In its latest campaign for the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple takes viewers behind the scenes on a cinematic journey through the making of its most advanced iPhone yet.
Set to the soulful rhythms of Greentea Peng, the :30 spot, “Cinematic,” showcases the artistry and innovation behind the iPhone 17 Pro, from its industry-leading camera system and powerful new chip to its vibrant orange finish and enhanced battery life.
Showcasing Apple’s commitment to design and durability, the “Cinematic” :30 spot shines as the standout of the campaign, framing the iPhone 17 Pro as a timeless blend of artistry and performance.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the :30 iPhone 17 Pro launch spots.
The Details:
- The visuals in the :30 “Ultimate Pro” stood out even amongst other mobile device ads (past year norms) and drove strong, early engagement while viewers of the :30 “Cinematic” took a bit longer for engagement to build:
- However, as would be expected in a tech category, the more product-focused “Cinematic” drove higher (and above-norm by +6 pts) consumer intent, at 57% Top 2 Box.
- Both ads grabbed Attention, but the more information specifics in “Cinematic” drove both Likeability and relatability/Relevance for this spot:
- Linked to the feature detail in “Cinematic,” viewers found more innovation to persuade vs the more stylized demonstration of capabilities in “The Ultimate Pro.”
- This response was consistent across age/gender and points to favoring “Cinematic” in forward media rotations to spark demand.
- Our iSpot media measurement shows a strong favoring of “The Ultimate Pro” on both linear and streaming through 9/18/25.
- Linked to the feature detail in “Cinematic,” viewers found more innovation to persuade vs the more stylized demonstration of capabilities in “The Ultimate Pro.”
- Neither ad evoked strong emotional connections with American viewers although both sparked some Curiosity:
- Viewer response was more generally positive for the feature-focused “Cinematic,” which saw the high quality visual effects and production value receive strong praise. While the strategy of building curiosity was effective, it came at the cost of initial clarity. A portion of the audience remained uncertain of what product was being advertised (and were frustrated) until the iPhone was revealed.
- Many viewers specifically mentioned and appreciated the highlighted features, particularly the longer battery life with some mentioning the colors available.
- While many viewers expressed genuine interest in purchasing the iPhone 17 Pro with comments showing strong conversion potential, Apple brand loyalty vs anti-Apple sentiment was also seen. It appeared to resonate quite well with the core Apple audience, reinforcing brand affinity and stoking desire.
- Viewer response was more generally positive for the feature-focused “Cinematic,” which saw the high quality visual effects and production value receive strong praise. While the strategy of building curiosity was effective, it came at the cost of initial clarity. A portion of the audience remained uncertain of what product was being advertised (and were frustrated) until the iPhone was revealed.
Sample comments on the :30 “Cinematic”
“The ad is visually stunning and high-tech. It makes me feel that the product is a premium, powerful device with advanced capabilities, and it evokes a sense of innovation and a desire to own the latest technology.”
Male 21-35
“I love that orange color, I wish that orange color was available when I got my current iPhone. I thought watching that building process was pretty cool as the introduction.”
Male 36-49
“I’m excited about the iPhone 17 and I’m very excited about a longer battery life. I really want a battery life that can last maybe 48 hours without even getting to 15%.”
Male 50+
“This ad was confusing. At first, I thought it was a car commercial. Not enough emphasis on the fact that there’s a new iPhone.”
Female 36-49
“Another one of those ads when you don’t really have a clue what it’s for until the very end and I thought it was kind of futuristic looking and almost interesting ‘till I realized it was for Apple. Yuck.”
Male 50+
“I really really really want the iPhone 17 Pro Max after this app because I know it’s the new iPhone and this ad just focuses on the phone. And I really love that about it. I think it’s really important to focus on the product because sometimes there’s too many external factors, but Apple always does such a great job at getting the phone to be the primary focus in the ads.”
Female 16-20
“The ad allows me to learn something new about the new iPhone 17 series and that is the series introducing the best battery life yet for any Apple iPhone. Now, I’ve anticipated the release of this smartphone for quite some time. Now it is my favorite design yet. I found the ad interesting.”
Male 21-35
“The ad was boring to me. Apple really hasn’t created many new things in a while and everything they do feels repetitive.”
Female 16-20
“Visually cool, but there is nothing to flex about the brand and I don’t think making new products that have basically zero improvements should be a necessity for a brand.”
Female 16-20
“The production of the ad seems very on point. It’s very clear the animation and how it is presented is smooth. The quality of the video is very unique. A close-up range of how they display it down to the creation of the new iPhone 17 is very important. It definitely did catch my attention and very much intrigued me to want me to get that phone maybe in the future or near future.”
Female 16-20
“At first, I thought it was an ad for power machine shop tools until the actual scale was revealed! The element of surprise made an otherwise very good ad into a memorable, GREAT ad.”
Male 50+
- Competition remains high as the top five mobile device ads over the past 90 days among American audiences were all Samsung ads for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, with four of the five sparking higher professed intent than the new iPhone 17 Pro spots:
- The :30 “Cinematic” offers wide media flexibility with response very positive across followers of all major pro and college sports (as well as followers of none):
- This could allow for wider reach at a lower or optimized budget.
Ineffective creative—even when targeted perfectly—leads to missed opportunities. But when standout storytelling like this is amplified across channels with consistency and clarity, it turns awareness into measurable impact.
Schedule a demo to find out how your brand can partner with iSpot to quickly solve both challenges simultaneously, delivering high-performing creative while boosting the effectiveness of planning and in-market execution to achieve—and outperform—campaign objectives.
Creative Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day