When a UK-based student spent one of his lazy days making an advert for Apple’s new iPod touch to put on YouTube, probably the last thing he expected was it to be snapped up by the US computing giant and used as part of their TV advertising campaign. But that is precisely what happened.
Companies have always listened to their customers to ensure they have got the finger on the pulse of what their brand stands for. Apple, however, have taken this one step further by actually using their customers’ input first-hand to advertise the brands. After all, no-one knows better what ‘their’ brand means to them than the people who own the brand - the customer.
Student’s Ad Gets a Remake, and Makes the Big Time
By STUART ELLIOTT
Published: October 26, 2007
A television commercial for the new iPod Touch from Apple, scheduled to begin running on Sunday, is being created by the longtime Apple agency, TBWA/Chiat/Day. It is based on a commercial that an 18-year-old English student — an Apple devotee named Nick Haley, who says he got his first Macintosh when he was 3 — created on his own one day last month.
His spot offers a fast-paced tour of the abilities of the iPod Touch, set to a song titled “Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex� by a Brazilian band, CSS.
Mr. Haley said he was inspired to make the commercial by a lyric in the song, “My music is where I’d like you to touch.�
He based the visual elements on video clips about the iPod Touch and other new products, which can be watched on the Apple Web site (apple.com). He uploaded his commercial to YouTube, where it received four stars out of a possible five and comments that ranged from “That’s awesome,� followed by 16 exclamation points, to “Makes me want to buy one and hack it.�
As of yesterday, Mr. Haley’s spot has been viewed 2,131 times on youtube.com. Among the viewers were marketing employees at Apple in Cupertino, Calif., who asked staff members on the Apple account at TBWA/Chiat/Day to get in touch with Mr. Haley about producing a professional version of the commercial.
“I was sitting on the bus and I got this e-mail on my phone,� Mr. Haley, a native of Warwick, England, said in an interview yesterday from the University of Leeds, where he is a “fresher,� or first-year student.
The message said, “ ‘We represent Apple and we’ve seen what you have produced and we’d like a chat with you,’ � Mr. Haley recalled, adding: “This seemed ridiculous and far-fetched. My initial reaction was, someone wanted to steal it.�
He was soon convinced that the message was real and came to Los Angeles this month, in his first visit to the United States, to work on a broadcast-ready version of his spot with creative executives at TBWA/Chiat/Day, part of the TBWA Worldwide division of the Omnicom Group.
“That’s the whole point of advertising; it needs to get to the user,� Mr. Haley said. “If you get the user to make the ads, who better?�
Who better indeed! You can view the advert for yourself below.
