Apple debuts new banners in retail stores, showcases iPhone and iPad through photography

Posted:
in General Discussion edited July 2014
Apple Store employees around the world have been installing new light box wall graphics showing a completely different style than the usual product close-ups overlaid atop stark white backgrounds.



As seen in the above photo, the refreshed banner style is a departure from previous in-store ad installations, marking a shift in art style that also changes the mood of Apple's brick-and-mortar outlets, reports ifo Apple Store.

Whereas the previous banners created a sense of openness with their bright colors and plentiful negative space, Apple's new signage takes on a photographic style that resembles glossy print ads.

Looking closely at the wall hangings, some scenes appear to be inspired by Apple's recent iPhone and iPad television commercial campaigns. For example, the middle photo in the image above looks like it was taken from the recent "Your Verse" iPad spot featuring composer/conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, while the picture to its right appears to be borrowed from an ad highlighting travel writer Cherie King. The banners don't looks to be actual screenshots, however.




According to the publication, Apple Store employees and customers have been posting photos of the new in-store dressing to social networks. So far, it looks as though Apple's banners are limited to the iPhone and iPad product lines.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    I approve of this change. It takes a step in warming up Apple's otherwise clinical stores. Some of Apple's best advertising has been since the debut of the iPad, which was the first time Apple really started to showcase its products in rich, lived-in environments, bringing the connection it provides between humanity and technology into that much starker a relief.

     

    I'd even go so far as to say that if they really plan to make home automation a tenant of Apple's product line, they should take a corner of their stores, transform it into a "cut-out" of a home (meaning furnish it, have some carpet, and make it look warm and inviting) and insert the relevant Apple tech into place in a way that customers can see exactly how they'd use it to replace their old way of doing things. Such a setup would do wonders in advertising the connection (and therefore the products) on its own, as the eye would be drawn to the complexity of the home environment within the cleaner background of the Apple Store.

     

    I understand the idea behind the store presentation now–that everything about the store should get out of the way of the interaction between product and customer–but said interaction in the sense of home automation would require a home in which to interact.

  • Reply 2 of 20
    Angela makes her first move!
  • Reply 3 of 20
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member

    Exactly, this is Angela's work !

  • Reply 4 of 20
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

    I approve of this change. It takes a step in warming up Apple's otherwise clinical stores.


     

    I agree that Apple needs to make their stores warmer. But they have to be careful here, because this kind of visuals is closer to general advertising than their usual visuals, which are very recognizable. They have to strike a balance in making warm yet recognizable images.

  • Reply 5 of 20
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Angela makes her first move!

    Seems incredibly quick to me. Then again, you may be right:
    Never will your objectivity be as clear or your instincts sharper than in the first 30-90 days. Cherish this time and fight the urge to overthink.

    Source:
    http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/06/23/apples-ahrendts-offers-tips-on-transitioning-to-a-new-job-in-linkedin-post
  • Reply 6 of 20
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member

    Off-subject, but your picture about Macrumors makes me think about this :

     

    A moderator sent me a warning because of that comment where I said the Samsung smartwatch was bad.

     

    The same moderator then sent me a warning when I asked someone to stop spamming a thread with the same image over and over...

     

    So I sent him a PM telling him to **** off. I don't regret it, I'm not going back to that lame website EVER.

     

  • Reply 7 of 20
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    clemynx wrote: »
    ^ post

    You also could've told him to go out and get a new Samsung device, running Android.
  • Reply 8 of 20
    Nothing new here. Big pictures. Apple slowly losing it's identity to people who don't get it. Cookie boy and Angela don't have much more time to prove that they can innovate.
  • Reply 9 of 20
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Nothing new here. Big pictures. Apple slowly losing it's identity to people who don't get it. Cookie boy and Angela don't have much more time to prove that they can innovate.

    -1
  • Reply 10 of 20
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    I approve of this change. It takes a step in warming up Apple's otherwise clinical stores. Some of Apple's best advertising has been since the debut of the iPad, which was the first time Apple really started to showcase its products in rich, lived-in environments, bringing the connection it provides between humanity and technology into that much starker a relief.

    I'd even go so far as to say that if they really plan to make home automation a tenant of Apple's product line, they should take a corner of their stores, transform it into a "cut-out" of a home (meaning furnish it, have some carpet, and make it look warm and inviting) and insert the relevant Apple tech into place in a way that customers can see exactly how they'd use it to replace their old way of doing things. <span style="line-height:1.4em;">Such a setup would do wonders in advertising the connection (and therefore the products) on its own, as the eye would be drawn to the complexity of the home environment within the cleaner background of the Apple Store.</span>


    <span style="line-height:1.4em;">I understand the idea behind the store presentation now–that everything about the</span>
    <em style="line-height:1.4em;">store</em>
    <span style="line-height:1.4em;">should get out of the way of the interaction </span>
    between<span style="line-height:1.4em;"> </span>
    product and<span style="line-height:1.4em;"> customer–but said interaction in the sense of home automation would require a home in which to interact.</span>
    All good ideas. Apple store design could use some warmth.
  • Reply 11 of 20
    undefined
  • Reply 12 of 20

    Philboogie:

     

    I didn't really expect a cogent response from you.  

     

    Care to show me the 'innovation' since the reign of the Cookie Monster?  

     

    If you think that discounting existing product lines, and installing big color pictures is innovation, we'll have to disagree.  Any Sophomore marketing student could have come up with that.

  • Reply 13 of 20
    Philboogie:

    I didn't really expect a cogent response from you.

    Care to show me the 'innovation' since the reign of the Cookie Monster?

    If you think that discounting existing product lines, and installing big color pictures is innovation, we'll have to disagree. Any Sophomore marketing student could have come up with that.
  • Reply 14 of 20
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Care to show me the 'innovation' since the reign of the Cookie Monster?

    If you can't see the innovation Apple churns out year after year, then, well, I agree; we disagree. And that is perfectly fine.
  • Reply 15 of 20
    phone-ui-guyphone-ui-guy Posts: 1,019member
    clemynx wrote: »
    Off-subject, but your picture about Macrumors makes me think about this :

    <img alt="" class="placeholder lightbox-enabled" data-id="45211" data-type="61" src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/45211/width/350/height/700/flags/LL" style="; width: 350px; height: 357px">

    A moderator sent me a warning because of that comment where I said the Samsung smartwatch was bad.

    The same moderator then sent me a warning when I asked someone to stop spamming a thread with the same image over and over...

    So I sent him a PM telling him to **** off. I don't regret it, I'm not going back to that lame website EVER.

    <img alt="" class="placeholder lightbox-enabled" data-id="45212" data-type="61" src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/45212/width/350/height/700/flags/LL" style="; width: 350px; height: 195px">

    I got an infraction for responding to someone's long and insightful comment with a "very well said". It seems I was too short and it was a meaningless comment. I told them they were rediculous and to delete my account. No regrets here.
  • Reply 16 of 20
    trumptmantrumptman Posts: 16,464member

    I like the new banners. The shots are very attractive and we need a bit more color in our lives sometimes. Early Apple stores seemed to have floor that were a wood finish from what I recall and now the larger stores all seem to have a treated concrete. As others have noted that just leave one feeling cold so the photos really do liven up the place.

  • Reply 17 of 20
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    I hope eventually all of their in-store signage are Retina-quality displays so they can just update imagery automatically.
  • Reply 18 of 20
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post

    If you can’t see the innovation Apple churns out year after year, then, well, leave our website and go spew your lies elsewhere. And that is perfectly fine.

     

    Fixed that for you.

  • Reply 19 of 20
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Phone-UI-Guy View Post

     
    I got an infraction for responding to someone's long and insightful comment with a "very well said". It seems I was too short and it was a meaningless comment. I told them they were rediculous and to delete my account. No regrets here.


    We should institute a 3 day ban for anyone using the "innovate" word unless it is followed by "my ass".

  • Reply 20 of 20
    Now Microsoft will have to go do the same in the few stores they haven't closed yet.

    I really like the change. The old stark white background banners were great in their time, but this is a good change and freshens the atmosphere. So much better then the previous idiot's idea of cutting back on the store cleaning to "save" money.
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