Apple pulls new Eminem ad spot

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple on Wednesday removed from its website a new iPod commercial featuring rap star Eminem only hours after it premiered to analysts and the media.



The 30-second spot was shown during the company's special media event, where Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled an all-new iPod and an updated iMac computer.



The commercial takes a new three-dimensional video approach to the "silhouette" ads popularized in Apple's recent iPod television campaigns, combining an iconic effect with music video-style filmography.



Jobs told the crowd that Apple had been working on the ad concept for two-and-a-half years. "It takes our silhouette campaign up to a whole new level," he said.Â*



The ad was received well by the audience during Jobs' keynote and was met by even louder applause than those following U2's iPod video ad. Jobs played the ad twice for attendees, and said it would premier on television in one to two weeks.Â*



The ad features Eminem performing his hit single "Lose Yourself," a song that was at the center of another controversy involving Apple in 2004.



About 18 months ago, Eight Mile Style, the music publisher for Eminem, filed a lawsuit against Apple claiming it used one of Eminem's songs in a television advertisement without permission.Â*



The ad was one of the first to promote Apple's iTunes Music Store, which launched in 2003. It featured a 10-year-old singing "Lose Yourself" while listening to his iPod. Jobs showed the ad alongside several other similar spots. The commercial initially aired on MTV in July 2003.



Eight Mile Style, the music publisher for Eminem, said Apple used song rendition without permission. The suit also named MTV parent company Viacom and advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day.Â*



In a statement regarding the matter, a representative Eight Mile Style wrote, "at no time did Apple, Chiat/Day or MTV receive authorization or permission to record, reproduce, perform, transmit, copy, use or otherwise exploit the composition ("Lose Yourself") for any purpose."



Apple eventually settled the issue with Eminem/Eight Mile Style in early 2005 for an undisclosed cash sum.



It's unclear what legal issue -- if anyÂ* -- lead Apple to withdraw the new "silhouette" ad.



Eminem's music is often the focus of much controversy, but "Lose Yourself" is regarded as one of his more tame tracks.Â*



Although Apple has removed all traces of the commercial from its Web site, it can still be viewed as a part of the video stream of Jobs' keynote.



In related news, the rapper left rehab yesterday, after receiving two months of treatment for a drug addiction.



News of the ad removal first appeared on iPod news site, iPodNN.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Haha, eminem is going to sue Apple again.
  • Reply 2 of 28
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BRussell

    Haha, eminem is going to sue Apple again.



    Who listens to that crap anyway? (ducks)
  • Reply 3 of 28
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    Messing with Eminem and his lawayers is ADDICTIVE FUN!
  • Reply 4 of 28
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Maybe Eminem doesn't want any publicity right now since he JUST left rehab. Give it a week or two, let it blow over, and then release the ad.



    I highly doubt Apple would have made the same mistake twice on the SAME song.



    By the way, not only is it "more tame" than his other songs, but it also won an Academy Award.
  • Reply 5 of 28
    Perhaps Eminem "lost himself" in rehab and it hit too close to home.



    I hope he does intend to retire as promised. I predict it might last as long as two years, then when he realizes he's no longer popular and his cash wad is dwindling quickly, he'll emerge from retirement with a "Still an Ass Clown" comeback album and tour.



  • Reply 6 of 28
    What I find odd about the removal of the ad is that Eminem appears in it! That is hime perfoming the song in the ad isnt it? Which means he gave approval for shooting and showing the ad. Its too bad. Whatever you feel about Eminem and his music, you have to agree that its a cool ad.
  • Reply 7 of 28
    swiftswift Posts: 436member
    Everybody seems to think that Eminem is the cause of this being pulled. That ain't necessarily so. Maybe Jobs got a good look at it and saw something he didn't like. The famous perfectionist might have asked that it be reworked.
  • Reply 8 of 28
    Didn't Steve say that the advert will be broadcast on TV in a couple of weeks. Maybe contractually Apple cannot 'show' this particular TV Spot until the date agreed by all parties, including putting it on their website.



    If it was a 'serious' contractual violation, I am sure the event stream would have edited the eminem ad out.



    It will be back, i am sure!
  • Reply 9 of 28
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Swift

    Maybe Jobs got a good look at it and saw something he didn't like. The famous perfectionist might have asked that it be reworked.



    Am I the only one who saw it?



    Just after Eminem appears he seems to shove the dancer with the iPod and knock him over. I'm not sure that is what actually happened, but I that's the impression I got.



    If I were a CEO, I wouldn't air a commercial where my product (or someone using it) was getting abused or assaulted. Now, maybe what I think I saw was some odd ritual like a chest bump, but from my ignorant of hip-hop point-of-view, it seemed like an unfriendly knockdown.
  • Reply 10 of 28
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    If that's the case, there might have been people who approached Steve afterward and said, "Yeah, um, you know when Eminem pushes that guy in the ad. Not real cool. Probably not an image you want out there."
  • Reply 11 of 28
    bill mbill m Posts: 324member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by macFanDave

    Am I the only one who saw it?



    Just after Eminem appears he seems to shove the dancer with the iPod and knock him over. I'm not sure that is what actually happened, but I that's the impression I got.



    If I were a CEO, I wouldn't air a commercial where my product (or someone using it) was getting abused or assaulted. Now, maybe what I think I saw was some odd ritual like a chest bump, but from my ignorant of hip-hop point-of-view, it seemed like an unfriendly knockdown.




    Right on target, macFanDave. I posted a similar point of view on another board the day of the Keynote presentation. That particulat thread got mysteriously deleted, but either way, I came to the same conclusion you did after watching the ad Jobs presented on stage. I'm also on the same boat regarding hip-hop, but that scene looked too negative, during an otherwise cool video. Even watching the microphone drop at the end of the ad didn't seem right to me.



    Now that the ad has been removed from Apple's website, I think there is no doubt some serious concerns were raised by people who had not previously seen it. My guess is that it is being re-worked and toned down a bit before we see on broadcast TV.
  • Reply 12 of 28
    xoolxool Posts: 2,460member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by richieg261

    Didn't Steve say that the advert will be broadcast on TV in a couple of weeks. Maybe contractually Apple cannot 'show' this particular TV Spot until the date agreed by all parties, including putting it on their website.



    If it was a 'serious' contractual violation, I am sure the event stream would have edited the eminem ad out.



    It will be back, i am sure!




    I think this is the most logical answer I've read so far. While the ad was pulled from the site, it is still in the webcast, so I expect we'll see it at some point.
  • Reply 13 of 28
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Bill M

    I think there is no doubt some serious concerns were raised by people who had not previously seen it.



    a.k.a. Apple's attorneys.
  • Reply 14 of 28
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Um, ya'll know how ads are made, right?



    They get story boarded out the wazoo, endlessly vetted, refined, modified, refined some more, tweaked, market tested, modified and tweaked some more.



    All in close collaboration with the client (AKA His Steveness). And that's just normally obsessive clients-- Steve is at another level altogether when it comes to controlling the message.



    The idea that somebody just sort of went off and made an ad and sprung it on Steve at the last moment so that only then he could realize there was something he didn't like is...... highly implausible.
  • Reply 15 of 28
    bill mbill m Posts: 324member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by addabox

    ...

    The idea that somebody just sort of went off and made an ad and sprung it on Steve at the last moment so that only then he could realize there was something he didn't like is...... highly implausible.




    That's why I said that people who had not seen it, not Jobs, probably raised some concerns. There were lots of media savvy people at that presentation; perhaps even TV network executives on hand for the iTunes / TV shows part of the Keynote. Maybe it is not graphic enough to be considered violence, but the few frames long action certainly denotes a negative attitude associated with the main character. IMHO, a no-no in a major advertising campaign.



    Using Eminem on any ad is borderline risky, to say the least. For obvious reasons. While doing so may appeal to a very large portion of the iPod market (who enjoy his music), it could also alieanate other segments of the target audience. If on top of this you add images that have nothing to do with the coolness of the iPod, you end up with a less than "pristine" ad. Plain and simple. Maybe Jobs and his team were too obsessed with the WOW factor of it for whatever time it took to produce and refine. Perhaps fresh eyes gave them a slightly new and valid perspective on it.



    We'll all know how this shared point of view weighs in, if and when the ad premieres on national TV.
  • Reply 16 of 28
    The ad is available on my server, here :

    iPod + iTunes Eminem Ad
  • Reply 17 of 28
    Quote:

    Originally posted by addabox

    Um, ya'll know how ads are made, right?



    They get story boarded out the wazoo, endlessly vetted, refined, modified, refined some more, tweaked, market tested, modified and tweaked some more.



    All in close collaboration with the client (AKA His Steveness). And that's just normally obsessive clients-- Steve is at another level altogether when it comes to controlling the message.



    The idea that somebody just sort of went off and made an ad and sprung it on Steve at the last moment so that only then he could realize there was something he didn't like is...... highly implausible.




    Well, that's the way we thought ads were made, but look at the first Eminem debacle and you've got to realize that there is some X factor in commercials. There are plenty that air for a short time until some group objects. One of my favorites was a Nike ad where a famous women's long distance runner gets pursued by a chainsaw wielding maniac in a hockey mask. She takes off with her beautiful stride and the maniac gives chase for a little while and then doubles over in exhaustion. I thought it was a great ad promoting fitness for women, but others thought it glorified violence towards women. Guess who won?
  • Reply 18 of 28
    I thought the style of the ad was kickin but em's tune is dusty. Steve can get another top performer to create about as much hype as this with a whole lot less legal pains. No controversy with the ad. Just more legal cries from em's camp I think. Don't be suprised to see the ad at a later date though, once they work out the $$ issues.
  • Reply 19 of 28
    kreshkresh Posts: 379member
    heh, Apple better tell their ad agency then. I just saw the ad on CBS during the football game.
  • Reply 20 of 28
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kresh

    heh, Apple better tell their ad agency then. I just saw the ad on CBS during the football game.



    you watching the Bronco's and Patriot's too? I just saw the ad a few minutes ago too.



    Go Bears!
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