Apple goes double-dutch in a joyful AirPods Pro spot

Ad featuring Japanese jump rope phenomenon Kengo Sugino debuted during the Grammys

Published On
Mar 15, 2021

Editor's Pick

Apple's new AirPods Pro spot, which debuted last night during the Grammy Awards, is another tour de force of craft for the brand, featuring Japanese double-dutch phenomenon Kengo Sugino turning his neighborhood into a giant game of jump rope.

Directed by Sam Brown of Imperial Woodpecker for TBWA/Media Arts Lab, the spot sees Sugino performing double-dutch and gymnastic feats across a series of everyday objects. A dog leash, a hose and even the strips from a basketball court take on a new role as Sugino skips over them, with people from the neighborhood enthusiastically joining in. At one point Sugino tumbles across a mural in animated graffiti form. There's also a moment of humor when he considers jumping over a courtyard full of clothes lines—but decides against it.

Like Apple's previous AirPods spot "Bounce" the spot is a delightful feat of creativity and effectively conveys the brand message of canceling out external noise and immersing yourself in music, free from restrictive wires. In this case, the music is a catchy new track, “Fallin' Apart” by Australian artist Young Franco, featuring Pell & Denzel Curry. 

The wider campaign extends into social with a Snapchat AR filter, one of the first to use Snap’s new full-body tracking technology, with segmentation. The technology allows the user to play with a virtual jump rope that can move in-front of and behind the user. There's also a TikTok hashtag challenge that encourages the community to participate and create something unique themselves.