Apple aired a new iPhone 5s commercial today, focusing on parents using iPhone apps and compatible hardware devices in their everyday lives. The ad is called “Parenthood”, and it aired on the seventh anniversary of the iPhone’s launch in the United States on June 30, 2007.
The new commercial follows the company’s theme of “You’re more powerful than you think”, highlighting the capabilities of the iPhone 5s and its rich ecosystem of connected apps and accessories. While the first ad in the series put the spotlight on health and fitness-related activities, Parenthood depicts common scenarios of parenting life from early morning with a Withings baby monitor and the MyTeeth app to late evening, when the iPhone’s flashlight is used to find a misplaced toy before a little girl goes to bed.
Throughout the video, Apple highlights an array of devices such as WeMo, a Tractive dog collar, a Kinsa smart thermomether, and Parrot’s wireless sensor for plants. The iPhone is shown both as a portable computer to record the life and moments of a family as well as a device with apps that bring family members closer together or teach young kids to brush their teeth or draw. As Matthew Panzarino notes, the iPhone isn’t a passive experience or a surrogate for a parent. Apple suggests that empowerment from apps and accessories is subtle but powerful, naturally integrated in a modern lifestyle with an interplay of hardware and software. And like its previous Strength commercial, the iPhone’s portability isn’t a demanding burden – whether it’s trying to exercise while pushing a stroller or snapping macro photos of shellfish with an attached lens, the iPhone’s form factor allows the device to be a constant enjoyable addition to our daily lives.
At WWDC, Apple introduced HomeKit, a new set of APIs for developers of hardware accessories with dedicated apps to plug into for better integration with iOS and standardization. With Strength and Pareenthood, Apple isn’t just promoting the iPhone as a phone: they’re advertising a platform of experiences revolving around the iPhone, which, as the campaign implies, is a powerful message, narrated through familiar and relatable stories.
You can watch Apple’s new Parenthood ad below.
