Apple promoting iPhone 4 in four new FaceTime ads

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Apple's new ads campaign for iPhone 4 have shifted from "there's an app for that," to a message targeting a specific new app: FaceTime.



A series of four new spots present family members using FaceTime to interact in series of warmly sentimental circumstances reminiscent of the oriental tearjerker spot Apple created and debuted at WWDC.



The new ads present a daughter shy about her braces being coaxed into a smile by her father, a son showing his father his new granddaughter, a girl showing off her new haircut to her boyfriend, and a woman breaking the news to her husband that she's pregnant.



The new spots demonstrate Apple's marketing savvy, as each spot tugs a customers' heartstrings, rather than simply bragging about hardware specs by comparing smartphones to some kind of an alien invasion (as Verizon's odd Droid ads), or presenting a creepy woman muttering about esoteric features (as Palm did with its bizarre Pre commercials).









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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 70
    amexamex Posts: 12member
    So what?
  • Reply 2 of 70
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    There is a certain presupposition in these ads that facetme is ubiquitous and that people are using it daily as the actors don't seem at all amazed by the new technology. That is the main message. People have been using Apple video calls since forever, well since last week at least, so what is your problem? You should get with the program.
  • Reply 3 of 70
    capnbobcapnbob Posts: 388member
    As usual, Apple innovates even with advertising by pitching its smartphones at the vast numbers of casual users which massively outnumbers the geeks that the Android marketing seems to want to woo.

    I've never understood why Android panders to the fans who don't need to be expensively marketed to rather than the broader market. I believe it is possibly because Google knows it is not yet competitive from a look and feel perspective to appeal to casual users.
  • Reply 4 of 70
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple's new ads campaign for iPhone 4 have shifted from "there's an app for that," to a message targeting a specific new app: FaceTime.



    A series of four new spots present family members using FaceTime to interact in series of warmly sentimental circumstances reminiscent of the oriental tearjerker spot Apple created and debuted at WWDC.



    The new ads present a daughter shy about her braces being coaxed into a smile by her father, a son showing his father his new granddaughter, a girl showing off her new haircut to her boyfriend, and a woman breaking the news to her husband that she's pregnant.



    The new spots demonstrate Apple's marketing savvy, as each spot tugs a customers' heartstrings, rather than simply bragging about hardware specs by comparing smartphones to some kind of an alien invasion (as Verizon's odd Droid ads), or presenting a creepy woman muttering about esoteric features (as Palm did with its bizarre Pre commercials).



    It?s As If Apple Has Hired Don Draper



    The other day I was talking to an old friend. Not only is this friend outside the tech sphere, he?s just about as opposite of tech savvy as a person can be. He?s basically a luddite. In fact, I was surprised he was even IMing with me, he?s so seldom online. But I was more surprised by what he asked me. ?What do you think of the new iPhone??



    It?s one thing to know what an iPhone is, but the fact that he was aware that there was a new iPhone caught me a bit off guard. As did the fact that he was talking to me about it. I directed him to my review. But he took one glance at the 3,500+ words and immediately came back at me. ?I just want to know if it?s any good.? I told him I thought it was the best out there. He thanked me and said goodbye. But before I let him go, I asked him why on Earth he wanted to know. I mean, again, this is a guy who undoubtedly uses one of these types of phones. He said that he travels a lot now and wants a better way to connect with his girlfriend on the road. I asked him, ?why the iPhone?? His answer? The commercial.



    Watching Apple?s iPhone 4 FaceTime commercial again, it reminds me of something: Mad Men. The television show is starting its fourth season in a couple of weeks, but the commercial takes me back to the end of season one ? an episode called ?The Wheel.? I?ve actually talked about this episode before because it contains a scene that is perhaps the best in the entire series. In it, ad man Don Draper gives a presentation to Kodak showing why Sterling Cooper should be handling the account for their new picture projector.



    The pitch (which you can see here, but sadly I can?t embed) starts out with two execs from Kodak acknowledging that creating an ad around this ?wheel? is hard because ?wheels aren?t really seen as exciting technology, even though they are the original.? Draper fires back, ?Technology is a glittering lure. But there?s the rare occasion when the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash. If they have a sentimental bond with the product.?



    In the iPhone 4 FaceTime commercial, that?s exactly what Apple is playing up. As we?re all well aware, video chat, even on phones, is nothing new. Sure, Apple has simplified it, but they?re not really showcasing that here. Instead they?re going right for the heart strings. They?re doing something rather incredible. They?re conveying how you?ll feel if you use the product, by making you feel alongside those in the commercial. They?re creating this sentimental bond.









    Draper continues, talking about an old copyrighter he used to work with, Teddy. ?He also talked about a deeper bond with the product. Nostalgia. It?s delicate. But potent.? Draper fires up the projector. ?Teddy told me that in Greek, Nostalgia literally means ?the pain from an old wound.? It?s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone.?



    Again, that?s this FaceTime commercial. It?s not old pictures, but it?s more powerful. It?s loved ones that you haven?t seen in a while, that you?re apart from, right there in front of you, live. ?It takes us to a place where we ache to go again,? as Draper puts it. ?It lets us travel the way a child travels. Round and around and back home again. To a place where we know we?re loved.?



    And Apple goes a step further. Rather than just playing up the family bond which they do with the baby crawling on the bed, the mother with the baby, and the grandparents with the graduating grandchild, Apple shows a pregnant wife getting an ultrasound and her husband in the military, presumably overseas, watching. When the wife hits the button to flip the camera and show the unborn baby on the monitor, they cut to a shot of the husband and his face drops as if he?s about to cry. It?s extremely powerful stuff.



    Then Apple kicks it up another notch. They show a girlfriend waving to a boyfriend through FaceTime just as any other couple might. Only then they reveal that the boyfriend is deaf. But thanks to the video functionality, the two can sign with one another. The commercial wraps with them each looking at the phone in awe after they sign their goodbyes, as if they?ve just done something unbelievable. Something extremely important to them. And they have. It?s delicate. But potent.



    It shouldn?t be surprising that Apple hired Hollywood director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) to direct this commercial. Levels of sentiment that people often feel while watching movies rarely, if ever, travel over to advertising. But they have in this FaceTime commercial, just as they have in Draper?s Kodak presentation. It?s as if the Apple commercial borrowed a page out of the playbook that Draper was talking about in that episode.



    Apple, of course, has a history of great advertising campaigns. From the ?1984′ Super Bowl commercial (directed by another Hollywood guy, Ridley Scott), to the Think Different campaign, to the Get a Mac spots, each was effective at conveying different things about the brand. But this latest commercial is the first (to my knowledge) that really aims to connect with people on a deep emotional level. And it?s going to help Apple sell a massive amount of iPhone 4s.To people like my friend.



    http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/10/app...me-commercial/
  • Reply 5 of 70
    These ads are absolutely incredible.
  • Reply 6 of 70
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Really nice and effective ads.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    The new spots demonstrate Apple's marketing savvy, as each spot tugs a customers' heartstrings, rather than simply bragging about hardware specs by comparing smartphones to some kind of an alien invasion (as Verizon's odd Droid ads), or presenting a creepy woman muttering about esoteric features (as Palm did with its bizarre Pre commercials).



  • Reply 7 of 70
    bushman4bushman4 Posts: 858member
    Incredible marketing. Stories that could be in anyones life. These commercials really show the need for FACETIME. And they really are heart tweakers.

    Have to give Apple credit...........the BEST at what they do.
  • Reply 8 of 70
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider


    The new spots demonstrate Apple's marketing savvy, as each spot tugs a customers' heartstrings, rather than simply bragging about hardware specs by comparing smartphones to some kind of an alien invasion (as Verizon's odd Droid ads), or presenting a creepy woman muttering about esoteric features (as Palm did with its bizarre Pre commercials).



    Hilarious!



    Fortunately for consumer it?s not just brilliant marketing, but brilliant HW and SW to back it up.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    There is a certain presupposition in these ads that facetme is ubiquitous and that people are using it daily as the actors don't seem at all amazed by the new technology. That is the main message. People have been using Apple video calls since forever...



    I think you?re absolutely correct.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NasserAE View Post


    Really nice and effective ads.



    Agreed. I don?t see myself using FaceTime much, as I have rarely used it on my Mac with iChat A/V, Skype or other apps, but they sure make me want to.
  • Reply 9 of 70
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    "or presenting a creepy woman muttering about esoteric features"



    I though she was cute. Not beautiful, just cute. She just had a bad director.
  • Reply 10 of 70
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    Any time a fandroid starts yapping about how he can customize the crap out of his Android phone's wallpaper or home screen, just tell him this: "It's not what you can do to your phone. It's what your phone can do for you."



    You can follow that up with "So who's really the Android? You or your phone?"



    And any time a fandroid spouts screen size specs, or raves about how great AMOLED looks by candlelight, or slides out an archaic hardware keyboard, just ask him "Does 'Droid do' anything to actually make your life better?"
  • Reply 11 of 70
    unknownzunknownz Posts: 14member
    Still don't want one.
  • Reply 12 of 70
    albimalbim Posts: 68member
    Was I the only one expecting the woman to take off her clothes in the last commercial?
  • Reply 13 of 70
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    The new spots demonstrate Apple's marketing savvy, as each spot tugs a customers' heartstrings, rather than simply bragging about hardware specs by comparing smartphones to some kind of an alien invasion (as Verizon's odd Droid ads), or presenting a creepy woman muttering about esoteric features (as Palm did with its bizarre Pre commercials).



    I cringe at the thought of how Microsoft might copy and modify this.



    Wait, I've got it:



  • Reply 14 of 70
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by amex View Post


    So what?



    Welcome to AppleInsider.



    Seriously though, this is some next-level (or at least other-level) kind of stuff.



    Totally no focus on normal calls or reception or data speeds (muah ha ha ha ha) ... or the full glass and external antenna design (muah ah ah ha ha ha x2) ... or more seriously, no focus on apps.



    Bold, certainly emotive, brave (no background music at all!) ... and centered on relationships between people (which is what FaceTime would be used for, most likely).



    And... kids and babies and families, yet again. I feel left out, because I'm single, no kids (and not working on one at the moment), not one of the ethnicities represented (well okay I'm half-Chinese, so kinda represented LOL), and my dad doesn't have a bushy beard, unfortunately.



    Don't take me too seriously, just typing off-the-cuff here.



    What is interesting is that the main user is your 18-35 year old male in all the ads. They do all centre around being in a relationship, 3 of which involve children. This main user, or protagonist, I would say, is NEVER SHOWN. Which in other words, puts the viewer, and target audience of 18-35 males, as the protagonist. In other words, the viewer of the ads *becomes* the one interacting with the person on the other side of the video call. Quite intriguing.
  • Reply 15 of 70
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    The shy girl with braces ad is a rip of a milk ad from years ago. I couldn't find it on

    YouTube. Does anyone remember? The girl in the milk ad was way cuter and a much

    better actress.
  • Reply 16 of 70
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ALBIM View Post


    Was I the only one expecting the woman to take off her clothes in the last commercial?



    Mate, trust me, you're definitely not.



    In any FaceTime ad, past, present or future, anything that involves a reasonably attractive woman of legal age of consent... I expect (or at least imagine) some nudity to happen.
  • Reply 17 of 70
    Now see, there is some seriously powerful advertising.



    Specs don't mean shit, it's passed specs now, specs were when extra mattered, when you were selling to people who even knew what they meant. Basically anything you buy now can do anything you want, unless you are a professional and use them as tools to create content and even then unless you have very deep pockets it still doesn't really matter.



    Man, I like these adverts better than I like the iPhone 4 or the iPad.



    This is a genius above design. As the poster above said, no music, nothing. Just 100% focus on the emotions and the interaction.



    To echo another comment up above, fortunately the way FaceTime is designed makes for an ad like this to be possible. Cause it would look awful on what is currently considered video calling via mobile phone.



    Apple just figured it out.
  • Reply 18 of 70
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BUSHMAN4 View Post


    Incredible marketing. Stories that could be in anyones life...



    Not mine... *sniff* Maybe it means I should get a Droid instead. Or that Dell Streak.
  • Reply 19 of 70
    sailorpaulsailorpaul Posts: 322member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by amex View Post


    So what?



    LMAO Because once again Apple about to define an entirely new market -- and by being first to claim it in this way Apple will OWN the positioning in everyone's mind. Every single following attempt by any mfg/vendor is going to be judged and related/tied in a prospect's mind to these engaging Apple ads and Apple's FaceTime.
  • Reply 20 of 70
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SailorPaul View Post


    LMAO Because once again Apple about to define an entirely new market -- and by being first to claim it in this way Apple will OWN the positioning in everyone's mind. Every single following attempt by any mfg/vendor is going to be judged and related/tied in a prospect's mind to these engaging Apple ads and Apple's FaceTime.



    And in any case iPhone and iPad on a global scale will be pretty much in high demand going into at least the end of 2011. OWN is a good term you have used.



    Sure, the world may end up with more Android phones out there than anything else, but Apple's role now is simply to make iPhones and iPads fast enough while maintaining quality and support.
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