The all-new AirPods Pros have some of the best Active Noise Cancellation technology inside any headphone on the market. First, however, consumers needed to be aware of how powerful the technology was compared to the previous generation

The brief to ourselves was simple: Create an awe-inducing, vibrant visual that brings the AirPods listening experience to life. A blend of sci-fi and surrealism, similar to a Douglas Adam’s story, viewers watch as the everyday noise drifts away into the void. Each floating element becomes its own tiny planet, hovering above our heroine who is in a peaceful noise canceling bubble. The core is to take a simple concept—navigating a busy city street which is suddenly transformed into a peaceful walk though the silencing powers of AirPods Pro—and explore it in a variety of wildly imaginative ways. 

Since lifting a whole city street full of people and vehicles wasn’t going to be physically possible, we had to come up with an innovative way to bring the film’s magic to life.

This led us to lean on a production approach that utilized a mix of practical and visual effects. On set, we lifted as many objects into the air as possible using a custom rigging system built specifically for this job. The rig was able to lift a traffic jam of cars, an entire parade and a 20-ton garbage truck.

To fill the air with more city life, we then had to develop a custom VFX tool that allowed us to place, raise, lower, and rotate a CGI fleet of vehicles. Since many of the shots were impossible to achieve in camera, an innovative approach that involved the creation of custom tools was our only option.

The :60 drove engagement, culture, and product interest:

ENGAGEMENT:

54 million total views of the :60, with 42% year over year increase in completed video views vs. 2022 AirPods campaign.

CULTURE:

2x increase in Shazams for Tkay Maidza “Where is My Mind” cover during the US campaign. (Shazam 3/13-4/11)

+64% increase in monthly Spotify listeners for Tkay Maidza. (Soundcharts 3/13-4/11)

PRODUCT INTEREST:

+400% Web search for “new AirPods Pro 2023” during US campaign. (Google Trends 3/13-4/11)