Well Played, Apple

The realm of the Apple industry has flourished over the years with its innovative new products and eye catching retro appeal. It is due to their advertising campaigns that have helped the Apple Corporation to grow and reach out to the technology, thirsty society. It is through their advertisements that a company, like Apple, is capable of creating a face for their product while attempting to expand their consumer culture and promoting their productive forces. As a sheep to the Apple herd and a fellow loser in the iPod battle, I have been hypnotized with the rest of society by the vibrant colors and exceedingly happy people dancing around with their Apple products. The ads create an identity for the consumers of these products as well as a seemingly basic lifestyle filled with happiness, in juxtaposition with the current popular culture exposed in each advertisement produced.
One of the first iPod commercials ever introduces the product with a middle-aged man on, of course, his Apple Macbook laptop listening to music in his apartment. He plays the catchy hit by the Propellers from his iTunes Library and cannot help but dance around in his apartment leading him to download it onto his newest device, the iPod. When this advertisement aired the whole iTunes cultural interest had not truly sparked in comparison to its popularity today, so it was rather clever of Apple to link these two devices together, giving the impression to society that one solely works in accordance with the other. It continues to suggest how easy it is for just anyone to obtain music on your Apple computer through your Apple application of iTunes, and then to transfer it to your, oh so portable, iPod that can conveniently go- wherever you do. This commercial did so much more than promote the purchase of the iPod, “1,000 songs in your pocket.” It conveyed to the audience a man blissfully dancing his head off to this catchy tune from his iTunes library, and made people ask themselves, “What is this great song?” Then shrewdly allowing the viewer to see the name and artist of the track during the commercial, that then created an another promotion campaign for the band, Propellerheads and their song, “Take California.”
Apple in this particular commercial is selling far more than what meets the eye. It is selling a personality, by having the Mac, iTunes, and this new iPod you will be carefree, take off your glasses, and dance around your house and even right out the door due to the portability of the device. It creates a persona for the owner of the iPod by showing this character identity of the average man who is able to easily access the features that Apple provides. Apple is telling the society through its commercial that this is attainable through the purchase of their products. It develops the iPod and computer into a commodity that is practically required, by the culture of technology, in order to obtain the persona exemplified in the advertisement.
Who needs MTV with a commercial like the ones being produced by Apple? With the, one of many, iPod commercials flashing bright colors and dark figures listening and dancing to their favorite gadget the iPod, Apple basically eliminates the purpose of music television. Yes, that may be drastic. In 2005, Apple produced a commercial like this- introducing Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” Through the silhouettes of the multiple people featured in the video, no faces or color can be seen. This way Apple tells its consumers that the owner of the iPod is any race and any sex, it’s everyone. Seeing this commercial and being sucked in to the flashing pink, yellow, green, and purple background and unthinkably vivacious people, the iPod is made somewhat more valuable than the music.
Ultimately, advertisements are in a large way a reflection of the current culture and state of society. In terms of Apple advertisements, there is much more than just the promotion of an iPod. Apple’s influence of the idea that everything is connected within their many products makes the consumer willing to buy one of each product. A subliminal message is being sent, that as a person living in our society one may not live fully without one of the Apple products. This is suggested through their happy and vibrant ads that involve people dancing and living care free thanks to their simplistic products. And I am not going to lie, they actually work. Seeing these advertisements for Apple makes me want to run to the nearest retail store and purchase the latest, tiniest blue mp3 player so I can dance by myself to my most recent iTunes download, and I know I am not the only one.

~Maddy Weese