Apple’s annual Christmas ad is out and it’s an emotional triumph

Commercials are clever things: little films designed to provoke a reaction in a matter of seconds. Done poorly and they’re gross or annoying. But done well, they offer something deep and meaningful. The new Apple Christmas ad is here. And it’s a winner.

Sometimes the Apple Christmas ad is abstract, sometimes it’s an animation (like the brilliant one with the Billie Eilish song) or an outlandish metaphor with breathtaking dancers who appear to be flying. It is always unpredictable.

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This year’s title is called “Heartstrings” and deals with a profound topic: hearing loss and Apple’s remarkable response to it. This reaction is due to the recently launched Apple AirPods Pro 2 hearing test – an earbud is the only visible product placement in the ad – and the fact that these headphones are now established as clinical hearing aids in some countries.

I tried the Hearing Test feature and it’s a simple, effective five-minute test to help you assess how your hearing is doing. If you have AirPods Pro 2, you should do it. It’s already available in many countries and is coming to the UK with iOS 18.2 in December, for example.

And the ad touches on something important: We know that the AirPods Pro 2 offer great listening options for music, we know that they have spatial sound, that the music pauses when you take one out of your ear, and that active noise cancellation is spectacular is.

But in the commercial, we see a father with hearing loss who can’t fully hear the joyful moment of his daughter playing a song on the guitar until he attaches a single AirPods Pro earbud.

Apple says: “For so many of us, sound and the way we hear influence how we connect with the world around us.” Still, people with hearing loss wait an average of 10 years before having their hearing tested and have hearing aids fitted for them. Millions of people are unaware that they are living with hearing loss and are not getting the help they need. With the world’s first holistic hearing experience, you now have access to a hearing test that delivers scientifically validated results in minutes and the ability to activate clinical-grade hearing aid functionality on your AirPods Pro 2 – right from home. ”

The commercial is breathtaking and a real tearjerker. Furthermore, the film achieves its emotional impact by breaking an unspoken rule of filmmaking: if you want the audience to cry, the person on the screen shouldn’t cry. This ad offers both. It’s beautiful.

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