Apple 'iPod Zone' Blankets London Subway Stop (WITH PHOTOS)
TMO Reports - Apple 'iPod Zone' Blankets London Subway Stop (WITH PHOTOS)
by , 3:00 AM EST, March 15th, 2005
Thousands of commuters to London's Leicester Square Underground subway station don't know it, but they are now part of the zone. The 'iPod Zone'.
Having begun last week, visitors are now seeing dark, drab white ceramic tile walls transformed into green posters on ceiling arches, escalator walls and ticket booths, all promoting Apple's newest flash-based digital media device, the iPod shuffle.
The campaign has been called a "major branding takeover" by British advertising trade journal Media Week, and is believed to be the first time an advertiser has carried out a blanket campaign at a London subway station in over seven years.
Apple's U.K. division is calling the campaign at the Tube stop the 'iPod Zone'.
"Music is an important part of the youth market and the Shuffle iPod is aimed directly at this group," Stephanie Vidal, Apple�s European marketing manager, told the magazine.
Advertising experts say the subway campaign is expensive, but grabs the attention of consumers who are bombarded with more than 3,500 billboards, print ads, television and radio messages a day.
Photo courtesy Christopher Phin/MacUser
"This is a cool idea," said Barbara Lippert, media critic for Ad Week magazine. "If you're going to have advertising there anyway, there's a sort of intelligence and cohesion to Apple advertising that is better to look at than ads from Dr. Zizmore."
Ms. Lippert also believes the look and feel to the station changes when ads that are similar in style have the same look. "It's sort of like you're in some futuristic movie where only a few brands own everything in the world, including the subway."
Photo courtesy Christopher Phin/MacUser
Ms. Lippert doesn't agree with critics who say consumers tune out on a product blanketing an entire public space believing "it will make an impression upon them. You might even get people to forget the name of the station and just call it the 'Apple stop'," similar to the naming of professional sports stadiums in the U.S.
"The only downside could be people will get sick of it," Ms. Lippert commented. "The key there is to change out the ads on a consistent basis."
The latest marketing push from Apple Computer will include a television campaign as well for the shuffle, to begin in the coming weeks on British television networks.
Photo courtesy Christopher Phin/MacUser
Photo courtesy Christopher Phin/MacUser
Observer Comments
QuoteGuest wrote:
I hope TV ads come soon to Spain too!Last year they made an intense advertising effort in the biggest cities of Spain, here's hoping they do it again!
why do you want more advertisements?? I use a Mac, but I can't stand the current Apple-dweeb phenomenon.. its so pseudo-cool and pretentious - Macs used to be cool - about 4 years ago - now their status has been diminished by crap like this IMHO. Damn it makes me ashamed to be a mac user/fan. Hopefully if I keep my head down a while and give it some time a lot of people will get over the whole Apple-hip thing and get on with life - this way I can carry on using my Mac and not feel foolish. In fact I used to wear my white ipod headphones with pride.. it was a cult item - now everyone has them I'm inclined to use some other headphones.
Quoterascal wrote:
... this way I can carry on using my Mac and not feel foolish. In fact I used to wear my white ipod headphones with pride.. it was a cult item - now everyone has them I'm inclined to use some other headphones.
That's plain silly. Why does anyone care what you are wearing or carrying around? Are we all so narcissistic to think that other people's perceptions of us revolve around what color earphones we use, or what logos we wear? Do we need that kind of validation? It's been said that pride is a sin. Pehaps it is.
theAnti-RealityCheck
Wow. Just... wow.
Quoterascal wrote:
why do you want more advertisements?? I use a Mac, but I can't stand the current Apple-dweeb phenomenon.. its so pseudo-cool and pretentious - Macs used to be cool - about 4 years ago - now their status has been diminished by crap like this IMHO. Damn it makes me ashamed to be a mac user/fan. Hopefully if I keep my head down a while and give it some time a lot of people will get over the whole Apple-hip thing and get on with life - this way I can carry on using my Mac and not feel foolish. In fact I used to wear my white ipod headphones with pride.. it was a cult item - now everyone has them I'm inclined to use some other headphones.
Quoterea1itycheck wrote:Quoterascal wrote:
... this way I can carry on using my Mac and not feel foolish. In fact I used to wear my white ipod headphones with pride.. it was a cult item - now everyone has them I'm inclined to use some other headphones.
That's plain silly. Why does anyone care what you are wearing or carrying around? Are we all so narcissistic to think that other people's perceptions of us revolve around what color earphones we use, or what logos we wear? Do we need that kind of validation? It's been said that pride is a sin. Pehaps it is.
theAnti-RealityCheck
lol have u have completely missed the point, and the irony of what I'm saying? Obviously.
...worrying about whats cool. Do you think apple should only create Items that make a select few nerds cool? They are a business like any other. (except for the fact that they have the most innovative products) You sound like a baby...
..."apple is taking away my coolness !" <sniffle sniffle>
If what you buy makes you cool, then wait till you run out of money. Won't be cool then. Will ya?!
Quoterascal wrote:
lol have u have completely missed the point, and the irony of what I'm saying? Obviously.
So the point is that you mean the exact opposite of what you said? How is anyone supposed to figure THAT out? Sarcasm requires some sort of clue that it's sarcasm, you know. You can't just type something and expect people to know you don't mean it.
Tue Mar 15, 2005 11:44 am Subject: Rascal's coolness...
I think not. The fact that you feel a need to be "anti-cool" to be "cool" just proves that you need some sort of validation, which is silly. Just because other people are wearing the white earphones makes you want to not wear them - even though they were always perfectly fine before, just proves my point. I'm cool because I'm not a "johnny-come-lately." I'm ahead of the curve, so I'm cool.
Quoterascal wrote:Quoterea1itycheck wrote:Quoterascal wrote:
... I used to wear my white ipod headphones with pride.. it was a cult item - now everyone has them I'm inclined to use some other headphones.
lol have u have completely missed the point, and the irony of what I'm saying? Obviously.
Hmmm, some interesting social commentary can be taken from those photos.
The second one mainly. Showing the shuffle slogan with the people walking along. Almost harkens back to the Lemmings ad.
"The lemmings shuffle on and on in their days...following one another until their destination."
Just some thoughts that popped into my head looking at the photos. In no way in the world do I think that is what Apple is saying, so trolls and flamebaiters shut the Hell up.
Quoterascal wrote:
why do you want more advertisements?? I use a Mac, but I can't stand the current Apple-dweeb phenomenon.. its so pseudo-cool and pretentious - Macs used to be cool - about 4 years ago - now their status has been diminished by crap like this IMHO. Damn it makes me ashamed to be a mac user/fan. Hopefully if I keep my head down a while and give it some time a lot of people will get over the whole Apple-hip thing and get on with life - this way I can carry on using my Mac and not feel foolish. In fact I used to wear my white ipod headphones with pride.. it was a cult item - now everyone has them I'm inclined to use some other headphones.
:rollseyes: You're to hip to be cool...dude!!11!one
Quoterascal wrote:
In fact I used to wear my white ipod headphones with pride.. it was a cult item - now everyone has them I'm inclined to use some other headphones.
Because, as we all know, the most important thing is not to use what other people use. Whether or not the product is actually good is irrelevant.
Tue Mar 15, 2005 3:00 pm Subject: TV campaign under way already
Quoterea1itycheck wrote:
That's plain silly. Why does anyone care what you are wearing or carrying around? Are we all so narcissistic to think that other people's perceptions of us revolve around what color earphones we use, or what logos we wear? Do we need that kind of validation?...
theAnti-RealityCheck
Wait, what?! You mean no one cares what I'm wearing, what kind of car I drive, what kind of music player I use. My whole life has been wasted on getting the right jeans, shoes, and shirts. How will people know my personality if I don't have a brand-names everywhere?!
My god, I might actually have to get a personality.
Damnit!
Seriously, really cool people don't care what others have; I've had an iPod since they first came out and I'll wear the white earbuds (at least until I can get those cool Bang & Olufsen headphones) whether it's cool or not.
QuoteSpider wrote:
Hmmm, some interesting social commentary can be taken from those photos.
The second one mainly. Showing the shuffle slogan with the people walking along. Almost harkens back to the Lemmings ad.
"The lemmings shuffle on and on in their days...following one another until their destination."
Just some thoughts that popped into my head looking at the photos. In no way in the world do I think that is what Apple is saying, so trolls and flamebaiters shut the Hell up.
i think the winner for social commentary is the last photo
in the top window is a sign that reads "lost child point" and immediately next to it is the "First Aid Point"-- Imminently below that is an apple add that reads "Give chance a chance"
coincidence? I think not
TRO
Does anyone else notice the remarkable similarity between Apple's new corporate/iPod/advertising font (Myriad? that they have used to replace the old Garamond Narrow) and the London Underground's signage font (Gill Sans, perhaps?)
I wonder what brought the British font sensibility to Cupertino?
Quoterea1itycheck wrote:
I think not. The fact that you feel a need to be "anti-cool" to be "cool" just proves that you need some sort of validation, which is silly. Just because other people are wearing the white earphones makes you want to not wear them - even though they were always perfectly fine before, just proves my point. I'm cool because I'm not a "johnny-come-lately." I'm ahead of the curve, so I'm cool.
Quoterascal wrote:Quoterea1itycheck wrote:Quoterascal wrote:
... I used to wear my white ipod headphones with pride.. it was a cult item - now everyone has them I'm inclined to use some other headphones.
lol have u have completely missed the point, and the irony of what I'm saying? Obviously.
dude I don't need to feel 'cool'.. I'm complaining about advertising, and the kind of Apple-dweeb culture that means anyone who questions anything Apple on these kind of boards gets flame instantly..you don't know me so don't make dumb assumptions. The people who fall for these kind of ads are the ones who need to feel cool - in fact this is the part of the current Apple culture I'm talking about - the whole 'hip' ad campaigns. To whoever said Ipod headphones are good products thats crap.. mine broke after like 1 month, and I've now been through about 5 pairs of them because they are poor qualityy and break easily. I would have changed them for different headphones ages ago if it wasn't that Apple sent me free replacement ones.
Tue Mar 15, 2005 11:37 pm Subject: my white earphones
... threads like this (sarcasm intended, in the case that it isn't clear)...
I follow this link thinking, "Whoa, what a benign story..." Fascinating.
Rascal's tailspin of aggitation because he/she encountered an ad (albeit a large one) for a product that he/she already owns. Rascal, you are made to feel foolish by one of your own still-useful possessions that for some reason you are compelled to hide because others use them? How is it, getting through the day without a spine and a personality? I suppose it would entail standing up to personalities and lifestyles that aren't "yours"...
"Apple-dweebs"... let's not forget that before the iPod became popular in the larger mainstream space, the only ones aware of the existence of the iPod were the true bleed-in-colors "Apple dweebs", which some would say are dweebs by any objective measure! Haha... And hey, since Rascal has for some time partaken in the benefits of iPod ownership, maybe the adverts aren't intended for his/her kind, this "original dweeb" demographic.
I own an iPod. It's a great and clever product. As great as a hard drive as it is a music player. Maybe greater as a drive, because I don't run into the short-living battery as an issue when it's being the hard-drive and charging at the end of the cable. I don't live in London though I know it well and if I were there, I'd almost have Apple to thank for their ad-presence in the station. Their one gigantic advert replaces the clutter of the thousand-five-hundred smaller ones that would be there in its place. I'd thank them for displacing the other ads...
Anyway, cheers to all.
QuoteSpider wrote:
Hmmm, some interesting social commentary can be taken from those photos.
The second one mainly. Showing the shuffle slogan with the people walking along. Almost harkens back to the Lemmings ad.
Dude. Look again. They aren't "walking along" or even "shuffling" in thee 2nd photo. Those people are on an escalator. It's this cool thing that lets you go up or down stairs without walking!
i dunno if this has been said-not that i care- but the headphones that come with your ipod(yeah the white ones) have a better sound quality than those stupid cheap colored ones. and i think they stay in your ear better too. so.....if thats what matters, than stick with the original ones.
thanku
-common sense
myspace.com/galadriel_golden_filament
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