Viewer Perspective
This video tugged at the heartstrings for me. Initially, I wasn't sure where it was going, but this ad succeeded in engaging me as a result. I felt the purpose of the commercial was to show how technology (specifically Apple products) can bring loved ones together – using Christmas as the anchor. The portrayal of the teenage boy glued to his iPhone is a relatable reality in our society. We all know someone – regardless of age – who is always on his or her phone and not fully present, and/or we've been at fault for being that person attached to our devices. Given this was a Christmas ad, most any family can relate to the scenario of visiting and celebrating with loved ones.Furthermore, I see the intended audience as a middle-class to a upper-class individual who is tech savvy and already an Apple consumer or wants to be. The video is 1:31. Within the first 4 seconds the camera introduces the teenage boy and maintains focus on him amidst the fun family members are having. It's like this for about half the video until the 40-second mark when family members gather downstairs and the kid shows what he's created on the TV screen, which displays a montage of video clips through his perspective put to music. Splitting the commercial in this way ties the scenes of being on the phone to the second half of the video showing the results of his work.
As a viewer, you're seeing only footage of the kid on his phone, but never what he's doing on it. Therefore, you assume he's disinterested in what's going on around him. You don't see anyone else in the commercial with phones. Since this kid is the only one with a device he is easily singled out. The other family members are enjoying being around each other and aren't using technology. You also don't see any adults or kids trying to take the phone away from him or any dialogue telling the kid to put his phone down. Aside from a few introductory lines of greetings, the entire video is mostly footage put to music. There is no audible dialogue but you can hear the voices in the track put softly as background. When the music stops at the 40-second mark, you know something is about to happen.
Creator Perspective
The production did a great job of showing the experience of using Apple products, featuring the Christmas family gathering as the backdrop of the story. By setting the scene this way, it is introducing a familiar, relatable event in the lives of consumers.
The second half of the ad highlights Airplay, which is a wireless streaming service available from the iPhone. The only tech term indicating this is in the last frame of the commercial, which displays the company logo and in small, barely-on-the-screen-long-enough fine print: "AirPlay uses Wifi. Extra hardware needed." It's easy to miss. Apple shows the service being used without tech jargon. Instead, the ad shows the teenager remotely connecting his video from the phone to the TV before family members react emotionally to the production. Apple's intended audience is for the tech savvy crowd. However, it realized a tech-focused ad may not get traction during the holiday season. Therefore, the emotional aspect of the ad – showing how it can be used in a family Christmas story – speaks to a bigger populous without losing its audience.
Apple's focus on the teenager looking down on his phone is important because it helps isolate him as the main character. All the other family members are secondary.
Some key design decisions made in the ad was to keep the story real and relatable to viewers. Also, having the story told over Christmas music was effective, with a quiet barely-noticeable undertone of voices. Music, especially if it's a familiar song, draws the viewer in quickly. The variety of scenes showing action happening around the teenager was also important because it sparks curiosity for the viewer about what he's doing and why he seems disengaged. Finally, Apple's decision to end with an understated tone of just showcasing its logo and fine print without any voice-over was effective in allowing viewers to wait 'til the end to see what the ad was for and also to let the emotional memory of the ad linger in their memories.
Shuva
Great analysis of the Apple commercial. I agree with several of your observations, the first being that Apple definitely chose to use a popular, relatable, family holiday such as Christmas to tug at our heartstrings. That definitely had an affect on me. Secondly, we do all know or have been guilty of being disengaged while at something important or at a family event. My other observation in regards to the teen being disengaged is maybe he was an autistic, or deaf, or dealing with some emotional or physical handicap. I know that sounds dark, but if you have a child dealing with a handicap this Apple product (and extra software) may be a great tool helping them communicate and engage with their family, friends, and school. It also made me think about the families that are not near each other, maybe away fighting for our country or just not able to be with their family for whatever reason. What a nice way for someone to feel as if they too are part of the day or a moment in time when they cannot be. Which lead me to think about what about technology and the children in remote parts of the world? I realize, as you too pointed out, that the iPhone will need wifi, additional software and hardware to run a movie like this, but the possibility is there. When I read Mitchel Resnick's "Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age" I kept thinking of remote areas of this country or the world. The rethinking of how learning can happen there. He asks "What are the best ways to transmit that information from one person to another?" And, "What are the best ways to represent and display information so that it is both understandable and learnable?" I couldn't help but think Apple may be part of the solution with getting information to remote parts of the world. Lastly, I too noticed no dialogue in the commercial. I thought that design choice was pretty powerful. I forced me to focus on the actions and the music. Apple made a negative sterotype, the disengaged teen, the hero of the family gathering. Emotion sells....Brilliant.
ReplyDeletePatti, that's an insightful thought about the kid being autistic or deaf. Although I think if that were the case, Apple would've highlighted that more visibly, perhaps having the teen and his family use sign language. Autism has a broad spectrum of characteristics, but I wonder if showing any form of that may just be confusing to the viewer. In my spring semester class on eLearning Environments we learned about the digital divide between urban and rural areas. I think the divide is shrinking but in terms of reaching remote areas, but one video we saw for the class was one of the big carriers (it wasn't Apple) is doing work in rural Africa. So I believe it's happening in some ways. I liked your last comment about the disengaged teen being the hero - so true!
DeleteTo Patti - I hadn't thought about the main character having a learning difference but your insight is very powerful in yet demonstrating how technology can bridge the learning divide and more importantly cement relationships. As part of my critique on my blog about this commercial I was viewing the teenage boy as disengaged initially - then engaged through tech tools - but the emotional aspect of a child overcoming communication difficulties to share his love for his family is even more powerful than my first interpretation.
DeleteThis past spring I purchased my first Apple product, an iPhone something or other. I watched this video and wrote about it on my blog as well. But, perhaps it was pessimism, but I was reminded that this was a commercial. Apple is trying to sell the viewer a phone and all of the other accoutrements that are needed to make the video viewable. Yet, I couldn't help but be sentimental when I was watching this commercial and remember childhood Christmas celebrations at my grandparent's farm. It appears as though you and those who commented on this blog post reached some similar conclusions. There's no doubt this was an interestingly powerful commercial. I can't say that I'd buy more Apple products, but who wouldn't want to capture a sentimental video of their loved ones at the holidays?
DeleteGlad to see you picked up on the key design decisions within this commercial.
ReplyDelete