Apple's M4 Chip Is Strong in Ad Narrated by Johnny Weir

A metaphor about tech doing some heavy lifting

Creative heavy lifting is “No Sweat” in a 2-minute ad for Apple’s MacBook Pro M4 chip.

From TBWA\Media Arts Lab and Megaforce, the ad shows a weightlifter prepping for his moment to shine.

Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir narrates the backstory: “The pressure of a lifetime of work comes down to a mere whisper of time in front of the world.”

As Des’ree’s “You Gotta Be” plays on the soundtrack, the athlete twirls massive weights as if they were batons, does backflips and spins for an engrossed audience.

Our favorite moves were “Romancing the Steel” and “Threading the Needle.”

He symbolizes the M4 chip: relatively small—but pumped!—and capable of handling challenging workloads with ease.

The weightlifter was coached by six-time world champion baton twirler Yvonne (Bonnie) Palacios and worked with choreographer Denna Thomsen to get the moves just right.

The campaign debuted at Apple’s MacBook Pro Announcement event and will run globally on broadcast, digital platforms and social media.

CREDITS
Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Los Angeles 
Director: Megaforce 
Production Company: Iconoclast Content, Inc.
VFX: Electric Theater Collective (ETC) 
Animation: Analog Studio 
Audio Mix: Lime Studios 
Editing: Final Cut LA Inc.
Director of Photography: Matias Boucard
Music: Des’ree “You Gotta Be”