Sure, those metallic menaces steal passwords. But at least they can’t poop on our heads. Yet.

Clang-y tones created by sound engineer Gus Coven—and that flighty flute!—heighten the sense of unease to the edge of distraction. But maybe that’s the point.

And of course, wags might argue that a Big Tech promise to protect users feels insincere—and that keeping a watch on us is more their style.

Ah well, it’s easy to snark at Apple. Low hanging fruit, as it were. Truth is: Cyber-safety reminders are always relevant, and “Flock” soars above most. 

The ad drops today across TV, social, cinema and digital platforms.

As part of the push, a separate set of videos will mimic browser hijacks in real time:

CREDITS

Agency: TBWAMedia Arts Lab 
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Ivan Zacharias
Bird design: Legacy FX
Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors Editorial
VFX: House of Parliament
Color: TRAFIK
Sound Design / Mix: Barking Owl
Music Editorial: Model Citizen

Yeah, profs are so dense. Off-campus kegger tonight?

These are apparently the first Macintosh spots to use dialogue since the legendary “Get a Mac” series of yore.

Naturally, this new work doesn’t rise to those heights. But it’s enjoyable stuff with a slight edge, the latest in a long line of engaging product demos that sail above the PC pack.

The work breaks today across TV, digital, social and various other venues.

All of those items—musical instruments, cans of paint and tech tools among them—represent Reality Pro functionality (referencing sonic apps, art programs and such). Even the rubber emojis fit the bill. (Plus, they just deserve to get squashed.)

Sonny & Cher’s hippie-era “All I Ever Need Is You” provides a twangy soundtrack.

Meanwhile, a second spot, from TBWAMedia Arts Lab and BeGrizzlee director Fernando Cardenas, pits the new iPad against a vintage iPod Nano.

The music player was once Apple’s thinnest offering, but these days it looks a tad plush at 5.4mm:

Gorgeously executed to hype durability, the mesmerizing visuals add up to way more than the sum of their parts. Once again, the brand gets extra mileage from a simple concept.

Like all ads in the series—all Apple ads, really—it’s an elevated, artful product demo that makes its point with eye-catching flair and a smart soundtrack (the appropriately bouncy “Buckle Up” by CHAII, Sam Bruno and Don Electron).

There’s also a neat contrast between the sleek, white iPhone 15 and the bumpy, gritty streets beyond the rickshaw’s window.

This juxtaposition reminds us of tech’s ability to smooth life’s lumps and sooth nerves, serving up sports and entertainment as we careen headlong into the future.

Can Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” ad series do justice to the brooding and oft-fantastical universe of Japanese hardboiled manga?

Of course, we all know the answer before watching a single frame. Backed by big bucks and with A-listers guiding development, these films often play like mini-masterpieces.

And that’s true of the neon-drenched, cyberpunky campaign entry below. It runs for nearly 20 minutes and was adapted from “Midnight,” a groundbreaking mid-80s storyline by “godfather of manga” Osamu Tezuka.

For the high-octane, sometimes silly scenario, TBWAMedia Art Lab Tokyo and director Takashi Miike deployed iPhone 15 Pros to follow a cab driver’s perilous quest through the crime-infested streets of Japan’s capital.

Be on the lookout for the taxi’s extra wheel. And for god’s sake: Steer clear of that freaky hand puppet!

“Mr. Tezuka is something of a god among manga artists so it was an honor to take on the challenge of expressing his work using only iPhone,” Miike says in campaign materials.

“As we were shooting, I naturally began to challenge myself to think about how we could make a work unique to iPhone, beyond the usual approach to a film. I truly felt that the iPhone has the power to do things that a conventional movie camera can’t.”

In addition to showing off product features, the long-running campaign celebrates and shares pop culture across the globe, offering vistas and insights we might miss otherwise.

“Shot on iPhone” eps usually rank as compelling entertainment. “Midnight,” the Usher Super Bowl doc and this Lunar New Year tale feel appropriate for film festivals. The work views diverse elements through a vibrant lens, yielding a commercial art form all its own.

Breaking today, “Midnight” will run across TV, online and OOH platforms including, appropriately enough, Tokyo taxi screens in the wee hours.

CREDITS

Agency: TBWAMedia Arts Lab Tokyo
Production Company: OLM, Inc.
Editorial Company: Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Inc.
Finishing: Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Inc.
Director: Takashi Miike
Executive Producer: Misako Saka
Director of Photography: Nobuyasu Kita
Original Music: Koji Endo
Licensed Music: “Midnight Klaxon Baby” by Thee Michelle Gun Elephant

Director Mike Carson deployed more than 40 iPhone 15 Max and Max Pro handsets to film highlights of the live gig plus rehearsals and backstage footage.

And no doubt more than a few of the 61,000+ fans at Allegiant Stadium held their phones high as Usher, Alicia Keys, will.i.am and Lil Jon did their thing at the show, which Apple Music sponsored.

In our tech-obsessed age, this feels fitting. Life’s a panoramic digital canvas, 24/7/365.

It’s a quick-paced peek at a cultural happening. There’s nothing too deep, no huge revelations. But it’s compelling to watch the hard work and repetition behind all the glam. Everyone sweats and frets, as you’d expect. Throughout, the cast and crew’s dedication to excellence shines as they strive to meld R&B, hip-hop, modern pop and Hollywood musical stylings into 20-minutes of knockout entertainment.

“Shot on iPhone” boasts a history of impressive long- and short-form productions. Most recently, the tech titan won raves for this 15-minute Chinese New Year fantasy about a sad schoolgirl who learns to believe in herself.

CLICK HERE to watch all of this year’s Super Bowl commercials.

Over time, she feels lost as her hyper-idealized selves take control. They’re not who she really is, deep down. And living a lie takes its toll.

In the end, it’s all about self-acceptance, with Grandpa’s homemade steamed buns providing symbolic food for thought.

We’re treated to impressive cinematic scope, as we’ve come to expect from Apple’s LNY offerings. But Webb smartly focuses on the human story amid a maze of skyscrapers and midtown bustle.

“Doing these quick shape-shifts, the camera has to be fast enough to hide the transitions,” he says in the making-of clip below. “We actually designed these shots to make it more interesting and see how far we can push the camera.”

It’s a grand-scale iPhone 15 Pro Max product demo, sumptuously shot and soundtracked. In other words: exactly what we’ve come to expect from Apple in these annual outings.

The main cast excels, giving immensely relatable performances. Cheng Zi Xia (Young Wei) effortlessly channels sadness, joy, hope and shame. As the character’s twenty-something incarnation, Liu Yi Yi combines naiveté and world weariness as her character succumbs to the anxiety of the urban grind. Fan Wei’s Grandpa is basically everyone’s idealized guide through life. He’s wise and patient but with a spark of mischief, too.

Their work bridges cultures and generations. You don’t have to read subtitles to understand what’s going on.

Despite the fantasy elements, the story’s pretty straightforward. Trimming a few minutes might’ve heightened its impact. (How many prospective employers reject Wei? And please, no more clubbing!)

But that’s a minor quibble, and the project has much to say about the contemporary zeitgeist and tech’s place in our daily lives.

There’s no fresh insight, but that’s OK. We get a moving meditation on the modern scene, which Apple, of course, has helped shape for the past 40 years.

Essentially, the players—and by extension, all of us—live in a reality made, in large part, by Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and the rest. (Heck, even this commercial was made on an iPhone.)

Here, one of those tech giants hypes its wares while reminding us to stay connected with our innermost feelings and aspirations.

The irony, of course, is that such wares can foster disconnection and isolation. But we’ve come too far to turn back.

Digital screens are mirrors that reveal the world’s endless permutations and possibilities. Ultimately, they show us ourselves.

CREDITS

Agency: TBWAMedia Arts Lab Shanghai 
Production: Radical US, M Production Shanghai
Director: Marc Webb
Screenwriter: Pan Yiran
Art Director: Li Anran
Director of Photography: Cecile Zhang
Music: Varqa Buehrer

“Isn’t it a pity,
Now, isn’t it a shame,
How we break each other’s hearts
And cause each other pain.
How we take each other’s love,
Without thinking anymore,
Forgetting to give back—
Isn’t it a pity.”

The song’s obscurity works in its favor. It feels fresh, with a simple yet powerful message. The late Beatle was all about kinship, peace and equality. He was always genuine, and his appearance here lends the ad considerable cred. (We imagine George would have liked “Fuzzy Feelings,” and surely enjoyed the band’s recent renaissance across the pop charts and branding.)

As for the film, it’s emotional but not saccharine, deftly skating along the edge of sentimentality. And the appearance of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and MacBook Air don’t feel shoehorned.

Amazon’s seasonal spot similarly shows the human side of technology (with a little help from a Fab Four classic).

We can imagine the events of either campaign taking place in real life—more or less—with the tech on display playing a key role.

CREDITS

Agency: TBWAMedia Arts Lab
Director: Lucia Aniello 
DP: James Laxton
Production Company: Hungry Man
Animation Director: Anna Mantzaris
Animation Production Company: Passion Pictures

Lucia joined TBWAMedia Arts Lab L.A. in 2021, and she’s led some of Apple’s biggest campaigns, including the iPhone 14 launch and the brand’s privacy initiatives. She’s also helped the tech titan leverage TikTok and hyped the MacBook Air.

We spent two minutes with Lucia to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired.

Lucia, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now. 

I grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and also spent a lot of time in Italy where my Dad is from. I’ve lived in Dublin, Toronto, San Francisco and New York. I currently live in Los Angeles. 

How you first realized you were creative. 

I was incredibly fortunate that my parents encouraged all aspects of my creative expression. I would obsessively draw cartoon characters and try to rebuild scenes and different worlds. Everything from The Simpsons to Beauty and the Beast to Dragon Ball Z. 

A person you idolized creatively early on. 

Dolores O’Riordan (also from Limerick!). 

A moment from high school or college that changed your life. 

In high school, a teacher suggested I try technical drawing, as I had an interest in math and art. I hated it. But because of this, I quickly discovered what graphic design was, and that opened up a whole new world of what was possible and ultimately helped me figure out what I wanted to study at university. 

A visual artist or band/musician you admire. 

Hilma af Klint, Judy Chicago, Peter Shire (and the rest of Memphis Milano), Peter Saville, and more modern day: Rosalía.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring. 

Triangle of Sadness. One of the best films I’ve seen in a while.   

Your favorite fictional character. 

Bart Simpson. A classic.

Someone or something worth following in social media. 

Too many to think of, but here are some that cover photography, illustration, film and fashion: @samyoukilis, @josephmelhuish, @colorpalette.cinema and @muleboyz 

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.

The relaunch of Mailchimp while I was at R/GA. We redefined their entire customer experience, and led their brand campaign. I look back on that whole project very fondly, especially building the brand world of illustration. It was absurd, playful and with purpose.  

A recent project you’re proud of. 

The launch of the MacBook Air 15″. A simple design-led idea, bringing to life a timeless MacBook icon—the pointer.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

I got my start in design and digital, and something that really inspired me years ago was this interactive film experience RO.ME by Chris Milk, Google and North Kingdom. It was one of the first uses of WebGL that really pushed the boundaries of immersive storytelling and what was possible at the time. 

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

The artwork for Róisín Murphy’s album Hit Parade. It’s AI-generated, by artist Beth Frey. I love how Róisín embraced AI in a way that is original and not derivative. 

Your main strength as a creative person. 

My mix of imagination and pragmatism helps keep me balanced, and you need a bit of both to get to good creative work.

Your biggest weakness. 

Knowing when to shut my laptop and take a break. I know I’m always more inspired with time away from a screen.

One thing that always makes you happy. 

A good meal with loved ones.

One thing that always makes you sad. 

Inequality. 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

Making some kind of art. 

Apple intros its iPhone 15 Pro Max with righteous attitude and power chords courtesy of Grammy winner Olivia Rodrigo. She stars in a fresh clip hyping the handset, which was unveiled today during a gala event held at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., HQ.

An in-house team plus TBWAMedia Arts Lab, director Jack Begert and DOP Xiao “X” Liu worked on this latest “Shot on iPhone” project. Rodrigo performs the hard-edged track, “Get Him Back!”

At one point, multiple Olivias march down the street, like a musical mini-army, bent on revenge and reppin’ brand.

It’s artsy, aggressive and appealing—both the song and presentation—not unlike Apple’s recent “Shot on iPhone” outing with K-pop group NewJeans. Both videos spin revenge scenarios and boast pointed lyrics, providing added bite for Apple.

Here’s some BTS footage from Rodrigo’s shoot:

 

 

 

 

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“For this video, we’re doing a lot of advanced camera moves to create energy. I was impressed with the quality of the footage,” says Begert. “Hearing about the 5x zoom on iPhone 15 Pro Max made me really excited.”

Liu adds: “It takes a lot of time on set to switch lenses between shots, but iPhone 15 Pro has seven lenses in one package. With just a few taps on the screen, I save time and get what I need in sharp resolution.”

Sounds like some groovy enhanced functionality.

Of course, as we learned in this Back Market campaign spoofing Big Tech, refurbished devices are cheaper—the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $999—and better for the planet, too. Still, seven lenses!

Apple’s effort drops today across major social platforms.