Apple ads consistently find fun, accessible ways of showcasing features without having to resort to technobabble. Case in point: Its new ad showing off the Ceramic Shield for the iPhone 12.
Apple could easily fill a 30-second ad talking about how this specially engineered glass is heat-treated so as to develop nano crystals similar to the ones found in ceramics, which are embedded into the glass matrix of the display. It could talk about the difference between hardness and toughness, and give percentage improvements over last year’s model.
But it doesn’t. Because most people only want to know whether this means they can drop their iPhone without it breaking. That’s where the “Fumble” ad comes in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t72nquFeCQQ
The ad showcases the Ceramic Shield display, which is tougher than regular smartphone glass, by showing a woman fumbling with her iPhone 12. After an impressive juggling act, she loses her grip on it and to falls to the ground — but with no visible damage. The ad is set to the song “The Conference” by Nitin Sawhney.
Okay, so it’s not exactly giving you all the metrics you need about the durability of a new iPhone versus last year’s model. (For the record, Apple claims that the Ceramic Shield offers 4x better protection than previous iPhones.) But it’s reassuring people that dropping these ultra-thin, ultra-advanced pocket computers doesn’t spell instant death. And it’s making you smile. And when’s the last time a comparison of screen toughness really did that?
Not Apple’s best ad of the year, perhaps. But certainly not a bad one.
What’s your favorite recent Apple ad? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
