As Apple debuted the all-new AirPod design, we needed to create a lasting link between Apple AirPods and music. As luck would have it, AirPods look suspiciously like musical notes. Our aim was to leverage this iconic shape and use the AirPods as animated sheet music for Marian Hill’s song “Down”—from the AirPods launch spot, “Stroll”. The crisp, white notes animate on screen over a shiny, black music staff and black background in order for the iconic shape to pop off the screen in a memorable way.

We wanted to create a simple, iconic visual language for our AirPods digital work, while simultaneously linking the product to its actual purpose: listening to music. Thus, AirPod Notes were born. The design was borrowed from the product itself. Clean shots of the product in profile, set on a black background, to create the illusion of notes on a music staff. 

The animation of the AirPod Notes digital design furthered consumer recognition of the television spot, “Stroll” which captivated audiences across the globe and started a cultural wave of parodies and social buzz. The design of the graphics combined the musical recognition of the song, “Down” by Marian Hill with the product design of the AirPod Notes, bringing the conversation to social media. In the 5-day period after the campaign launched, there were an additional 11,000 mentions of AirPod Notes ultimately reaching the intended KPI of increasing awareness and functionality for the new product. Our goal was to reach 66% of ages 18 to 49 of which we exceeded delivering 80% reach to this age group.