R.I.P. Leon
Apple (iPhone)2023
R.I.P. Leon is a 2023 30-second television commercial for Apple, created by Apple (in-house).
The line
Relax, it's iPhone.
Why it works
A neighbourhood lizard-sitter finds his charge, Leon, lying motionless and anxiously texts the terrible news. Then, to the slowed chords of Hanni El Khatib's “Alive”, Leon flips over, very much alive, and the sitter frantically unsends the message. Made by Apple's in-house team, the 30-second spot demonstrates a single iPhone feature, unsending a text, without a word of explanation. It is studied as a model of the feature demonstration done as a tiny comic film: one benefit, one relatable panic, one twist. The Cannes Lions Film jury gave it a Grand Prix in 2023 as the best work in the television and cinema section, praising its sharpness and simplicity, a prize many had expected to go to Apple's own accessibility film “The Greatest”. It also won a One Show Gold Pencil in the brand-side, in-house category and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Commercial.
Techniques
- Demonstration Shows a single iPhone feature, unsending a text, in action as a panicked lizard-sitter retracts his bad news once Leon flips back over.
- Humour Plays the feature as a tiny comic film whose twist, the supposedly dead lizard coming back to life, turns a relatable panic into the punchline.
Sources · 4
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