Apple Goes All-In on “F1 The Movie,” Why Apple Is Doing Apple TV+, Betting on Storytelling in a Sea of TikToks
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Let’s jump into today’s discussion which will take us to Apple TV+ land.
Apple Goes All-In on “F1 The Movie”
Apple is going all-in on promoting its upcoming film, “F1 The Movie.” Apple Studios is one of four production companies behind the film with Apple Original Films joining Warner Bros. Pictures on the distribution front. (Apple is handling the streaming video on demand component.)
Consider the following marketing events:
WWDC keynote: The opening video was used to market the film.
June 10th: Apple held a pre-screening of the film at Steve Jobs Theater for WWDC attendees and media/press.
June 11th: Apple released an innovative “F1 The Movie” haptic trailer that works with the iPhone Taptic Engine. This is the first-of-a-kind trailer. It's pretty cool. Give it a try (on an iPhone) here.
This past Sunday: Following a “Severance” panel at Apple’s flagship store in NYC, Tim Cook and Brad Pitt made a surprise appearance to push F1 The Movie.
This past Monday: A number of senior Apple executives were front-and-center at the worldwide premiere in NYC.
These events, in addition to traditional press, combine to represent a marketing push from Apple unlike anything we have seen with a prior Apple TV+ film or movie. In some ways, Tim Cook and Eddy Cue are going all-in and in the process positioning “F1 The Movie” as a barometer of Apple’s six-plus-year bet on original video.
We will see how the movie ticket numbers pan out. If “F1 The Movie” brings people out to the theaters, Cook and Cue are going to receive a major boost of validation. (If there are any heat waves in the U.S., that will help get people into AC-equipped theaters.) If the movie flops, the list of Apple PR headaches will grow.
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