CES Kicks Off with Apple Billboard
CES, the world’s largest technology show, hosts companies from around the globe to showcase their latest innovations and create buzz around their soon-to-be-released products. The show is held for a week (Tues. Jan. 8th – Fri. Jan. 11th) in Las Vegas, however, many tech giants like to get ahead of the game and announce their products a few days in advance. One such tech giant is Apple. Even though they do not physically attend CES, like their Android rivals, Apple’s billboard on the side of the Las Vegas Marriott hotel ensures their competitors don’t forget them. The expansive ad reads, “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone,” with a URL pointing to Apple’s privacy policies. The Las Vegas play on words is a power move against Android, capitalizing on current fears that the Google-operating system leaks private data. Looks like Apple is taking a page from Erik Qualman’s best-selling book, What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube.
(Source: Business Insider)
Take One More Bite Out of the Apple
Last week, it was announced that Apple’s iPhone sales didn’t do so hot last quarter. This week, Samsung announced they would add an app to its smart TVs for users to stream Apple’s iTunes services. What’s the big deal? Apple isn’t one for sharing, so this initiative marks the first time they’ve allowed a TV manufacturer to integrate iTunes. This could also mean the first step towards letting rival devices distribute Apple’s content. As Apple is preparing to unveil its own streaming service, with new TV shows from Oprah Winfrey to Steven Spielberg, this Samsung deal highlights Apple’s strong lean into its services segment, shifting away from its reliance on hardware i.e. iCloud, music, TV, etc.
(Source: Financial Times, Business Insider)
What You Missed at the Golden Globes
The morning after the Golden Globes has everyone buzzing from Oprah Winfrey’s speech to the 2019 winners to a few big-budget commercials. A sour Netflix skipped the intro to throw some shade on Twitter.
What were some of the most talked about commercials? Walmart had a few spots, promoting their pickup services, playing off of famous movie cars such as Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine and Back to the Future. Most notable was Pepsi’s commercial, starring Shameless William H. Macy, with the purpose of “putting more emphasis on entertaining people during events or moments that draw big audiences.” Is this the start of a new era of commercial entertainment? Or just Netflix’s not-so-subtle attempt to remind us of their record-breaking holiday streaming season? Don’t worry Netflix, we will tune back in after an entertaining commercial break from other sponsors.
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The reasons why consumers have not fully embraced IoT include necessity, connectivity, and convenience – each of which is explored in a recent Progressive commercial here.
