When you run the largest single location independent Mac shop in the country, you are bound to have a lot of spare equipment floating around. So, with a couple hundred iPods and a little time to spare, the folks at Tekserve set the digital devices up in a domino line and filmed their first commercial. The fifteen-second spot will begin running every 20 minutes on the large LED display outside of Madison Square Garden on 33rd Street and 7th Avenue from May 1 through June 30.
“Despite our rather rough treatment of the iPods, I want to assure Apple lovers everywhere that no iPods were hurt during the filming of this commercial,” said Dick Demenus, one of Tekserve’s principals in the press release.
The advertisement was conceived by Dick Demenus, filmed in-house by Tekserve’s Hank Gonzalez and filmed/edited by former Tekserve employee Jared Dubrino. Close to two hundred iPods were used in the filming, which have an estimated original value of $50,000. The spot was edited using Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects on a Power Mac Dual Core G5.
Tekserve is a one-of-a-kind computer store that tests and reviews Apple and 3rd party gadgets before putting them on their shelves and has been featured on many popular television series including Sex In The City and Law & Order. Located on West 23rd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in New York City, Tekserve is the largest single independent Mac shop in the country.
To view the ad, visit http://www.tekserve.com/commercial
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poor ipods.
Poor independant Mac store in NYC when the king of all Apple Stores opens here very soon.
I wish I had a spastic cow, a spastic cow, a spastic cow.
I wish I had a spastic cow, so early in the morning.
ta da!
the sound of the ipods hitting eachother and the floor makes me cringe
Cool commercial though. Clever.
Magic word: George? What the hell’s up with that one?
Needs some music or something. I’m sorry, I meant Moo-sic.
-glad cow
does that look like they are running OS9 on that iBook to anyone else? (cool ad)
at least they are old iPods! Cool that they are turned on, too.
Tekserve is the BEST!
It would be more impressive if they used iPod Nano’s
Yawnnnnnn….
who cares? New Yorkers suck balls
the computer definitely isn’t running os9, you can tell by the overall look of the layout, and not to mention it has a spotlight icon in the upper right.
Looks like it’s time to start a new category for the Guinness World Record book. Largest number of iPods used in a continuous domino setup.
Anyone want to beat 200? Guaranteed press coverage!
The commercial was entirely too short, cheap, but effective in a limited way.
Somebody is worried, deeply worried that the new Apple Store in NY will draw all the faithful there.
They should run the add backwards, that way the iPods are standing up at attention. Get the last two to dance.
Be looking for an ad soon that says
“For Sale: 200 slightly blemished iPods. Warranty invalid. Hard drive may have possible damage.”
I think the point of the commercial is just to bring a little awareness about their store to the general public. Also, if they test everything before they put it on the shelf they have a slightly different nitch then apple in general and people will respect that and will probably still go there is the price is the same.
Oh and about the no music on the video, isn’t it being played in times square where I don’t believe they have speakers setup? Hence the no voiceover either… But I like the commercial
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“Poor independant Mac store in NYC when the king of all Apple Stores opens here very soon.”
Feh. The Tekserve customer experience is, start to finish, vastly superior to the Apple Store. And they are firmly entrenched in pro markets in NYC. I’d much rather shop there than the Apple Store, and I’m not alone. Tekserve ain’t going anywhere.
To Road Warrior: Great idea! That would be very cool.
You guys are correct. It does need some music to make it more pro looking, and the idea of having them stand up is pretty clever. Hopefully they’ll at least add music before the ad goes into use.
Wow…Someone didn’t like my comment and deleted it… Not sure why, I was really nice in it didn’t swear or saying anything bad… Just pointed out that the ad is meant to run in times square which I don’t think has speakers hence the no music….
That’s all….
Disclaimer: No iPods were hurt during the making of this commercial.
“Poor independant Mac store in NYC when the king of all Apple Stores opens here very soon.”
——-
Nahhhh…not at all.
While it’s great that a flagship Apple Store is coming to midtown, it’s also good that TechServe will be around for dependable repairs: according to Apple Store personnel, “…we don’t get involved with repairs on anything over a couple years old”). Also, strangely, the product knowledge of Apple Store sales floor personnel is variable at best and surprisingly lacking at worst. I think the two stores will coexist just fine, and each will serve a purpose.
Does TekServe still have those 10 oz GLASS bottles of Coke for a dime? Haven’t been there for awhile…
MW: Coke from a glass bottle beats Coke from a plastic bottle or aluminum can any day of the week, and twice on Sundays
Cmajor–
Your comment is there. Whatever you’re smoking, please share.