Apple Launches ‘World Gallery,’ Photo-Centric iPhone 6 Campaign
03/24/2015
Curators’ Corner
Apple has sold more than 500 million iPhones since introducing the original model in 2007. Through eight years of upgrades and new releases, what was once a marvel of the modern cellular phone has become an absolute essential.
In line with the iPhone’s ever-growing capabilities is the camera. Apple has continued to lead us into the mobile photography age – not just by upping the iPhone’s photo specs, but also by positioning the device as a powerful creative tool. Their new campaign, tagged simply, “Shot on iPhone 6,” pushes conventional product-heavy marketing aside for a user-based collection of photographs taken with the latest iPhone.
As competitors HTC and Samsung introduced new models with enhanced camera capabilities at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress, Apple unveiled its ‘World Gallery.’ The curated collection features 77 awe-inspiring images from photographers in 70 cities across 24 countries. Apple browsed thousands of uncommissioned photos from iPhone users, including popular Instagrammers Pei Ketron, Austin Mann and Cole Rise, before making their picks.
“The campaign was a slightly mysterious process,” Rise told TIME. “An ‘un-named’ company had reached out to my photography rep looking for exceptional examples of photos taken on an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. I spent a few days rummaging through the archives of photos taken on a variety of recent trips across the Northwest, selecting the 15 or so that told the best story. Learning that this company was in fact Apple was both a pleasant surprise and incredible honor, having carried every iPhone model since launch.”
Images from the World Gallery are also seen in new ads (with Apple’s signature minimalist design scheme) on billboards, and at bus stops and train stations. The campaign is inspired by the #iphoneonly Instagram hashtag and illustrates the iPhone’s popularity among professional photographers and casual snap-shooters alike.
