Apple highlights the power of sound in moving AirPods Pro 2 ad

Apple has released an emotional advert promoting the hearing aid feature on the Apple AirPods Pro 2, reconnecting with its human side.

Apple's latest holiday advertisement, entitled ‘Heartstrings’ focuses on a father with hearing loss who, through the advanced features of the AirPods Pro 2, reconnects with his daughter’s guitar playing on Christmas morning.

Directed by Henry-Alex Rubin, with clever sound design by three-time Academy Award winner Paul NJ Ottosson, the narrative interweaves flashbacks of the daughter learning the guitar both with and without clear sound in order to emphasise the broader issue of undiagnosed hearing loss.

The TBWA\Media Arts LAB LA advert champions a genuinely useful function on the earphones: the hearing aid feature, introduced earlier this year, which allows users to conduct a clinically validated hearing test via their iPhone and AirPods, creating a custom hearing profile for enhanced audio clarity.

This technology brings a cost-effective alternative to traditional hearing aids, catering to individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Our take

It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for Apple’s advertising this year, with the brand courting controversy for its campaign featuring crushed emoticons, which was quickly mocked by its rival Samsung (who I read yesterday account for 20% of South Korea’s GDP).

Apple’s AI campaign, meanwhile, was well-produced and witty but dumbed down the human experience a bit too much for some.

The ad in question here is far more congenial highlighting a genuine reason to celebrate technology’s enhancement of the human experience.

Most of us take for granted our five senses, but the sound design here effectively captures the difficulties faced by the hard of hearing, with an emotional montage providing a poignant contrast in how sound enriches so many life-defining moments.