The fall season means the arrival of the holidays, pumpkin spice lattes and a new iPhone! The Apple Unleashed event that takes place every fall is highly anticipated, delivering excitement with a big show and (usually) with even bigger products. 

Last year, Apple debuted products like the iPhone 12 series, the M1 chip for Mac computers/laptops and the HomePod mini amid a second wave of the pandemic to inspire and lift consumers’ spirits. The iPhone 12 and M1 computers debuted with much aplomb, with the company zoning in on features like improved cameras, longer battery life, and faster processing power, all essentials for the work-from-home environment. Apple capitalized off these upgrades and released the new iPhone 13 series during its September 2021 Special Event to even more public excitement.

What makes a successful iPhone release? Along with the announcement of each iPhone, Apple unleashes a host of digital video and display ad creatives to artfully showcase the latest features all over the internet. Unlike many brands, Apple famously does not advertise on Facebook or Instagram ( due to their ongoing rivalry with the social media giant). So how exactly does Apple get the word out online about their most famous product? We’ll dive in on that below. 

iPhone 11

The iPhone 11 debuted on September 10, 2019, to positive reviews from critics and consumers alike. This series marked a new design era for the iPhone in which the camera became a big focus. The phone’s rear featured the new ultra-wide multi-camera system, seen on subsequent models following the 11’s release. 

Apple heavily pushed the iPhone 11’s camera systems, which became a key feature for consumers as social media, travel, and mobile became increasingly popular. With an ultrawide lens, a new automatic Night Mode feature, and an improved selfie camera, the company sold a vision of what capturing life could be like through an iPhone 11. 

With nearly $3.2M spent on digital advertising, Apple went all-in on convincing consumers to upgrade from the game-changing iPhone X model it had put out in 2017. To drive this message, the company produced 523 creative ads, the most it ever had for any compared to the 12 and 13 models. Their Desktop Video ads even accounted for seven of the top 10 creatives they put out. 

As we mentioned before, “the fruit” doesn't advertise on Facebook or Instagram due to its ongoing market competition. To market to consumers on social media and younger generations, YouTube was Apple’s most invested site with a $2.1M investment (taking up 65% of the site share for Apple’s digital ads). Twitter also became a key lever, following second with $447K (14%) and Hulu, third, with $205K (6%).

Following its release, the iPhone 11 series was a killer in sales with a figure of 31M units in 2019 and almost 65M units sold in 2020. Thus, we can deduce the ads showcasing the phone’s new camera system got a lot of consumers’ attention.

iPhone 12

As 2020 came, the world was met with an unforeseen event; the coronavirus global pandemic. People shut their doors, holed up at home, and as a result moved fully online to continue to work, live and seek recluse from the realities that faced them. 

Despite many in-person events being put on pause in 2020, Apple didn’t miss a beat and carried on virtually with its Special Events to bring exciting new products into people’s hands and much-needed hope at home. On October 13, 2020, Tim Cook announced the iPhone 12 series to everyone’s excitement. The iPhone 12 series had everything the 11 had and more, including different sizes, 5G support and a MagSafe feature that allows it to connect to other mobile accessories magnetically. To follow suit and recognize that its customers were online more than ever, digital advertising around the iPhone 12 saw the most in spending compared to the 11 and 13 with Apple investing almost $19M toward the launch, significantly higher than the budget spent towards the 11 and 13. 

Unlike the iPhone 11, the iPhone 12 advertisements leaned heavily into showcasing the variety of sizes offered in the new model while mixing in some messaging around its 5G support. Much like the 11, seven of the top 10 creatives ($302K -$1.3M) were Desktop Video ads but showcasing the size variations of the 12 (Pro and Mini). However, despite the higher amount of investment, the 12 series saw the least amount of creatives compared to the 11 and 13 ad strategies, with only 193 total.

One difference we saw from Apple in this series launch was their ad buys with media outlets, an unlikely strategy from past launches. ESPN and The Hollywood Reporter came in as their second and third most invested websites behind YouTube, respectively. Most notably, Apple spent nearly 88% of its budget across these three websites alone. 

As of summer 2021, the iPhone 12 had passed 100 million units sold, beating iPhone 11 sales from 2020. The boost in digital ad investments around the launch certainly proved lucrative for Apple.

iPhone 13

Hot off the heels of Apple’s latest announcement in a “post-pandemic” world, the future is bright for Apple as many are lauding the release of the 13 series with positive reviews. The latest in Apple’s iPhone repertoire, we can expect to see similar trends in their digital advertising spend that were exhibited with the 11 and 12. 

Apple’s main campaign for the iPhone 13 showcased the phone’s Cinematic Mode via its “Pro”-quality camera along with its most welcomed feature of a bigger battery, adding nearly two-and-a-half hours of battery life to the new series. 

The iPhone 13 debuted on September 14, 2021, and compared to the 12, Apple took its foot off the gas with a total of $5.6M spent on digital advertising. Apple created about 261 unique creatives for the launch and, unsurprisingly, Desktop Video ads were the most invested channel ($4.2M) for Apple, and YouTube remained the top invested site with $3.3M. 

The jury is still out on how many units of the iPhone 13 are going to move and the company recently reported they too fell to the ongoing supply chain struggles, which will likely affect customer satisfaction. But, with 584M total impressions within the month after its announcement, we are again expecting to see strong results and another successful launch.

There’s an Ad for That

For many consumers, the iPhone reigns supreme as one of the best and most versatile smartphones on the market. Every year Apple entices new and old iPhone users alike to get the new version right after its announcement with cheeky and dynamic video ads showcasing the latest and greatest features. As we’re seeing with Apple’s prominent campaigns, consumers want choice and performance, things the iPhone delivers in spades.

Whether you’re a cinematographer looking for a portable camera that can answer phone calls, or a mobile techie looking to test the boundaries of 5G—Apple has an iPhone for you and the company wants you to know just that; It only takes a quick look at one of their many video ads.

Did you get an iPhone recently? Let us know which feature stood out to you!