One of the keys to any succesful business is generating both buzz (attention for a moment) and mindshare (attention for life). Apple's iPod has certainly managed to do both amongst it's growing customer base and, as a result, several new companies and projects are springing up to take advantage of this popularity.
Way back in December of 2004, I was chatting over Instant Messenger with friend of mine. A self-confessed iPod fanatic, he was trying to explain to me his idea for his family Christmas cards. "I want it to be like an iPod ad", he said. I was confused, "You mean, you want to use an iPod ad as your Christmas card?" "No.", he explained, "I want to be in an iPod ad. I want my son and daughter to be turned into silhouettes and wearing iPods."
I contacted an old colleague, now working as a freelance designer and sent him a photo of the kids to test this idea on. An hour later, he sent back a work of art that would make Messrs. Chiat and Day proud. There they were, my friend's kids in crisp silhouettes with just the right amount of texture and opacity added to their clothing, on a beautiful purple backdrop, and, le piece de resistance -- hanging from their cherubic ears -- the ubiquitous white iPod cords. "iWish You a Merry Christmas", the bold white text read. It was done - they had been iPodified.
It was one of those a-ha moments, where something so simple just makes so much sense. What self-respecting iPod lover could be complete without this? A business idea was born. But could this actually work? Would this take off? Would people actually pay to be put into what is essentially an advertisement for Apple Computer? We were about to find out.
ipodmyphoto.com was launched 10 days later. At first a few blogs took notice. Then more blogs picked it up. By the end of the first week, we were receiving orders from around the globe - Japan, UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, the US. By the second week, the story hit the technology trades -- Macworld, CNet, Wired, and Ziff-Davis. As each day passed, more orders flowed in. By week three, the mainstream press had stories about iPodification [sic]. The New York Times, the Washington Post, and scores of regional newspapers that pick up the wires were reporting on this curious phenomenon, on a brand that resonates so deeply with people that they will pay to insert themselves into the advertising for its product.
It’s hard to think of a brand that enjoys the consumer loyalty that Apple does. But for those brands that do, an amazing thing can happen. Evangelism for that brand becomes viral. Like any true revolution that can only come from within, the brand can set the message, but it can only be carried out by the people. No amount of money can buy this kind of endorsement. The popular term is open source marketing. Like the software movement, you can create the product and the framework, but in order for it to grow to its potential, it's released to the community. Great ideas win. The people will be heard. Hopefully they'll say good things.
When one looks at the path of the Apple iPod ad campaign, it makes perfect sense for people to get involved. The early ads had amorphous silhouettes representing everyman, subtly inviting you to picture yourself in there with your iPod. The recent U2 campaign began to show us faces of the stars. In a world of reality TV, are reality commercials that far off? Based on the amazing variety of photos that have been submitted to ipodmyphoto.com -- newborns, family portraits, weddings, couples, fisherman, snowboarders, karaoke stars -- one thing is clear, we want to be the stars of our own lives. And by doing this, we complete the circle, returning right back to the brands we love.
From fan-fiction writing based on the “official” books of major sci-fi authors to DJ dance remixes of popular songs, today's technology allows us to remake the world around us. To pick and choose how we want to associate with the things we care about. To engage consumer popular culture on our own terms. Just ask the mother who wrote her own caption for the pictures of her kids rock-climbing, knee-boarding and playing outside. Brand marketers, look beyond the silhouettes, these are the faces of your customers, and they are shouting out loud: "i Got iPodified!"