Advertising has the sole purpose of communicating a brand’s offering to the public in creative and delightful ways. As competition for attention intensifies, this creativity becomes pivotal in capturing the audience’s interest. This year, the folks at Apple may have just released the most subtle but effective ad in 2023 with their sustainability report, delivered as a meeting between The Board of Apple and Mother Nature. Yes, Mother Nature herself.
Classy and Subtle, Effective and Sweet, Here are 4 things everyone can learn from Apple’s Sustainability ad.
First off, The Carbon Neutral Goal
The carbon-neutral goal by Apple is an effort to offset every bit of carbon emitted by it’s products through the use of clean energy and carbon capture. The company, led by CEO Tim Cook, made this pledge in July 2020, stating that by 2030, Apple would have a zero-carbon footprint in the world.
The ad is a revelation on how far Apple has come on this pledge but rather than a PDF report few people would bother reading, Apple delivered its progress report in a video format, extolling its achievements.
Here are the 4 things we can all learn from this ad. Get ready.
1. Commence With Suspense
The first few minutes see an Apple staff racing through the room. There’s that suspense about why she’s running, where she’s going, and what the heck is happening. Master of suspense-gripping novels, Rowena Holloway, suggests suspense in a safe space is a dopamine shot. “Our ‘thinking’ brain tells our emotional responses that we are in a safe place,” she says, “and so ‘our fear shifts to excitement.'”
Apple deploys this tactic head-on from the start to keep us excited and wanting more.
Value for you: Suspense piques curiosity. Designers opting to hook audiences scrolling through social media can deploy this tactic in their designs to grab attention. use colors such as red to add suspense and elicit interest in what your post is about.
2. Storytelling
Apple describes its achievements with figures, as expected in a report. This isn’t something you would ordinarily enjoy, but by utilizing storytelling techniques like suspense and humor, these figures, given as a response to Mother Nature’s queries, are quite engaging.
Value for you: Graphic designers play a vital part in delivering a brand’s message. How you tell it determines if anyone or everyone will listen. Consider utilizing infographics, for instance, where numbers are concerned, or creatively using colors, font weights, and shapes to display important text.
3. Relevance Matters:
Apple’s report ad displays CEO Tim Cook, a face that lends authenticity and relevance, i.e., reality, to its ad.Adding relevance tells audiences “this is for me.” No one, for instance, wants to see an ad with faces belonging to another ad unless it has something to do with them.
Value for you: Making your work relevant creates a connection and promotes engagement. Creating a fitness graphic? A gym, sporting equipment, or people in exercise poses are your best bet for connecting with your target audience.
4. Exceptional Quality
What’s good storytelling and relevance without exceptional quality? From its color grading to it’s impeccable audio quality, Apple’s sustainability report feeds your eye and ears with high-end color grading and clear sounds.
Value for you: Utilize high-end imagery, illustrations, and icons to give your work a dose of professionalism. Quality itself is a magnet, embed it in your work, and people come running towards it.
5. Promote Yourself via Describing Benefits
Apple still manages to pull off a product sale toward the end of its report ad by presenting Mother Nature with Apple’s first Carbon neutral smartwatches.
Yes, it’s plus that Apple is living up to it’s 2020 pledge, but displaying it’s carbon neutral watches is still self promoting albeit in an indirect way.
Value for you: The best ads sell without selling, i.e., they inspire you with a reason to buy, describe problems and how their products can help you solve them. In your sales strategy, focus on describing the benefits you offer to clients. Show how your work can positively impact them, as this approach often resonates more than self-promotion.
The Best Ads are Endearing
In Nigeria, one of the most iconic ads of all time is the “Mama Do Good” ad by Noodle giants Indomie.
Utilizing the elements of relevance, good storytelling, professionalism, and product promotion, The ad showcases the good nature of motherly care by utilizing a “Mama Do Good“ Character who enjoys cooking for children in the neighborhood.
The result… the ad enjoyed firs place in the hearts of viewers, even becoming a household concept and endeared thousands of households to the Noodle brand.
Designers can enjoy this level of connection with audiences or clients by employing the lessons taught by Apple’s sustainability report ad.
If you think about every piece of published work describing your service as an Apple ad, i.e., it should tell a story, be relevant, of high-quality, and sell benefits, then you are on your way to increased sales and becoming memorable.
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