On the eve of its second-quarter earnings announcement, Apple has introduced a new tagline, "You're more powerful than you think," with a rendition of the Pixies' "Gigantic."
The empowering message is underscored by the ad's plot, which features various musicians playing the song, first separately and then in unison. The narrative then expands to include others -- athletes, motorcyclists, a dad -- who are empowered by their iPhone 5S devices.
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Though the ads continue the feel-good vibe of previous Apple ads, the tagline signals a subtle shift. For the past few years, Apple ads have made the product the hero. Here, the product is a mechanism for making the user the hero.
The choice of music is also unusual. Recent Apple ads have featured newer tracks like Sleigh Bells' "Rill Rill" from 2010 and Lemaitre's "1:18," which is from the same year. "Gigantic," the Pixies' first single, harkens back to 1988.
The ad comes as Samsung's Galaxy 5, a direct rival to the iPhone 5S, is hitting the market. Though the model is getting mediocre reviews, Apple continues to be locked into an ad-spending war with its South Korean rival. In 2013, Apple spent $351 million in U.S. advertising versus Samsung's $363 million, according to Kantar Media.
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