Check out the new promo videos for Apple Pay
Last month when Apple started promoting hashtags for Apple Pay on X, we wondered whether this was the start of a marketing campaign for the service. Apple has indeed started to promote Apple Pay using a tagline that was one of those seen with a hashtag on X: #PayTheAppleWay. For the tech giant, it is a volume business; Apple gets .15% (not 15%) of the value of each transaction that is paid using Apple Pay. So for every $100 invoice paid by Apple Pay, the company gets 15 cents.
That might not sound like a lot, but the feature is expected to gross Apple $4 billion this year. There is no denying that it is a convenience and with the Apple Watch, you don't even need to pull your iPhone out of your pocket to settle up at the cash register. Using Apple Pay means that there is no more fumbling for your wallet so you won't drop all of your credit cards on the tile floor while the long line of shoppers behind you starts grumbling.
Most retail stores do accept Apple Pay, and Android users can use Google Pay or Samsung Pay if they own a Galaxy device. But since it is Apple promoting its mobile payment service, let's focus on Apple Pay. The company has produced two 30-second spots and two 15-second spots (perfect for YouTube) to promote Apple Pay.
The first ad, titled "The Dance," shows a woman trying to pay for a purchase at the register, but she's having issues. She's either inserting her credit card into the terminal too fast or too slow. The cashier explains that there are two beeps that she needs to listen for, and, well, you can guess the rest. There's a long line of disgruntled shoppers behind her. Meanwhile, at an adjacent register, a shopper uses Apple Pay and completes his transaction in seconds. Cue the tagline: "Pay the Apple way."
The next 30-second spot for Apple Pay is called "Captcha" which is the test that all of us have been put through to prove that we are human and not a robot. Sometimes it involves clicking on a small square, other times we have to click on the three squares out of nine that show a railroad crossing, a bridge, a car, etc. By the way, Captcha is owned by Google. In this ad, a woman is ready to ready to buy a product online when she is asked to complete a Captcha by clicking the squares showing a traffic light.
The woman, who might be overthinking her responses, keeps giving incorrect answers and can't be confirmed as a human. This might feel very familiar to many of our readers and personally, I've experienced this too many times to count. Finally, she visits another online retailer and buys a completely different product. This retailer has a payment option that reads "Pay with Apple Pay." One tap and the transaction is completed.
The two 15-second spots are just edited versions of the above 30-second ads. You will surely see these, if you haven't already, while watching your favorite television shows and sporting events over the next few weeks.
Apple Pay sign hangs inside a Salem Walgreen's store
Apple Pay is part of Apple's second-largest business segment, Services. This business unit generated $21.21 billion in revenue for Apple during the fiscal third quarter which not only topped the figure that Wall Street analysts were estimating but was also an 8.2% increase year-over-year. Per Forbes, the "Pay the Apple Way" campaign is rolling out in two countries right now, the U.S. and the U.K.
Apple Pay's success relies on recurring use of the service and like most of the businesses found under the Services umbrella, it relies less on selling more new iPhone units every year. Most of the offerings found in this business segment depend on monthly subscriptions (like Apple Music, or Apple TV+). Since Apple Pay is a volume business, it makes sense for Apple to promote it every now and then.
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