Marketing With The iPod

Whenever something new, exciting and revolutionary is introduced to the general public, it’s nearly a given that other corporations, companies and interests want to hitch their branding wagon to that train. And with the Apple iPod Nano, it was, and still is no different. The Apple iPod transformed the way the whole world thinks about where it takes it music. Soon after its release, you could walk around any hip metropolitan street and see those instantly recognizable white ear buds poking through the collars and jackets of many people, young and old, male and female. So, it didn’t take a marketing genius to figure out that all those iPod listeners represent a huge target audience. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, a marketing genius did realize that.

Many companies that, at first glance, would have very little to do with the Apple iPod, soon lined up to be associated with the world’s most popular portable digital music player. Before you knew it, there were charities working together with Apple to create an iPod Nano with that charity’s logo and colors on it. It was a great way for a charity to appear current by working together with the Apple iPod Nano line as well as reaching a younger, more technologically savvy demographic that it otherwise would not have reached.

However, even though charities recognized the power of the iPod, it was the music industry itself that has taken the greatest advantage of the reach and visibility of the iPod. Now, the music industry generally frowns upon downloading music from a computer onto an iPod without paying for it. But, some people in the music world realized that the iPod Nano is so popular, that there are people who won’t listen to music in any other format besides on their iPod. So, if you aren’t working with the iPod, you are working against certain segments of your target audience.

Some bands decided to directly associate themselves with the iPod Nano; U2 being the biggest and most recognizable band to do so. A special U2 version of the iPod was released, and selected songs from an upcoming album were only available to be heard via the iPod. Of course, innovative, expensive and exceptionally cool marketing and advertising campaigns were released. Because of this foresight, two goals were achieved. One, of course, was to work together with the Apple iPod Nano to get the music and songs released and introduced to the public. The second goal was that U2 did not appear to be anti-download and embraced the iPod and everything it can do.

In the early days of music downloading, there were many bands who scoffed at the idea of having their music listened to for free. As a result, they appeared to be greedy, out of touch and completely against the wishes of their fans. But, with the advent of the Apple iPod Nano, it is now imperative that if the whole world is going to be listening to this little device, then they might as well be listening to you.

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