Apple campaign highlights how video stabilisation can assist those with Parkinson's disease

Apple’s latest campaign illustrates the virtues of its technology in a touching way, says Karthik Srinivasan, a communications strategy consultant with experience at Ogilvy, Flipkart, and Edelman.

It was a joy to take in another very touching new ad film from Apple, made by TBWA\Media Arts Lab LATAM.

In true Apple style, while the human story is the total hero of the narrative, I love what was happening on another layer, in the background.

We usually associate image/video stabilisation in smartphone cameras only with our daily usage and the supposedly (non-medical condition) normal shaking that comes with using a phone camera in one hand. But consider the point being made as a subtext: if someone with even Parkinson’s Disease, the last/extreme word in 'shaking', given it is a well-known medical condition where the person suffers bodily tremors, can create flawlessly steady video, imagine how our day-to-day shaking doesn't matter at all to the device.

The narrative and script are great examples of the classic advertising technique: use an extreme to illustrate a point. Here, the agency picks up an extreme that is rooted in both reality and relatability, while making an authentic point about the feature they intend to highlight.

Creative compromise?

I felt that only one addition in the video made it a bit too obvious, and veered outside the chosen tone of the narrative, namely, the part where they show 'action mode off' and 'action mode on' side-by-side. This felt a little like spoon-feeding phone buyers about the virtues of action mode more than empathising with a medical condition. I would have preferred if the shaking video hadn't been shown at all, and we, the audience, merely imagine it, and see only the final, non-shaking output.

But I do understand why and how this addition adds value in the video. Beyond all empathy and narrative focus, it is, after all, a product/feature demonstration video from Apple for iPhone. And a minor detour to make it fool-proof is probably warranted.

Outstanding work otherwise, as usual, by Apple, which last drew attention to another medical concern through technology when it showcased its hearing aid abilities.