Assignment 1: Apple Ad Campaigns & Product Launches
TurnItIn is enabled. See rubric in Canvas.
This assignment is due according to the class schedule. Late papers will be graded according to the late paper guidelines outlined in your syllabus.
Read:
"Scenario: Polishing the Apple"
Apple's 2018 award-winning HomePod ad coverage at Adweek Medium.com article: Lessons From 40 Years of Apple Ads "The best Apple ad from each year since its 1984 Super Bowl hit" BusinessInsider.com “Apple’s ‘Get a Mac,’ the Complete Campaign at Adweek.com Chapter 10: “Comparison Ads” on pages 203-204. Read about Brand Loyalty beginning on page 16.
Watch: Watch the Art & Copy segment that covers the “1984” Apple commercial. Segment location/title: 55:14 – 1:00:30 – Apple & 1984
Find: At least two additional sources that provide you with substantial information about Apple advertising campaigns and product launches. Do not use Wikipedia; do not use sources that simply reiterate information from the above sources. BE SURE YOU USE REAL INDUSTRY SOURCES -- do not use other student papers as a source. (Why is this comment here? Because for the past 4 years, Bearcats have turned in as a source a student paper from 2012 that just happens to appear early in Google searches. Use the recommended sources from your syllabus. Papers that use another student paper as a source get bad grades.)
Write: Write a paper that is at least 3 full, double-spaced pages – “normal” font and borders, no images included in this page count. Probably, your paper will be at least 4-5 pages, but 3 is minimum for reaching at least a D grade. Cover the following topics, and use these headers (the words underlined below) to organize your work. (Put these headers IN your paper so that I can see where each topic begins and ends):
Introduction
Provide an introduction that summarizes Apple’s overall attitude toward advertising, and the role it’s played in Apple’s history.
Compare and Contrast
Compare Apple’s famous “1984” commercial with it’s iPad launch in 2010 and it's 2018 HomePad ad. Identify elements that are similar and different. Why do you think some components of Apple’s message are the same? Why do you think some are different?
Get a Mac
What is the driving strategy behind this ad campaign? Did it work? (Be careful how you answer this… you’ll need external sources that attempt to answer this question.)
Brand Loyalty
Comment on the degree to which “brand loyalty” plays in the ads you’ve reviewed for this paper. Use pages 16-17 as your guide as you prepare your report.
Conclusion
Summarize your paper. Feel free to include as much personal reflection as you’d like in this section!
