5 things to know about that Apple Music commercial with Kerry, Taraji and MJB...
During the Emmys on Sunday, Viola Davis show the stole with her amazing acceptance speech, but there was another moment people can't stop talking about, too.
That Apple Music commercial. You know the one with your Fantasy Squad Kerry Washington, Taraji P. Henson and Mary J. Blige that had the nerve to be directed by your Fantasy BFF Ava DuVernay.
So, how did Apple manage to pack so much #BlackGirlMagic into a single minute? Well, AdAge went in-depth to get all the details behind the epic spot.
Steve Stoute came up with the concept
His agency Translation conceived the ad and took the idea to Apple Music's Jimmy Iovine.
"I've always been a big supporter of African-American women, who are an underserved audience in our industry for reasons that make completely no sense to me," he tells AdAge. "Everyone talks about streaming, but no one speaks to this specific segment. I felt like Kerry Washington was a great representation of this group, so I spoke to Jimmy (Iovine) and we went through some ideation."
He cast famous black women, but not just because they're famous
"How come the last thing advertising used Mary J. Blige for, they wanted her to sing about crispy chicken?" he said. "It's not about casting famous people. Casting famous people is easy, but putting them in a circumstance that's believable, that tells an authentic narrative is good."
The commercial was mostly improv
"There was a lot of freedom within the framework of the scripts," Translation's CCO John Norman says. "We set up the premise, seeder lines, and Ava was really great at getting (the actresses) in the mood and getting them to open up."
They decided on the Emmys while shooting
"Literally, we were on set and Ava was doing her thing and it came together," Stoute says. "John (Norman) was like, 'We can make great 60s out of this to run.' The original thinking was that it would run on Scandal, Empire, but debuting the 60 on the Emmys came from the camaraderie on the set, and the magic these women were creating."
There will be more ads featuring the trio!
Kerry, Taraji and Mary will appear in two more ads, which will include more of their friends and "will debut in the next six to eight weeks during major prime-time events," AdAge reports.
Yasssssssssssssssssssssssss!