Apple's 'ASMR-style' ad doesn't feature any of its products

In recent times, Apple’s ads have focused on elements of working from home and being quarantined in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. The most recent one, however, is a forward-looking ad.

The ad is a spoken word lullaby – a conversation with baby Edan (meaning ‘magic’ born in 2020), promising to try and build a better world for him. The ad promises to create a more carbon neutral world, just in time for Edan’s 10th birthday.

While most of Apple’s WFH ads in the recent past have prominently featured their products aiding the frazzled employee working indoors, this one does not feature any products at all. It has the quality and feel of an ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) video – featuring birds chirping, the sounds of traffic, and the tinkling of bells.

The baby can be seen as a metaphor for the next generation, and the narrator is seen speaking to him in a soothing tone, as if afraid to wake the baby up. The ad is in tune with Apple’s recently announced promise to turn carbon neutral by 2030 across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle.

In April 2020, Apple had announced that its operations were carbon neutral. Its website mentions that by 2030, every Apple device sold will have net zero climate impact. The company claims that it will continue to increase the use of low carbon and recycled materials in its products, innovate in product recycling, and design products to be as energy efficient as possible.

Apple also claims to have decreased its carbon footprint by 4.3 million metric tons in 2019 through design and recycled content innovations in its products. Over the past 11 years, Apple has reduced the average energy needed for product use by 73 per cent.

“Businesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of our common concern for the planet we share,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The innovations powering our environmental journey are not only good for the planet — they’ve helped us make our products more energy efficient and bring new sources of clean energy online around the world.”

In the tech giant’s press room, the company also announced that it would focus on investing in minority-owned businesses to drive positive outcomes in its supply chains. These investments will be a part of the recently announced $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, focused on efforts that address education, economic equality, and criminal justice reform.