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Apple Web Site Traffic Surges on Pepsi-iTunes Ad Buzz

Apple Web Site Traffic Surges on Pepsi-iTunes Ad Buzz

by , 10:30 AM EST, February 8th, 2005

Apple Computer saw a 172% increase in traffic to its Web site Sunday compared to the last four Sundays thanks to Pepsi's iTunes commercials that aired during Super Bowl XXXIX, Internet audience measurement service comScore Networks reported Tuesday.

Online music rival Napster, LLC posted a greater than 30% increase in Web traffic on Sunday after its 30 second commercial pushing its Napster To Go premium service. The campaign targeted would-be iPod users in an effort to get them thinking which is better -- $15 a month to listen to all the music you want, or 99 cents for each song from the iTunes Music Store.

Although iTunes turned in stronger growth than Napster for the full day, both sites increased visitor levels by almost 300 percent above the 30-minute average following their respective commercials.  This year, traffic at iTunes peaked just after the advertisement featuring the Pepsi-iTunes promotion, unlike last year when more visitors waited until halftime to explore the iTunes site.

Although iTunes turned in stronger growth than Napster for the full day, both sites increased visitor levels by almost 300% above the 30-minute average following their respective commercials. This year, traffic at iTunes peaked just after the advertisement featuring the Pepsi-iTunes promotion, unlike last year when more visitors waited until halftime to explore the iTunes site.

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:Small White Car Posts: 1960 Joined: 02 Jul 2004
Subject:

Oh. Ooops. That was just me looking at Powermacs all night.

Sorry

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Help me understand

Someone please explain how if Napster increased their site traffic 30% on Sunday and Apple increased theirs 172% on Sunday (than an average Sunday) then how does the 300% increase in the 30 minutes following corrolate?

Does it mean that in the 30 minutes after the commercial people checked out the sites but then they kept coming back to Apple (Mac mini, iPod Shuffle perhaps?) whereas they saw Napster and then left?

The real proof will be in Q1'05 earning statements three months from now.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Less than double normal traffic? How dissapointing! EOM

EOM

Close Name:Small White Car Posts: 1960 Joined: 02 Jul 2004
Subject: Re: Less than double normal traffic? How dissapointing! EO

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
Less than double normal traffic? How dissapointing!


Well, really, how many people are going to get up from watching the game just to look at Apple's web page.

It's not like there's actually something ON the web page for them to look at...the whole point of the ad is "Buy a Pepsi, win a song." It's really about buying Pepsi.

Close Name:Mace Posts: 9604 Joined: 07 Aug 2003
Subject:

I wasn't looking to win the song, I like the cute sweetie dancing.

Close Name:dhp Posts: 182 Joined: 22 May 2003
Subject: 172% increase

Quote
Guest wrote:
Less than double normal traffic? How dissapointing!.


Surely you are joking, but in any case, a 172% *increase* is 72% beyond double.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: 172% is more than double

Quote
Guest wrote:
Less than double normal traffic? How dissapointing!

When something increases 100% it's doubled. So, 172% is close to triple the usual traffic. If that seems confusing, just add 100 to the percentile to get a better idea: 272%, or 2.72 visits for every 1 visit in the previous four sundays.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: cute sweetie dancing

Quote
Mace wrote:
I wasn't looking to win the song, I like the cute sweetie dancing.


Me too! But GoDaddy.com had a pretty good commercial too.

Close Name:spxyu02 Posts: 1214 Joined: 04 Aug 2004
Subject: Re: cute sweetie dancing

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
Quote
Mace wrote:
I wasn't looking to win the song, I like the cute sweetie dancing.


Me too! But GoDaddy.com had a pretty good commercial too.


Downloading the aired and unaired godaddy.com commercials yesterday was the best thing I've done this week

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Two Last Paragraphs?

Are the last two paragraphs the same or am I seeing double?

Are the last two paragraphs the same or am I seeing double?
-Guest

Close Name:Guest
Subject: question

does anyone know the name of the rock song from the pepsi/itunes commercial? the one where the pepsi falls over and the song starts messing up

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

I'm an idiot.

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