Apple raised the eyebrows of the advertising world in October 2005 with the release of “Detroit”, an silhouetted performance by rapper Eminem. The spot was recognised at first for its achievements – getting Eminem to agree to endorsing the iPod and the creative skills demonstrated in the visual effects. However it wasn’t long before commentators started making comparisons between the Detroit spot and the 2002 “Arrow” spot for shoemaker Lugz. After complaints from advertising agency Avrett Free Ginsberg, Apple withdrew the Eminem spot from its place on the Apple web site, replacing it with the U2 video and Wynton Marsalis ad.
Lugz Arrow
Three men wearing Lugz footwear demonstrate their breakdance moves to the sounds of New York hip hop rap DJ Funkmaster Flex (Aston Taylor). The first dancer stands on a New York rooftop looking out over a Manhattan cityscape. A black graffiti arrow follows the track made by his spinning Lugz shoes before breaking free and heading down to the street. A dancer on a pedestrian crossing is caught up in the black arrow’s movements before sending it to a railway station platform. The third dancer plays with the arrow before boarding his train. As the last carriage pulls out the Lugz logo appears on a platform advertising board.
Lugz Credits
The Lugz Arrow campaign, released in TV and print in August 2002, was developed at advertising agency Avrett Free & Ginsberg by creatives Rory Braunstein and Scott Barbey.
The Lugz Arrow TV ads were directed, designed and animated by a team at Psyop, New York, under the leadership of director/designer Marie Hyon and animation director Marco Spier, executive producer Justin Booth-Clibborn.
The music used in the Lugz Arrow clip was prepared exclusively for Lugz by Funkmaster Flex.
Apple Detroit
An animated Eminem in silhouette sings “Lose Yourself”, dancing through the red, yellow and black streets of Detroit with a white microphone. Each footstep leaves a white splash of paint on the ground. He’s joined by silhouetted dancers with white iPods. The scene is enhanced with black and white grafitti-style scrawls. At 20 seconds we’re given a red screen with the words, “Eminem, Curtain Call – The Hits”. At 24 seconds, “iPod + iTunes”. At 28 seconds, a white Apple logo on red background.
In February 2004 Eminem’s company Eight Mile Style had taken out a lawsuit against Apple, TBWA\Chiat\Day and MTV for using ‘Lose Yourself’ in an online advertising featuring a 10-year-old boy rapping the Eight Mile High song, ‘Lose Yourself’. Although the advertising agency had asked for permission to use the song and had received a ‘no’, Apple (read Steve Jobs) had pushed ahead on the campaign. See MacMinute’s take on the lawsuit. Apple reached an amicable out-of-court settlement with Eight Mile Style in May 2004.
When the Apple Detroit ad appeared on Apple’s web site, a number of advertising bloggers commented on the similarities between it and the Lugz Arrow commercial. See the breaking article at Adfreak.
Click on the image below to play the video.
Detroit Credits
The Apple Detroit ad was developed by TBWA\Chiat\Day by worldwide chief creative officer Lee Clow, creative directors Duncan Milner and Eric Grunbaum, art director Demian Oliveira, copywriter Krista Wicklund, executive producer Cheryl Childers, agency producer Mike Refuerzo, and assistant producer Serena Auroux.
Filming was directed by Mark Romanek via Anonymous Content, with producer Scott Kaplan, executive producer Lisa Margulis and director of photography Jim Healy.
Apple Detroit was edited at Nomad Editing Company by Glenn Martin, with assistant editor Matt Dunlap, music editor Francois Blaighan and music assistant Tom Stamatio.
Design, animation and visual effects were done at Logan by Alexei Tylevich and Ben Conrad, with grafitti style graphics by Eric Haze.
Post production at Company 3 was done by special effects artist Alex Brodie and colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld.
Lyrics for Lose Yourself
The lyrics used in the clip are highlighted in red.
Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted-One moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?
Yo, His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti
He’s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out
He’s chokin, how everybody’s chokin now
The clock’s run out, time’s up over, bloah!
Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked
He’s so mad, but he won’t give up that easy
No, he won’t have it ,
he knows his whole back city’s ropes
It don’t matter, he’s dope
He knows that, but he’s broke
He’s so stacked that he knows
When he goes back to his mobile home, that’s when it’s
Back to the lab again yo
This whole rap city
He better go capture this moment and hope it don’t pass him
[Chorus:]
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo,
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime you better,
His soul’s escaping, through this hole that it’s gaping
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move toward a, new world order
A normal life is borin, but superstardom’s close to post mortom
It only grows harder, only grows hotter
He blows us all over these hoes is all on him
Coast to coast shows, he’s know as the globetrotter
Lonely roads, God only knows
He’s grown farther from home, he’s no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter
But hold your nose cause here goes the cold water
These ho’s don’t want him no mo, he’s cold product
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows
He nose dove and sold nada
So the soap opera is told and unfolds
I suppose it’s old partner,
but the beat goes on
Da da dum da dum da da
[Chorus:]
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo, you better
No more games, I’ma change what you call rage
Tear this mothafuckin roof off like 2 dogs caged
I was playin in the beginnin, the mood all changed
I been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage
But I kept rhymin and stepwritin the next cypher
Best believe somebody’s payin the pied piper
All the pain inside amplified by the fact
That I can’t get by with my 9 to 5
And I can’t provide the right type of life for my family
Cause man, these goddam food stamps don’t buy diapers
And it’s no movie, there’s no Makai Pfeiffer, this is my life
And these times are so hard and it’s getting even harder
Tryin to feed and water my seed, plus
Teeter-totter caught up between trying to be a father and a prima donna
Baby mama drama’s screamin on and
Too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot, another day of monotony
Has gotten me to the point, I’m like a snail
I’ve got to formulate a plot or I end up in jail or shot
Success is my only mothafuckin option, failure’s not
Mom, I love you, but this trailer’s got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem’s lot
So here I go is my shot.
Feet fail me not or not this may be the only opportunity that I got
[Chorus:]
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime you better,
You can do anything you set your mind to, man