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Report: Apple Planning Second iTunes Super Bowl Promo

by , 8:20 AM EDT, July 28th, 2004

An Adweek.com report on Tuesday suggests that Apple Computer and its primary advertising agency is already working on a second campaign for next year's NFL Super Bowl to promote another iTunes promotion with soft drink maker PepsiCo, Inc..

TBWAChiatDay and its southern California office has already been given the assignment, according to Adweek.com, five months after BBDO launched the Pepsi iTunes promotion on Super Bowl XXXVIII last Feburary 1.

The contract is worth an estimated US$15-20 million and the campaign is expected to launch during Super Bowl XXXIX, set for Sunday, February 6, 2005. The campaign is expected to run into the Spring.

Sources said the reason for the switch to ChiatDay's west coast offices to handle the contract was that Apple CEO Steve Jobs wanted the Apple agency to do the work so he could have more of a say in its creation.

Apple and Pepsi announced their the promotion last fall and had hoped to give away 100 million free songs. The redemption rate fell far short of expectations as only some five million free song were redeemed.

The first campaign featured 16 real-life teenagers who were sued by the recording industry for illegally downloading music from the Internet. Set to the music of Green Day's version of "I Fought the Law," the spot showed the teens changing their attitudes about illegally downloading music files and admitting they will download music for free from the iTunes store.

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:geoduck Posts: 1726 Joined: 30 Dec 2003
Subject:

I hope they get it right this time. I understand that the low redemption rate last winter was because Pepsi didn't get the caps out into stores until too late. They need to be in the stores on that Sunday.

Close Name:jcbeckman Posts: 55 Joined: 06 May 2004
Subject: Fool me once, shame on you...

I can't believe it!

After the last Pepsi fiasco, why on EARTH would they try again? What makes Apple think Pepsi has a clue this time around?

This is just plain bizarre.

Jack

Close Name:Tiger Posts: 940 Joined: 17 Jun 2003
Subject: Pepsi

What are they thinking?

In this case, if 2nd time's not the charm, it will be a bigger flop and they'll realize, the missed the real thing.

View Name:Guest
Subject: Mac Morons
Close Name:Spider Posts: 2997 Joined: 12 Aug 2001
Subject:

oy. Hey, Mods! Got another one for you.


[got it, Spider, thanks - bweels]

Close Name:AyaSofya Posts: 137 Joined: 11 May 2004
Subject: Doesn't mean

Maybe they are planning something different than the bottle cap method.

Close Name:jfbiii Posts: 109 Joined: 06 May 2004
Subject: Yeah, it'd be nice if they did something that worked...

...this time. We finally got caps here about 1 week before the promo ended. And only on carbonated corn syrup, not on anything diet.

And hopefully the campaign will actually be interesting and engaging this time. Who really cared about those little criminal kids, anyway? Not me.

View Name:Guest
Subject: All I know is I cashed in on $50 in free songs
Close Name:akcarver Posts: 137 Joined: 23 Oct 2001
Subject: $50? What a piker.

I got 100 free songs from Pepsi. Out of all the bottles and 7-Eleven cups I bought, only 3 were losers. Bring it on indeed!

Close Name:pyxl8 Posts: 171 Joined: 24 Dec 2003
Subject: What is going to make this promo different?!

Besides the Super Bowl commercial and ONE sign hanging in my local Seven-11, the whole free iTunes campaign barely reached MY eyeballs at all. If I hadn't been a Mac user, I doubt it would've even registered with me at all.

Nobody I know got a free iTunes bottle cap and it never even came up in conversations at work or with friends. There was ZERO buzz about this in the NY/NJ/PA area as far as I could tell.

Hopefully Apple will take a more active role and spice up the next ad campaign, as well as demand that Pepsi coordinate the deliveries a little better.

A 5% return is actually a pretty good response rate for a coupon-type promotion, but I'm sure Steve was upset that 95 million went unredeemed. I'm hopeful that ChiatDay will come up with something with more pizazz. Maybe Pepsi could dye the soda to match the iPod mini colors so that people will notice it more?!!

-Ken P

View Name:Guest
Subject: Price?
View Name:Guest
Subject: Maybe Pepsi could dye the soda. . .
View Name:Guest
Subject:
Close Name:akcarver Posts: 137 Joined: 23 Oct 2001
Subject: Re: Price?

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
Why buy a pepsi for $1.09 - $1.19 in the hopes of winning a $0.99 song? Might as well just download for $0.99 and not rot your teeth.


It was {b}increcibly{/b} easy to guarantee yourself a free song. All you had to do was tilt the bottle up and look under the cap before you bought it. I got 100 free songs, and only 3 losers (those were 7-11 cups I misread.)

Close Name:Mace Posts: 9163 Joined: 07 Aug 2003
Subject:

Hope Apple and Pepsi best of luck this time.

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