There have been many touching father and daughter ads but TBWA\Media Arts Lab Los Angeles’ has given Apple one that hits hearts in a new way. Apple’s emotive holiday ad features a father living with mild-moderate hearing loss. The film very cleverly gives viewers the experience of hearing loss and then hearing, through Apple’s groundbreaking clinical grade Hearing Aid feature on AirPods Pro 2.

Its narrative was inspired by the cast talent’s own experiences and relationships. The father and daughter story is told in two parts. In the beginning, viewers hear the world from the perspective of the father with moderate hearing loss as he watches his daughter open a brand new guitar on Christmas morning. Memories of their time together begin to flood back — her first guitar, her birthday, her first day of school. The turning point comes when he activates the Hearing Aid feature on his AirPods Pro 2 to listen to his daughter’s rendition of Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on her new guitar. The father’s memories are now replayed with clearly audible voices.

The campaign launched ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3. The film’s storytelling is enhanced by sound design crafted by 3 times Academy Award winning sound designer, Paul N. J. Ottosson. Ottosson focused closely on the frequencies and volume of the film’s sounds, to bring to life the treatment of hearing loss in the most authentic and attentive way possible, and create a palpable experience of mild to moderate hearing loss for viewers.

The campaign is running globally across broadcast, digital platforms, and social media during the holiday season.

Credits:
Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab Los Angeles 
Director: Henry-Alex Rubin 
Production Company: Smuggler 
Post-Production Company: Trafik 
Editing: Cabin 
Director of Photography: James Laxton
Music: Cover of Our House, originally written by Graham Nash