Apple's first iPhone commercial was subtle, but incredibly effective

Oh, hello.
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Apple's first iPhone commercial was subtle, but incredibly effective
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Once upon a time, the iPhone wasn't the thing attached to everyone's hip. It was, in fact, just a new idea that nobody had even thought about, as the ad that debuted in February 2007, months ahead of the device's release, suggested.

But the simple ad still stands up today and was prophetic in showing the way the device would come to be engrained as part of our every day lives.

The ad featured clips from TV shows and movies of various actors, including Lucille Ball, Ben Stiller, and Sarah Jessica Parker, simply saying, "hello." It was like Apple knew it needed to make us feel comfortable with its new device, while only teasing the features that would reshape the way we thought about our phones and how we used them to communicate.

And, by having its (at the time) newest product stand along side the titans of pop culture, Apple elegantly — though not subtly — inserted the iPhone into our cultural fabric.

Ten years later and it might be safe to say Apple called its shot.

Topics Apple iPhone


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