APPLE | RELAX: TRACTOR | 2024
A journey at 2 miles an hour, watched over by a battery with plenty to spare / APPLE "RELAX: TRACTOR"
A tractor hauling a pumpkin rolls down a single road, going on and on. Two miles an hour. That's all it takes to make a commercial.
The problem
"Relax, it's iPhone" is a brand campaign that keeps telling the story of different features across different iPhone models, always with the same calm pose.
The insight
The series has stuck to one recipe throughout: a single protagonist demonstrates a single feature, music kicks in, and it all ends up somewhere you didn't expect. This time the feature is the iPhone 14 Plus's long battery life. The more unglamorous the spec, the more it helps to push things to an extreme situation to get the point across.
The idea
On an empty country road, a farmer's tractor hauling a pumpkin creeps along. The turning point comes when Apple Maps on the iPhone screen announces, "Continue straight for 102 miles." Ludacris's "Two Miles An Hour" plays in step with the tractor's pace, turning what could feel frustrating into something that feels proud instead. To talk about battery life, going all the way with such a patient journey is what makes this work.
What happened
Directed by Ivan Zacharias and produced by Smuggler, the ad won Gold in the Film category at Cannes Lions 2024 and also took home a Silver Pencil at The One Show.
Afterthought
There's real nerve in making two-miles-an-hour boredom fun while keeping it boring. An ad that refuses to hurry you along—I don't mind that one bit.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2024
