Deconstructing magic: Apple’s ‘Stroll’ TV spot
Take a look at this TV spot. It’s a great example of ‘showing, not telling.’ Now let’s deconstruct it.
But first, why:
Arthur C. Clarke’s third law stipulates that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” And he’s absolutely right.
A maybe TRUE FAMILY STORY about the intersection of tech and magic.
My progenitor Sonck Knudten, a Danish ship captain shipwrecked in the South Pacific, saved his own life by amazing his cannibal captors with advanced technology: his ship’s compass. The arrow always pointed in the same direction ergo he must be a powerful magician. Result: Sonck was not on the menu for dinner that night. Score one for technology as magic.
Going back to Clarke’s law, that’s what makes technology so cool. Not ‘engineered’ or ‘optimized,’ but ‘cool.’ And in business, cool is often synonymous with ‘premium margin.’ And that’s where Apple comes in.
There are a whole lot of Apple agnostics out there who just don’t get paying an Apple tax (premium margin) for their version of smartphones/tablets/headphones/whatever the next big thing is. Many of those Apple skeptics cite specifications as the killer reason why Apple products are inferior or not worth paying more for. The screen isn’t as big. The chips run at slower speeds. It doesn’t have as many pixels.
So what. Apple is cool. And feature filled. They just don’t tell you about it—they show you.
Cut back to Apple’s AirPods TV spot ‘Stroll’.
This spot is cold as ice. Rico suave soundtrack (Marian Hill’s Down). The smoother than silk dancing by Lil Buck. And a TV spot that ‘shows’ AirPod features without you even knowing it.
Let’s break it down in pictures:
Lil Buck, just chillin’, getting ready for a ‘Stroll.’
What’s this? An Apple 7 paired with AirPods?
Well, go ahead, show me more.
Feature: easy pairing (assuming you have an iPhone 7)
Full charges for both devices. Nice.
Feature: Easy-to-read battery gauges
Look Mom, no wires.
Features: wireless, easy ear fitting
Do they stay in? Based on this aggressive spin, the answer is yes.
Features: solid fit, wireless
Yep, they stay in even when you go horizontal.
Feature: solid fit
Just plain cool interlude
(showing how the AirPods wireless and fit features enable anywhere, anything.)
Solid product shot, again showing how cool these AirPods are.
Apple haters, your mileage may vary.
More “they stay in” coolness.
Woh, they even pause the track the second you remove one of them.
Feature: remove earpiece, track pauses
The only real ‘tells’ in this spot #1.
Feature: replace the earpiece, music resumes.
The only real ‘tells’ in this spot #2.
Hammers home the key benefit: these things are magical.
The simplest ‘show who’ this side of Nike.
This last frame makes me laugh. It has a subtle disclaimer which reads “Subject to availability.” HA.
As of this writing, they are 6 weeks backordered, and have been for months. Still don’t have mine. Sad.
There’s a very real corollary in life and advertising:
You say you’re cool, you aren’t.
You show you’re cool, you are.
And if you don’t get any of the above, don’t worry, you’re not in the target market.
No voiceover. No bullet points. No engineering specifications. Just magic.
– D.P. Knudten
Chief Collaborator
COLLABORATOR creative
©2017 D.P. Knudten / COLLABORATOR creative – all rights reserved
