Marketing

Bentley films and edits Mulsanne promo entirely on iPhone 5s and iPad Air

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 15, 2014

Luxury car maker Bentley has commissioned a short documentary film to promote its $300,000 Mulsanne.

The black and white footage was captured entirely on an iPhone 5s and edited in the back of a Mulsanne on an iPad Air outfitted with a thin keyboard attachment.

Entitled 'Intelligent Details' and filmed in the Bentley Mulsanne in New York, the video shows various design aspects of the car before revealing a behind-the-scenes of the entire process of capturing the footage. The team used specialized iPhone lenses and mounts to capture raw material, which was then editer on Apple's tablet in iMovie....

Apple’s PR chief Katie Cotton retiring

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Apple’s longtime PR boss, Katie Cotton, is set to retire after spending eighteen years with the company. As Apple's Vice President of Worldwide Corporate Communications, Cotton managed Apple's media relations and handled all public relations matters under both Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook.

Her retirement was first reported by Re/code. An Apple spokesman said Cotton was leaving because she had wanted to spend more time with her family "for some time now"...

Apple hiring ‘Buzz Marketing Manager’ to beef up its presence in Hollywood

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Historically, Apple has spent far less than Samsung and other competitors on stuff like marketing and advertising. Things like product placements and celebrity endorsements came easily for devices like the iPhone and iPad, due to their initial popularity and slight competition.

But competition has stiffened over the years, and with Samsung forking out millions of dollars to get its products into the hands of Lebron James and selfie-taking celebrities, Apple needs to step up its game. So it's looking for a new 'Buzz Marketing Manager' to give it a boost...

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 video tour takes swipes at iPhone 5s and Apple’s Retina display

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 30, 2014

Yesterday, four new feature tour videos cropped up on the Samsung Mobile USA channel on YouTube, showcasing the handset's full HD Super AMOLED screen, the selective camera focus feature, its ultra-power saving mode and the bundled S Health app. Unlike some of the conglomerate's previous promotional videos, these clips do a good job explaining how the four aforementioned features enhance experience for the user.

However, Samsung being Samsung meant the firm couldn't resist comparing its flagship to Apple's iPhone 5s in terms of the display size, image quality and pixel count. I've included that clip, along with the remaining three videos, after the jump...

Microsoft’s first Nokia ad positions Windows Phone as something different

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

Following Microsoft's finalized acquisition of Nokia's Devices and Services unit last week, 25,000 Nokia employees get to join the Windows giant today. To celebrate the merger, the Windows giant has just published its very first Nokia television commercial with Microsoft branding.

Windows Phone often gets relegated to the Others category in global smartphone surveys: currently, it's a distant third, after Android and iOS. The new ad, entitled 'Not Like Everybody Else,' plays on Microsoft's underdog status by promising a bunch of colorful smartphones and tablets that should draw attention and make heads turn...

Apple lists apps from new iPhone 5s ‘Powerful’ ad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Want to know what apps Apple featured in its latest iPhone 5s ad titled 'Powerful', which started airing last evening? The 30-second commercial suggests that "with the power of iPhone 5s, you're more powerful than you think" by highlighting a number of content creation use cases involving a bunch of third-party apps found on the App Store.

If you've seen the ad, chances are you've spotted a scene in which some guy uses the iPhone's flash as a heart rate monitor, but what about all the other apps?

That's what a new section on Apple's website is for. Titled 'Powerful', the new microsite is solely created with the purpose of exploring the apps from the commercial...

Apple airs new ‘Powerful’ iPhone 5s ad

Cody Lee ∙ April 22, 2014

Apple has this evening posted a new TV commercial for the iPhone 5s to its YouTube channel. The ad, which was spotted airing during tonight's episode of ABC's 'Agents of SHIELD,' touts the handset's ability to morph into a useful tool for people in various lines of work.

Set to the tune of "Gigantic," by the Pixies, the spot shows iPhone 5s owners using the device to do things like play music, control stage lighting in a theater, create short movies, create art installations and more. The tagline of the ad is 'You're more powerful than you think.'

Direct mobile app installs coming to your Twitter timeline soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 17, 2014

Micro-blogging platform Twitter on Thursday announced a full suite of targeting, creative and measurement tools that enable Twitter advertisers to promote their mobile apps, both on and off-Twitter.

One particular native ad unit takes advantage of Twitter Cards and Promoted Tweets technologies to allow users to easily install and engage with apps, directly from their Twitter timeline.

Currently, tapping an App Store link in a tweet in Twitter's free iPhone and iPad application opens the link in an in-app browser which then redirects the request to the App Store app. Direct app installs from Twitter timelines is limited to this new ad unit and it's not clear if Twitter plans on enabling the feature for common app store links in people's tweets...

For Samsung, Steve Jobs’ death was ‘the best opportunity’ to unleash anti-iPhone ad blitz

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 16, 2014

Apple's second California trial against Samsung over smartphone patents has given us an unprecedented insight into Samsung's obsession with beating Apple and Apple's worries over losing the cool factor to Samsung due to the snarky ads that ridiculed the iPhone as an outdated and dull phone.

As you know, Samsung's campaign headlined under the 'The Next Big Thing' tagline went viral in September of 2012, thanks to a particularily scathing ad that ridiculed folks who'd wait in line for an iPhone 5.

The commercials were meant to counter the iPhone 5 "tsunami," as Samsung execs put it, and have managed to enrage Apple's marketing boss Phil Schiller so much that he proposed in an email to CEO Tim Cook that the firm fire its longtime ad agency.

According to a highly confidential email exchange between Samsung execs, we now know that the South Korean firm saw Steve Jobs's death as the “best opportunity to attack the iPhone” and tarnish the Apple brand...

Apple adds CEO of branding agency Wolff Olins to marketing team

Cody Lee ∙ April 11, 2014

Ad Age reports this afternoon that Apple has hired Karl Heiselman, the global CEO of branding agency Wolff Olins. The news comes as the iPad-maker looks to double its in-house creative talent to better combat marketing from Samsung and others.

Interestingly enough, Heiselman used to be a design contractor for Apple in the early 1990s, before Steve Jobs made his triumphant return. He says back then the company was still trying to find itself, and he believes it's once again at a crossroads...

Samsung takes more swipes at iPad in new Galaxy Pro ads

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 8, 2014

Samsung's back at it again. The company has aired four new ads that bash the iPad while painting its own 12-inch Galaxy Tab Pro tablets in favorable light. Samsung released these big tablets three months ago. The ads convey a few hard-hitting yet simple to grasp messages that likely won't sit well with loyal fans of the California-based company.

One ad tells the viewer that anyone can multitask like a pro on Samsung's tablets that can run two apps side-by-side. Another commercial focuses on Samsung's 'Multi User' mode allowing different people to use devices, with each person's settings, documents and apps separate of the others, a feature notably absent from the iPad.

Yet another video, titled 'Pixel Density', offers a critique of the iPad's 2,048-by-1,536 Retina display at 226 pixels per inch. Apple's "Retina thingy", the ad explains, pales in comparison with the Tab Pro's sharp 10.1-inch screen at a whopping 2,5600-by-1,600 resolution with a pixel density of 299ppi.

I've included all four ads for your viewing pleasure right below the fold...

Apple’s latest ‘Your Verse’ story is about iPad in Bollywood

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

You've seen how world-class mountaineers use iPad for their extraordinary climbs and how coaches use the device to help diagnose athletes’ concussions so how about some more testimonials?

You're in for a treat as Apple's just added a new story to the 'Your Verse' microsite highlighting how its popular post-PC device is being used by Bollywood choreographer Feroz Khan to capture inspiration for his passion.

So, what does it take to choreograph a vision in Bollywood?

Read on for the full reveal...