14 DAY TRIAL // Published on June 5 on YouTube, a dramatic and inspiring five-minute ad created by Beats Electronics for the World Cup 2014 heralds what we could soon see from Apple too.
Titled “The Game Before The Game,” Beats Electronics’ ad is quite possibly the best World Cup-centric ad we’ve ever seen to this day. Perhaps now Apple’s $3 billion (€2.2 billion) acquisition of Dr. Dre’s company makes more sense to those over on Wall Street who keep trying to find reasons as to why Tim Cook forked out so much money.
With rumors that the iPhone maker is aggressively beefing up its own advertising team, it wouldn’t be too surprising to hear that some of the talents behind this ad are already on Apple’s payroll.
In fact, AdAge reports that Tim Cook is poaching talents left and right, including from its own advertising partner, TBWA. The reason? Apple is desperately trying to get back its cool, according to people in the industry.
“I don't feel that energy from Apple,” said one top agency executive. “The revolution has come and gone, and I'm not sure a job at Apple would be a creative opportunity. If I were going to go brand-side, there are a lot more interesting companies I'd rather work for, like Coke or Pepsi,” this executive said.
An email from Apple SVP Phil Schiller to TBWA/MAL (unearthed as part of the Apple-Samsung legal spat) revealed that Cupertino was none too happy with the ad agency’s efforts:
“I watched the Samsung pre-Super Bowl ad that launched today. It's pretty good and I can't help but think these guys are feeling it (like an athlete that can't miss because they are in a zone), while we struggle to nail a compelling brief on iPhone,” said Schiller.
As part of the Beats acquisition, Apple took aboard Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, two music industry heavyweights that will undoubtedly bring more excitement to the brand.
The clip is embedded below for your viewing pleasure. We won’t spend any time discussing it, as the words to describe it are hard to come by.
A brief description from Beats says, “Before the goals, before the glory, there is an unseen game played in the locker room. Watch how the best prepare for greatness with Beats SOLO2 and Studio. This is how the game is won.”
The clip features appearances from dozens of stars (mostly in sports) including Neymar Jr., Bacary Sagna, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Blaise Matuidi, Cesc Fàbregas, Daniel Sturridge, Chicharito, Jozy Altidore, Luis Suárez, Mario Götze, and Robin van Persie.
Special appearances include Neymar da Silva Sr., LeBron James, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Rafaella Beckran, Rio Ferdinand, Serena Williams, Sydney Leroux, Stuart Scott, and Thierry Henry.
The music is “Jungle” by X Ambassadors & Jamie N Commons (original Score by Michael Einziger and Annmarie Simpson).
