This :90 for Microsoft follows the inspirational story of passionate young gamers, including nine-and-a-half-year-old Owen, rising to the top of their game with a little help from their friends, family and the Xbox Adaptive Controller. The story illustrates Microsoft’s commitment to building accessible technology that levels the playing field and creates opportunity for all, ending with the line: “When everybody plays, we all win.”
A :60 version of the spot is slated to run during the Super Bowl telecast on CBS.
Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man directed for agency m:united//McCann NY.
Credits
Client Microsoft Agency m:united//McCann New York Sean Bryan, chief creative officer, Shayne Millington, David Banta, EVPs, executive creative directors; Martha West, Will Montgomery, associate creative directors; Julie Koong, sr. art director; David Cappolino, sr. copywriter; Alicia Foor, creative technologist; Carolyn Johnson, SVP, head of integrated production; Rebecca Magner, producer. Eric David Johnson, SVP, executive music producer; Dan Gross, music producer. Production Hungry Man Bryan Buckley, director; Alex Gorosh, 2nd unit director; Mino Jarjoura, Caleb Dewart, Kevin Byrne, Dan Duffy, exec producers; Matt Lefebvre, producer; Peter Bunstein, associate producer; Pierre Cailliarec, assistant director; Scott Henriksen, DP. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors, NY Damion Clayton, editor; Alexandra Debricon, assistant editor; Eve Kornblum, managing director; Lisa Barnable, producer. Post/VFX Rock Paper Scissors, NY Barbara Kontarovich, Flame producer; Edward Reina, Flame artist; Sydney Botie, Flame assistant. Color Company 3 Sofie Borup, sr. colorist. Music/Sound JSM Music, New York Joel Simon, chief creative officer/CEO/co-composer; Jason Krebs, co-composer; Jeff Fiorello, executive producer. Sound Design Sonic Union, New York Michael Marinelli, sound designer Audio Post Sonic Union, New York Michael Marinelli, mix engineer; Justin Cortale, producer
Apple’s holiday ad--“Heartstrings,” launched ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities--introduces us to a father with mild-moderate hearing loss. But thanks to the clinical grade Hearing Aid feature on AirPods Pro 2, he can now hear his daughter playing the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young classic “Our House” on her new guitar, just unwrapped on Christmas morning.
The breakthrough ability to hear clearly is all the more impactful in that it comes after we journey with the dad down memory lane as he recalls his daughter’s first guitar, her birthday, her first day of school--though the sound of his flashbacks is muffled. But once he activates the Hearing Aid feature, dad can properly hear his daughter in the present--and with that even the memories can be heard clearly.
“Heartstrings” was directed by Henry-Alex Rubin of production house SMUGGLER for TBWAMedia Arts Lab Los Angeles, with sound design by three-time Oscar winner Paul N.J. Ottoson who helps us experience the father’s hearing loss and then its restoration. (Ottoson won two Oscars for The Hurt Locker--for best sound mixing and best sound mixing--and another for best sound editing for Zero Dark Thirty.) Read More
