Wednesday, 19 March 2019
Nothing else shaped the narrative of B2C companies like the video commercials. These ads have been fundamental in building the perception, emotion and knowledge of products, businesses, services and brands. Over the years, we had plenty of ads created by the tech giants, from Silicon Valley to Japan. However, very few of them changed the world – three, to be exact. Here they are.
No 3: "iPod Shuffle" by Apple, 2005
With the release of the first iPod, Apple changed the audiophiles world forever. You no longer needed to carry tons of music disks and cassettes. You had a 1000 songs in your pocket. With the release of iPod shuffle, Apple changed the music world again and showed everyone music can fit on a tiny device.
The iPod Shuffle ad was the first to use the iconic silhouette style so brilliantly, combined with perfect theme and some strong lyrics towards the competitors, who struggled to understand the ongoing Apple revolution: "It's easy once you know how it's done. You can't stop now, it's already begun."
No 2: "The Crazy Ones" by Steve Jobs, 1997
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he immediately began to shift the brand's image back to the unicorn it was in the early days. The legendary "Think Different" campaign was just that. One of the milestones in this effort was the following video, originally aired and narrated by Richard Dreyfuss in 1997. However, recently an even better version surfaced that was narrated by Steve Jobs himself.
Without a doubt this short piece of an ad is one of the best inspirational commercial ever produced. It doesn't focus on the business, nor on the product. It makes you want be part of the new, the better – the future. Because only the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
No 1: "Pure Imagination" by Microsoft, 2016
Under Steve Jobs, Apple had several years of greatness. With the releases of iPhone and iPad, everyone looked at Apple as the absolute leaders of innovation, marketing and sales. However, with later versions, these Apple products stalled and became cash cows instead of breakthroughs.
While Apple went more and more towards a rinse-and-repeat release cycle, Microsoft began an crucial restructure of all its departments. After some time of internal turmoil and hard work, they released this one product in 2016 that would drastically change their brand's perception overnight.
Surface Studio was advertised with this single video that instantly sent shivers down your spine. It included an iconic remake of the classic song "Pure Imagination", performed exclusively for this ad by Stephanie Tarling and arranged by the Halo 4 music composer, Nathan Lanier.
It ran with a series of hardware close-up shots followed by an amazing render of the Studio's revolutionary all-in-one computer stand coming into pieces, delivering an instant feeling of witnessing revolutionary technology right before us. The final touch of this commercial comes near the end, showing infinite possibilities of using the combined Microsoft hardware and software, bound only by your "pure imagination."
On this day, Microsoft brand started to look and act like Apple's under Steve Jobs. Microsoft showed the world it's on the path to change the world – after all, "there's nothing to it..." All the while Apple is struggling to keep its image under Tim Cook.
Marek