It’s no secret that whenever something new and hip is released, that companies are ready to line up with it. A product that companies wanted to work with is the Apple iPod Nano. The power of the iPod Nano is so great that it changed how the world thinks and listens to music. The iPod was such a popular item, that it reached and is used by every possible segment of the population. 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.
Lots of companies soon tried to associate themselves with the Apple iPod. 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. We all know that the music industry doesn’t really like people downloading and listening to music for free on an Apple iPod Nano. Yet, some music executives realized that the iPod is the music player of choice for many people. 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. Apple released a special U2 version of the iPod Nano. Of course, there was the obligatory super-cool ad campaign featuring the band, the songs and the Apple iPod Nano. Because of this foresight, two goals were achieved. One was to get the songs and iPod Nano introduced to the buying public. The second goal was that U2 did not appear to be anti-download and embraced the iPod and everything it can do.
Back in the day, there were many bands who did not embrace the idea of downloading musc for free. This had a negative backlash against the image of the band. 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.
- Kelvyn Drewstford
