Viddler

By Huckleberry / Tunefruit.com

Here at Tunefruit we use Apple products. But that’s not to say we drank the Kool-Aid. So a few months ago, when they rolled out the iPhone 5, we were ready to judge their commercials pretty hard. Unfortunately, they were almost perfect.

Check this one out:
It’s classic Apple in its simplicity, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about. …

The perfection, here, lies within the music. It might’ve gone unnoticed; yet, that’s what makes it so much better. It’s not just a narrator talking over some backing track; it’s way more than that.

First, let’s break down the crazy, simple track. It just sounds like some rhythm section stuff. But then that glockenspiel comes in and plays something kind of like a melody. But if you listen to the melody, it’s not that exciting. It doesn’t go anywhere; it doesn’t do anything. Why would Apple choose this track with that kind of melody? They didn’t.

Watch that commercial one more time. But this time, try to listen to both the narration and the music at the same time. Now, hopefully the pieces are starting to come together. The commercial is one giant phrase with the narration being the melody! And there’s some other stuff going on as well. I’m sure you noticed the final two transitions. The music just hits a chord and cadences on the big beats, while the logo changes … cute. But check out the transitions the entire way through … These aren’t crazy in-yo-face transitions; they’re all in time! This goes back to our previous post about the three main things music does to the brain.

Music organizes all transitions for you subconsciously. So, what? Well, since your brain already created a world, organized it and prepared you for motion, then by giving you exactly what you were expecting, your brain did less work.

No surprises MEANS simple. Boom!

So, by taking the time to make sure everything goes together perfectly, Apple actually reinforced its brand image to you on a subconscious level. Yep, you can call that brainwashing … or just a super fantastic use of music and picture.

About the Author:
Huckleberry (@tunefruit) hails from Connecticut. After a short stint of walking the streets of NYC at 4 a.m. (with a tuba), he finally had enough dough for a bus ticket to Atlanta where he graciously accepted the job of “overworked, underpaid intern.” After all, what’s a berry gonna do with money? Check out their Website: www.tunefruit.com.