APPLE TV | APPLE TV REBRAND | 2026

It could've been made with AI, but they chose to carve glass instead / APPLE TV "REBRAND"

In an era when anything can be made easily with CGI, they went out of their way to shoot it with glass, light, and lenses. Apple TV's new logo film is, in fact, entirely captured through real optical photography.

The problem

Apple TV+ was at a point where it wanted to strengthen its presence amid streaming competition. This wasn't just a service name change—the brand's entire visual identity needed to be redefined.

The insight

TBWA believed that in an age when any image can be made with CGI, being "real" is itself a powerful message. The idea took a contrarian approach: the texture you can touch, the flicker of light—these aren't things that can be easily imitated.

The idea

They used a method where light is refracted through a block of glass and lenses to create the logo, shooting it live with an in-camera technique. The movement is smooth enough to look like CGI, but it was all captured using physical optical equipment. New music was also composed for the campaign, refreshing the brand experience both visually and audibly.

What happened

The campaign won the Grand Prix in the Design category at Cannes Lions 2026.

Afterthought

Even though it could be made easily, they chose not to. In this era, choosing to put in the effort is itself becoming a brand statement. Watching this made me stand up a little straighter.

Awards

Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2026

Three more the bear picked for you

You can't see the car, but you know it's a Jeep / JEEP "Snow Covered"

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JEEP | Snow Covered | 1994

You can't see the car, but you know it's a Jeep / JEEP "Snow Covered"

It's 1994, and for 30 seconds something moves through a landscape buried in snow. The vehicle itself never once appears on screen. And yet everyone watching thought, "Ah, that's a Jeep." This is the ad that became the first car commercial ever to win the Grand Prix at Cannes, and even 30 years later, it hasn't lost an ounce of its power.

The Day the Ad Industry Won a Grand Prix with a Weapon Made for Itself / THE BARBARIAN GROUP "CINDER"

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THE BARBARIAN GROUP | CINDER | 2013

The Day the Ad Industry Won a Grand Prix with a Weapon Made for Itself / THE BARBARIAN GROUP "CINDER"

At Cannes Lions 2013, the very first Grand Prix in the newly created Innovation Lions category went to a development tool made by an ad agency. And it's one they give away for free. It sounds like an odd thing to win an award for, but the reasoning behind it makes complete sense.

Fast food took a swing at fast food / CHIPOTLE "CULTIVATE CAMPAIGN"

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CHIPOTLE | CULTIVATE CAMPAIGN (Back to the Start) | 2012

Fast food took a swing at fast food / CHIPOTLE "CULTIVATE CAMPAIGN"

A fast food chain made an animated short attacking factory farming. The product never once appears on screen. And it still won two Grand Prix at Cannes. That's almost too bold to believe.