Eminem iTunes ad airs on network television

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Despite its suspicious disappearance from Apple's website last week, a new iTunes ad featuring rap superstar Eminem appeared to be in moderately-heavy rotation on network television this past Sunday.



According to tipsters and first-hand accounts, the commercial could be seen several times during Sunday afternoon football on CBS. It also appeared on the Warner Brothers network, reports indicate.



The 30-second spot 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.



While introducing the ad at a special press event last week, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs told the crowd that Apple had been working on the concept for two-and-a-half years.



The ad appeared on Apple's website for download immediately following the special event but disappeared within a few hours with no explanation. Rumors then surfaced that Apple had pulled the ad because it was made aware of its similarity to this 2002 Lugz shoe commercial.



It remains unclear precisely why the ad was removed from Apple's website.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 48
    Why is this such a big story?
  • Reply 2 of 48
    I did find it funny that that ad turned up missing. I was trying to show it to a friend with no luck. As a graphic designer and someone who makes videos, I'd say that while the two are similar, there are bound to be similarities between tv ads. With so much content being generated, a few things are bound to look alike. I much prefer Apples ad btw.
  • Reply 3 of 48
    It looks like they're working on putting the ad back online (http://www.apple.com/itunes/). This is the direct link: http://www.apple.com/itunes/ads (it currently just loops back to http://www.apple.com/itunes.



    I think that there might have been an agreement to put the ad online at a certain date and someone just jumped the gun.
  • Reply 4 of 48
    I thought one of the problems was the clip where Eminem seems to shove the dancer wearing the iPod. I didn't like it and I thought that maybe other people complained about that. Whether what we saw was the case, some of us interpreted it as a hostile gesture.



    In the version I saw during the Astros game yesterday, that clip seemed to appear later in the commercial than when I saw it at the Oct. 12 event.



    Do anyone agree or disagree?
  • Reply 5 of 48
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Yes I noticed that too and thought it was kind of eerie when attention was drawn to it, and was worried it could be bad for Apple PR. Hope they pulled it.
  • Reply 6 of 48
    louzerlouzer Posts: 1,054member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Aquatic

    Yes I noticed that too and thought it was kind of eerie when attention was drawn to it, and was worried it could be bad for Apple PR. Hope they pulled it.



    Oh, please. Who gives a flying leap! You don't think Apple's people saw the ad before it aired? You don't think someone would have brought it up at the meeting? "Hey, M&M is pushing someone wearing our product. This is going to make us look bad, because people shouldn't be pushing people wearing iPods."



    And to think I thought bad PR for Apple would've been all those exploding iMac G5s and iBooks with bad motherboards (which, in case you didn't know, Apple hasn't fixed, they just keep replacing one bad motherboard with a newer one that will go bad sometime in the future, hopefully for apple after your 3 years warranty is up so you'll be forced to get a new computer).
  • Reply 7 of 48
    Its back online and a good thing. I don't like Eminem that much but this is a quality ad.
  • Reply 8 of 48
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Woo woo.
  • Reply 9 of 48
    It doesn't really look accidental, to me anyway. Em pushes his hand at the guy, there's a paint splash signifying contact, and then the guy goes flying back. I don't see how it could be any more intentional looking. What's wrong with Em pushing some guy around anyway? "Hmm, if I get an iPod, some big time artist might knock me down." I don't really see that coming from the ad.
  • Reply 10 of 48
    I noticed the shove, and thought it was an odd touch, but no big deal.



    I think it looks a LOT like the Lugz ad.
  • Reply 11 of 48
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    It would be typical for him to do this though. His music is violent. That's his trademark.



    I don't like it, but Apple is more interested in his "cool" popularity to keep them on the edge their younger fans like.



    It's too bad, but...
  • Reply 12 of 48
    Quote:

    Originally posted by macFanDave

    I thought one of the problems was the clip where Eminem seems to shove the dancer wearing the iPod. I didn't like it and I thought that maybe other people complained about that. Whether what we saw was the case, some of us interpreted it as a hostile gesture.



    In the version I saw during the Astros game yesterday, that clip seemed to appear later in the commercial than when I saw it at the Oct. 12 event.



    Do anyone agree or disagree?




    How P.C. It's a rap artist who is used to "moshing" with his audience. I suppose just "keepin' it real" is too disturbing to those with sensitivity issues.



    You get more hostility at a local grocery store than you do in that video.



    You get more hostility in 10 seconds of evening television as well. Do you complain to the FCC about this mistreatment of actors?
  • Reply 13 of 48
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by mdriftmeyer

    How P.C. It's a rap artist who is used to "moshing" with his audience. I suppose just "keepin' it real" is too disturbing to those with sensitivity issues.



    You get more hostility at a local grocery store than you do in that video.



    You get more hostility in 10 seconds of evening television as well. Do you complain to the FCC about this mistreatment of actors?




    While TV violence is understood to be acted and written so as to imitate the worst of society, he comes across as someone who advocates real violence. Some of his *lyrics* call for pretty sick action.



    While in these shows the "bad guys" get it in the end, he is one of these "bad guys", at least in his music.
  • Reply 14 of 48
  • Reply 15 of 48
    Just an FYI, here is the story you are looking for about the similatities between the 2 commercials. Sad to see such a blatant rip-off.



    http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2005...nemapple_.html
  • Reply 16 of 48
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by rollerbladers

    Just an FYI, here is the story you are looking for about the similatities between the 2 commercials. Sad to see such a blatant rip-off.



    http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2005...nemapple_.html




    They seem quite different to me. If the color was not similar, nobody would mention it.



    The apple ad is all paint splashy, and the Lugz ad has quite a different feel with the black marker and the breakdancing.
  • Reply 17 of 48
    louzerlouzer Posts: 1,054member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by AppleInsider



    The ad appeared on Apple's website for download immediately following the special event but disappeared within a few hours with no explanation. Rumors then surfaced that Apple had pulled the ad because it was made aware of its similarity to this 2002 Lugz shoe commercial.



    It remains unclear precisely why the ad was removed from Apple's website.




    Maybe Apple just like playing with the Mac-heads whose lives revolve around anything and everything Apple does. Sort of like trademarking "Vingle". Or registering the domain name "mammals.com" (or was it 'mammals.org'?). Boy, that started a whole "What are they doing?" "OMG! Finally, a mac for all primates, not just humans!", etc, etc, etc.
  • Reply 18 of 48
    Quote:

    Originally posted by e1618978

    They seem quite different to me. If the color was not similar, nobody would mention it.



    The apple ad is all paint splashy, and the Lugz ad has quite a different feel with the black marker and the breakdancing.




    Maybe you should take another look at that.







    Also, maybe you should take a look at the Landscape. And maybe at the camera movement. Perhaps take a look at the characters motion. Or what about the graffiti. Then take a glance at the black silhouetted figures....



    ...need any more similarities? Cause there are a lot of them.
  • Reply 19 of 48
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by rollerbladers

    Maybe you should take another look at that.







    Also, maybe you should take a look at the Landscape. And maybe at the camera movement. Perhaps take a look at the characters motion. Or what about the graffiti. Then take a glance at the black silhouetted figures....



    ...need any more similarities? Cause there are a lot of them.




    All of those things are common to many ads.
  • Reply 20 of 48
    Quote:

    Originally posted by e1618978

    All of those things are common to many ads.



    I think you are missing the point here. Regardless of many ads having similar qualities (though rarely are so many shared in between 2 ads - thus the "rip-off" claim). What we are talking about here is similarity of concept. Now if you can point out the dissimilarity in the concepts, and we are talking visual concepts here, then please prove me wrong.
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