Apple has released a new holiday ad called The Surprise. The ad was created by a TBWA\Media Arts Lab and directed by Mark Molloy. The touching story features Michael Giacchino’s song called Married Life.
The video shows us a family with two kids that are going on a holiday trip to visit their granddad (the mother’s father). Every time the young girls misbehave or are being impatient in a car, at the airport or in a plane, their parents hand them out an iPad to quiet the children down and entertain them. As a result, the kids end up spending a lot of time with an iPad doing whatever they want.
Upon the family’s arrival at the grandfather’s house, it becomes clear that It’s the first holiday they are about to spend without the grandmother who has recently died. Both granddad and the mother of the family are still grieving over her passing away. The girls still use the iPad at home all the time but also end up spending a lot of time with their grandfather looking at family photos, videos, and other small stuff.
On Christmas morning, the family finds out that the girls were not just playing games on their iPad. In fact, they were making a heartwarming slideshow made of old family pics. Their film was meant to be a gift to their granddad and a way of expressing how much they missed their granny as well.
As a tagline of an ad published on Apple’s official YouTube channel goes, “Sometimes, the best gifts can come from the most unexpected places.”
The message of this meaningful video is that technology is not there to separate us. Technology can be a powerful tool for creativity. It can bring families together, help them share significant memories and moments, and express love.
Showing off the iPad capabilities, the ad also became a tearful and a deeply emotional story that showed us the importance of caring about our beloved ones and remembering them even if they’re no longer with us.
