Apple shows off its Beatles catalog in new TV ad

Come together! Apple’s new iTunes television advertisement, somewhat surprisingly, is focused on its Beatles catalog. As you’ll probably remember, The Beatles made their timely entry into the digital music space in November of 2010. So, why did Apple decide to advertise it again a year later? Your guess is as good as mine. The only two scenarios that come to mind are these:

  • Apple/The Beatles hope they can squeeze out some extra money by reminding people that they can give Beatles albums as last-minute Christmas gifts.
  • Apple’s digital exclusivity on the Beatles catalog might be up sooner than we thought, and Apple wants to exploit that advantage while they still have it.

In any case, the ad is pretty freakin’ cool. As always, the production value is outstanding. Essentially, it’s a trippy visualization of the album covers of the entire oeuvre of The Beatles. Throughout the entire thirty second ad, you hear The Magical Mystery Tour playing. At the end, very tastefully, you just see the text “The Beatles on iTunes” right before getting a glimpse of the Apple logo. Other than those two seconds of black on white at the tail end, you wouldn’t have even known Apple was involved.

This ad is endearing, nostalgic, and classy. It’s the attention to detail that makes Apple stand out above the rest in the market. That shows through in the ads it commissions as well.

Grant is a writer from Delaware. In his spare time, Grant maintains a personal blog, hosts The Weekly Roar, hosts Quadcast, and writes for video games.