Zune & Rogue Wave
Posted on November 15th, 2007 by auto
I happen to really like Zune advertising. I also happen to really like the band Rogue Wave. When you put them together you get a Zune commercial of nothing but pure creativity. I want to say this is one of the first spots W + K did on their recently acquired Zune account, but not sure. 72andSunny had the account before, but Microsoft threw more money into their Zune ad budget and switched agencies. Not too bad. Oh, and the name of the song is, “Lake Michigan.”
Technorati Tags: Beyond Madison Avenue, Zune, W + K, 72 and Sunny, Rogue Wave, Commercial
Filed under: Uncategorized
Repetition, especially to excess, is hard on...
Apple has dominated the Mp3 player market for such a long time, partly because their commercials have been so catchy and memorable. I like this commercial, and I love the Zune… we’ll just have to wait and see the effectiveness of this campaign versus the new iPod commercial.
And yeah, this song is awesome. Thanks for that insight!
Any idea why this video is no longer available to view? There must be an interesting reason for the sudden withdrawal at YouTube. Pity!
i see a fundamental flaw in this commercial. To me it spend 45 seconds NOT showing the zune. In an iPod commercial, usually 100% of the commercial is showing the iPod.
I think in the end people will forget what this is for.
Matt makes a very good point. The commercial concentrates too much on this otherworldly theme — which is cool, but not very useful. Kudos for using a Rogue Wave song, but Apple already uses cool artists as well.
Microsoft could beat Apple by creating something that makes buying and enjoying music very easy — no matter what Operating System is used.
Matt’s point doesn’t take into account what the commercial is trying to do - Demonstrate the product’s actual function. The Zune allows you to imerse yourself into your choice of media. This is a surreal demonstration of the function of the zune. I think it really works. It tells a story. lets review it.Woman touches media player screen. Woman finds herself inside surreal media library. Woman climbs into media. Woman skips to next media selection and to the next. Woman finds herself immersed in the perfect media for the moment. Apple ipod (now classic) has a simple and iconic advertising system in place. But really, I’ve already seen them all. Even the ones that haven’t been made yet. And I’m pretty sure McCaan Erickson is doing these as well.
This seems like the classic case of when the concept gets in the way of the product. Sure. It’s imaginative and bright and creative, but it’s so esoteric that it’s going to lose the average consumer who just bought a new ipod touch because it was so easy to understand. This is officially not how you dethrone a brilliantly marketed behemoth in the ipod. Nice music. Nicely shot. But, I’ve had better.
I like this spot. I really do. The soundtrack and visuals are lovely. Plus the girl is cute! But I really don’t think the problem is the marketing. Someone gave me a Zune for free once. But I couldn’t use it because it only works with PCs. A couple weeks ago, Zune threw a party at Skylight, had Peter & Bjorn (of P,B and J) DJing. And they gave away Zunes in the Goodie Bags! Cool right? But is it going to convince me and my friends to buy a Zune? Not anytime soon. Cool spot though!
I don’t think they need to show the zune the whole time. The bookending worked well for me.
Apple dominates the market for one single reason - they focus on showing people how easy and fun it is to use the product. In this commercial you see her press the button maybe twice. The iPod release and even the iPhone emphasize the product in conjunction with the experience simultaneously. All other devices tend to start with the device, then move to something completely abstract, then return. Or maybe not even show it until the very end. For mobile devices that is a very poor way to gain buyers.
The music is okay - but forgettable too. Don’t get me wrong, I like Rogue Wave - but songs like Fiesta’s are so memorable. A good beat isn’t enough - Apple has a way of selecting music that surrounds you and sticks with you.
Zune is completely missing the mark here and I wish they would get away from so much ethereal imagery and focus on the product throughout the ad. Take a second peak at the iPhone ads and tell me you do not constantly see them taking the phone and using it right in front ofyou to solve a problem. Then later after people "get it" - the difference - the ads get more fun. Such as the current iPod ads.
You mention the, "experience" of owning an Apple and how it is conveyed in their advertising. This commercial clearly shows what type of experience one can expect from a Zune- that being a surreal, creative, and intuitive. The impression music leaves on you after a commercial is over definitely depends on your musical tastes. A song may work great in attracting one person, but completely detract another. The reason we’re seeing the iPhone in commercials is because people are reluctant to buy one and throw down mucho dinero. Apple needs to force the capabilities down our throats to help us justify the high price. In this case people aren’t buying just because it’s Apple. Plus, those iPhone commercials bore me, however, I do like the background song of a guitar strumming.
Any idea why this video is no longer available to view?