“Shot on iPhone” was a “ridiculously simple idea,” says Apple Vice President
Myhren said that research has concluded that consumers who belong to Generation Z find outside advertising “relaxing.” Apple first started using billboards in the 1990s when the company started promoting its controversial “Think Different” tagline that featured John and Yoko and Rosa Parks
Not only did Apple use images created by non-celebrity iPhone users, it also posted content created by celebrities including music videos created by Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez. The campaign proved to be a success allowing Apple to expand it beyond billboards. At first, though, Apple blew up the images on outdoor signs to show consumers features related to the iPhone’s cameras and top hopefully inspire them to experiment and come up with memorable photos themselves.
Apple has used the “Shot on iPhone” campaign for national holidays and to promote history-making events. For one Earth Day, Apple released a video showing wild animals while Megadeth’s music played in the background.
One “Shot on iPhone” video was a single-take 5-hour museum tour that promoted the improved battery life on the iPhone 11 Pro line
The thing about billboards, notes Myhren, is that there is space only to show a few words and images. “You have to strip away the artifice and get down to the truth,” he said. “It’s important to value ‘platforms over ads. Media is art.”
