• by Danielle Oster , October 31, 2024

Fresh off a series of new product announcements, Apple is promoting the “effortless performance” of its new M4 chips with an extended visual sports metaphor, imagining a seemingly superhuman athlete as a stand-in for the technology.

Created in partnership with dedicated agency partner TBWA/MAL, Apple’s new campaign depicts the M4 Chip as a weightlifter who makes the seemingly impossible seem like “No Sweat."

In a hero ad launched yesterday, Apple’s M4 stand-in competes in a weightlifting competition. After lifting a heavy weight over his head, Des’Ree’s 1994 hit single “You Gotta Be” begins playing as he then proceeds to twirl it around like a baton in an acrobatic display, before adding even more weights and lifting them with his pinky.

Directed by Megaforce, who has directed ads for brands including Burberry, as well as music videos for stars like Madonna and Rihanna, the ad included the involvement of a couple of real-world athletes. The spot is narrated by two-time Olympic skater and sports commentator Johnny Weir. Behind the scenes, six-time world champion baton twirler Yvonne (Bonnie) Palacios served as a coach for the baton-imitating weightlifting sequence.

“No Sweat” concludes with a nod to the M4, followed by the tagline “Effortless power” and “The new Macbook Pro” appearing onscreen alongside viewers finally getting a look at the true subject of the ad in its final moments.

In its announcement, Apple described the device as “the ideal choice for entrepreneurs, students, creators, or anyone doing what they love,” while touting its faster speeds, greater processing power,  “Apple’s most advanced graphics architecture,” and its AI capabilities through Apple Intelligence.

The announcement marked the latest -- and arguably most important -- in a series of recent product launches powered by the Cupertino computing colossus' M4 class of chips (comprising M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max), including the introduction of its Mac mini desktop, the launch of a new iMac and new iPad mini.