Even Elon Musk called it "cool" 😮
Here's the magic behind the campaign 🪄
Context 🎯
Apple recently launched a new holiday ad for the Airpods Pro 2. It revolves around a father-daughter's bond & has gone absolutely viral for hitting the right nerve. Here's the format that's making it work so well:
✅ Clear marketing objective: Talk about the new Hearing Aid feature on Airpods Pro 2.
✅ Clear customer persona selection: A father with a hearing disability.
Wholesome association ❤️
The ad revolves around a beautiful bond between a father & daughter. This relationship is universal. So, even though the ad shows an American family - global audiences relate to it.
The format behind the ad 🔎
1️⃣ Setting the context: Holiday season, cozy living room setting, Christmas tree, small family sitting around it & the daughter receives her Christmas present.
2️⃣ Show problem: In this case, the daughter receives a guitar & the dad has trouble hearing what she is saying. The dad is visibly agitated.
3️⃣ Aggravate problem: A flashback is shown where the dad has always struggled to hear & keep up with his daughter’s special moments. From when she was a baby, to first footsteps, to first day in school & more.
The audio is muffled to put the audience in the shoe of what hearing disability looks like. It makes you uncomfortable & you relate to the pain.
4️⃣ Enter the saviour: The airpods enter the scene when the wife prompts the dad to “listen” to what’s happening.
The dad opens his airpod case & puts it on. Increases the slider on the hearing slider & voila, it’s like magic.
5️⃣ Before & after: The same flashback visuals are shown again — this time with complete sound clarity. This signals that the Airpods have always been a close friend of the dad & has helped him to be a part of his daughter’s special moments growing up.
6️⃣ Simplicity of the pitch: Trust me, when you have a product as complex as Airpods - it's supremely difficult to focus on marketing one single feature. It takes crazy user insight to focus on just one thing. The simplicity with which the hearing slider is shown is brilliant.
Masterclass in breaking the pattern 💥
Tech brands, for a while, have focused on sleek designs & futuristic pitches. Showing off sexyness has become a pattern. So, when a giant brand like Apple went the opposite route — it touched an emotional nerve & broke the pattern for tech ads.
The business case for it 💰
The ad is supremely well timed with the holiday season. It places the Airpods Pro 2 as a worthy gifting option for parents. With a solid price tag of $249 in the US, it’s Apple’s main bet to ride the holiday gifting wave.
Core takeaway ✨
This concept is extremely scalable to regions globally. Imagine an Indian version featuring Amitabh Bachchan with his grand-daughter. It just makes sense.
Finally, behind every successful piece of content is a great format. The gold is in cracking format.
This post was originally shared by on Linkedin.