Napster takes dig at rival iTunes with striptease viral campaign

by Jennifer Whitehead, Brand Republic 18-Nov-05, 09:00

LONDON - Napster is taking a cheeky dig at rival digital music service iTunes with a new viral campaign featuring a stripper.

Created by Drugstore, the viral shows a woman starting a striptease. But just as things get interesting, the woman stops her dance and sits down, and the words "30-second previews leave you wanting more? At Napster you get the whole thing" flash up.

The viral, which can be viewed at GetTheWholeThing.co.uk is a dig at the iTunes preview service, which only lets users hear 30 seconds of a track before deciding if they want to buy it.

Research conducted by ICM for Napster found that 75% of people would prefer full-length tracks to 30-second snippets when sampling music -- a service that Napster delivers.

At the end of the viral, viewers are invited to a seven-day free trial of Napster as well as sending it to a friend. It also advises users that the track used in the movie, 'Sunshine of your Love' by the Hoxton Whores, featuring a sample of the Cream original, is on sale from Napster.

The campaign is part of a wider push that includes a game hosted by Lauren Laverne on her Xfm breakfast show called "30 seconds is never enough", and a promotion on Richard Bacon's drivetime radio show on Capital FM.

The film was created by Russ Schaller and Ben Clapp, and directed by Ben Sedley and produced by Godmans. Jon Shaw, also at Drugstore TM, created the microsite.

"Compared to iTunes and the rest, Napster gives you the full monty. That's the message of the campaign," Drugstore's founding partner Marc Cave said.

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