U2 and Apple team up for a brand alliance billed as both the world’s biggest mobile handset launch and the world’s largest album release.
The simultaneous launch see Apple roll out its new iPhone 6 in partnership with U2’s release of its latest album ‘Songs Of Innocence.
The album giveaway was announced two days ago at Apple’s unveiling of new iPhones and a wearable device called Apple Watch.
Indeed, the band appeared at the launch event itself to provide a PR boost to the roll out.
U2’s “Songs of Innocence” album, featuring 11 songs, is free to active iTunes account holders and those who sign up within five weeks.
The alliance was further promoted through an ad campaign led by a new TV spot.
The album began appearing in users’ libraries within a day or so after it was announced.
As the promotional material for the alliance states: ‘Apple and U2 are giving the new album Songs of Innocence to over 500 million iTunes customers worldwide.* Never before have so many people owned one album, let alone on the day of its release.’
But do they actually want to own it?
Especially younger apple consumers and iTunes users.
“Who is U2? And why do their songs keep popping up in my iPhone?” a Twitter user named Natalie said yesterday in one of a number of tweets compiled on Storify. “I’ve never bought their music.”
“Idk who put U2 on my iTunes but that is the worst prank imaginable,” tweeted another, Jessica Williams, using the abbreviation for “I don’t know.”
Do today’s teenagers and 20-somethings see Apple as just pushing something at them that they haven’t asked for and might not want as little more than ‘spam’?
Comment
Sure, it’s never been done before.
Certainly, it combines the power of two heavyweights from their own spaces.
But just because it is a ‘world first’, doesn’t necessarily mean it is strategically clever?
But it’ll probably shift a lot of tour tickets right across the planet.
After all, while U2’s own publicity may claim the band ‘thrashes forward with music that confronts innocence and forges immortality’, but says little about innovative ways of co-promoting its music releases that act as global campaigns for their inevitable upcoming 2015 world arena tour.
The partnership continues Apple and U2’s lenghty history together – which dates back to the opening of the iTunes store in 2003.
“U2 has been an important part of Apple’s history in music and we’re thrilled to make ‘Songs of Innocence’ the largest album release ever,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of internet software and services.
“We get to share our love of music today by gifting this great new album to over half a billion iTunes customers around the world.”
Links
Apple iPhone 6 & U2 Partnership
http://www.apple.com/U2/?cid=www-us-yt-echoes
U2 website
