Gorillaz “Feel Good Inc.” iPod Commercial (2005)

Silhouettes on wheels

Apple's "Rollerskating" commercial first aired on 7 May 2005; the German Apple news site ifun.de reported that it premiered during NBC's Saturday Night Live. The spot kept the silhouetted dancers of the iPod campaign but put them on roller skates, moving to "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz, and Apple also posted it on its website. A week later it was joined by "Pop-Lock", set to Daft Punk's "Technologic".

Ahead of Demon Days

The ad reached television two days before the song's release as a single on 9 May 2005. "Feel Good Inc." was the lead single from Demon Days, the band's second album, which followed on 23 May in the UK and 24 May in the US and was produced mainly by Danger Mouse. Featuring the American hip-hop group De La Soul, the single peaked at number two in the UK and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it spent eight consecutive weeks at the top of Billboard's Modern Rock chart. It won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2006.

A virtual band in a real campaign

Gorillaz is a virtual band created in 1998 by the musician Damon Albarn and the artist Jamie Hewlett and presented through four animated characters: 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs. The roller-skating spot appeared shortly before TBWA\Chiat\Day's silhouette campaign for the iPod received the Grand Effie, the top prize of the Effie Awards for advertising effectiveness, in June 2005.

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