Apple chose today to out a new iPad Air ad that will probably go down as one of our favorites, with an ad break during the NFL Playoffs chosen as the perfect time to show the new ad.
At 90-seconds long and featuring a Robin Williams monologue from the movie ‘Dead Poets Society,’ the ad once again focuses on what the iPad can be used for beyond simply being a good way to read web pages or watch YouTube videos. In fact, having watched the ad a couple of times we’re somewhat ashamed about what we actually use our iPads for! Maybe we should be doing more than playing Oceanhorn and reading RSS feeds!
The ad itself fills that 90-seconds of space by showing people in all walks of life using iPads to do their jobs and to enjoy their leisure time. From people working on giant wind farms to artists drawing and writers crafting their own work, the ad shows the iPad’s ability across a variety of fields, including some that you would never imagine. There are even some that require some pretty specialist equipment too, once again reiterating that Apple devices have become so important that bespoke accessories are being made so that it can be used in the most amazing of places.
The ad is also voiced by Robin Williams, with the actor’s speech from Dead Poets Society fitting so well with the ad itself that you’d think it had been written for it from the off.
We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering — these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love — these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me, O life of the questions of these recurring. Of the endless trains of the faithless. Of cities filled with the foolish. What good amid these, O me, O life? Answer: that you are here. That life exists and identity. That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse." "That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse." What will your verse be?
We can’t help but get a similar vibe when watching this to how the now famous Think Different ad campaign made us feel, which is no mean feat in itself. There’s no doubt that the company behind Apple’s ads knows how to pull the heart strings when required, but that probably doesn’t mean the ad will be as successful as it really does deserve to be.
Whatever Apple’s paying that ad agency, it’s probably not enough.
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