music the characters are listening to. This music goes unheard by the audience.

As the background piano track swells, a narrator says, "Everyday, more people enjoy music on the iPhone than any other phone." The iPhone and Apple logos are displayed, and the commercial ends. So calm is the ad that the branding and dubbed voice are somewhat jarring, and feel out of place.

Surrounded by other ads, which are usually loud and attention-grabbing, Apple's latest attempts stand out from crowd. The company is obviously crafting their latest commercials with expert care, focusing much more on subtleties like camera work and scene composition than in-your-face product placement.

Contemplative, simple and consistent, Apple's latest spot manages to convey feeling through voiceless, nameless, almost generic characters. Nothing extraordinary happens, no explosions or humorous juxtapositions are shown. But that's the point.

Like the first character dancing her fingers with the sun's rays, Apple is toying with the ethereal nature of everyday life, and showing how the iPhone can be a part of that reality. Jump to comments (67)Categories:iPhone(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Tweet!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Pin It

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iWatch at 0:30.

dickprinter2013/05/24 01:05am

Quote:Originally Posted by chriscaskey? View Post

iWatch at 0:30.

Quite an astute observation.

scotia732013/05/24 01:11am

I never see Galaxy users listen to music via their device. Not really sure what they do with them.

digital_guy2013/05/24 01:12am

During most of this commercial, I had difficulty in identifying what product it was for, or with whom it was associated. It was only at the end that I was able to tell. I am not sure if I can put a finger on exactly what it is, whether it is the message itself, or the tone, but their advertising has changed.

chabig2013/05/24 01:24am

Quote:Originally Posted by scotia73? View Post

I never see Galaxy users listen to music via their device. Not really sure what they do with them.

I hear the Task Manager is pretty fun to play with.?

slurpy2013/05/24 01:35am

I find these new ads beautiful. Very classy, human, and even moving. Definitely one of their better campaigns.

gijoeinla2013/05/24 01:39am

Quote:Originally Posted by Digital_Guy?

During most of this commercial, I had difficulty in identifying what product it was for, or with whom it was associated. It was only at the end that I was able to tell. I am not sure if I can put a finger on exactly what it is, whether it is the message itself, or the tone, but their advertising has changed.
I'm finding it hard that many people don't grasp the recents campaigns POINT is to marry the product to LIFESTYLE... Integrated marketing -- brilliant move on their agencies part... Reinforces the brand and what Apple has always been to people.. Pretty straightforward -- great ad..

hill602013/05/24 01:46am

Quote:Originally Posted by scotia73? View Post

I never see Galaxy users listen to music via their device. Not really sure what they do with them.

They are too busy gazing lovingly at their "fresh" home screens.

iqatedo2013/05/24 01:48am

Classy ad Apple, well done.

Quote:Originally Posted by Digital_Guy? View Post

By the tenor that Apple has set, this ad would be very unlikely from a competitor. These ads point to just how crass the ads of its (major) competitors have become.

feynman2013/05/24 02:15am

These ads tell stories. They are real. Human. Very documentary in genre. I love em! What's brilliant about these ads, in addition to how real they are, you can have your computer or television set on mute and you will still get the point of the ad. Brilliance.?

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