Oscars & Apple iPhone

It's the biggest night of the year for actors/actresses, directors, producers, editors, and more. It's the night of celebrities dressing up in gorgeous gowns and amazing suits. It's the night of 40 million viewers tuning in to one of the biggest nights for Hollywood. It's Oscars night!

The Oscars were packed with amazing performances, hilarious bits from Ellen, and surprising moments. During the commercial breaks, I tried to pay extra close attention to who the target audience of the advertisements was and the types of products that were being advertised. Among the various commercials throughout the night were tons of L'Oreal spots targeting women of all ages. One commercial that seemed to surprise everyone however, was an advertisement for the new Apple iPhone.

It was a strange commercial, featuring 31 clips from various movies and tv shows. John Travolta, Mr. Incredible, and Lucille Ball were all in the iPhone ad, just to name a few of the many celebrities. Throughout the 30-second spot, the celebrities were shown answering their phones saying "hello". At the end, the screen went black, and with that famous white iPod writing, "Hello" appeared on the screen.

It was surprising to see this iPhone plug because the product is not being released until June. Reporters stated it was the first time that Apple has advertised something ahead of its release date. The ad did not show the phone network that would carry the iPhone, or the name of the iPhone.

So what's all the hype? The iPhone is positioned to be a very cool, very expensive, and very stylish product. It serves as a widescreen video iPod, a camera with two megapixels, and it can also be used to access the Internet. Oh yeah...it has a touchscreen too. Apple is known for its amazing marketing plan; all of their products are consistent with the brand image, including the packaging.

Apparently reporters couldn't reach Apple to find out if they will be showing the advertisement again. It could be just something they created for the Oscar audience. Hopefully we'll see it again on tv, or even different editions of the ad!

Go to: http://adage.com/article?article_id=115206 to read the article.