Steriogram “Walkie Talkie Man” iPod Commercial (2004)

From WWDC to the VMAs

"Stereo Rock" was first shown during Steve Jobs's keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on 28 June 2004. It reached television on 29 August 2004, during the MTV Video Music Awards broadcast. The spot used the campaign's black silhouette dancers, moving to "Walkie Talkie Man" by Steriogram, and ended with the line "PC or Mac", reversing the "Mac or PC" order of earlier iPod + iTunes ads. The ANDY Awards archive credits TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles, with creative directors Duncan Milner and Eric Grunbaum, art director Susan Alinsangan, copywriter Tom Kraemer and executive creative director Lee Clow.

Auckland to Capitol Records

Steriogram formed in Auckland in 1999 and signed to Capitol Records in 2002 after a scout found one of their videos online. "Walkie Talkie Man" was the lead single from their debut album Schmack!, produced by David Kahne, which reached number three in New Zealand. The single peaked at number 14 in New Zealand and, in November 2004, at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.

A Gondry video

The song's music video was directed by Michel Gondry. In it, children working as studio staff knit the band's instruments and equipment from wool. The video was nominated for the Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video and for four MTV Video Music Awards.

Browse related iPod history pages

Browse iPod Advertising for the broader collection of commercials. For year-based product history, explore the 2004 timeline, 2005 timeline, or 2006 timeline.