Raps and Apps: Apple Launches Dynamic Asian Campaigns

Spotlighting hip-hop star MCK, the iPhone and App Store

Masked dancers in an apocalyptic hellscape or cartoon kitties prancing past a day-glow sky. Which one suits your mood today? With Apple, there’s no need to choose. Because the tech giant just launched two very different campaigns in Asia. Each boasts impressive visuals to tout the iPhone 17 and App Store, respectively.

First, Vietnamese hip-hop star MCK drops a 360-degree album preview from TBWA\Media Arts Lab and director Phương Vũ.

Darkly dreamlike and shot on eight synced iPhones, there’s an immersive film with Easter eggs for fans to explore.

Even the conventional video below packs a wallop. The way MCK perches on his throne as the action unfolds around him proves enthralling. Is he sitting in judgment? Damn well hope we pass muster.

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So, that ended on a hopeful note. Didn’t it?

Moving to Japan, there’s fresh eye candy. The “A” in App Store springs to life in playful pop-art style, symbolizing a portal to creativity.

From TBWA\MAL and director Clint Chang, lively animations show separate universes envisioned by top artists Chika Umino, Chalkboy, Hikaru Ichijo, POOL and more. App stars Pokémon Sleep, Chiikawa Pocket and Battle Cats appear. IVE provides the soundtrack with “Fashion.”

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We like how each campaign creates special worlds with unique rules and iconography. That feels in sync with the Apple ethos, and both efforts portray the company’s offerings as tools for traversing strange landscapes and unlocking human potential. (Well, the album trailer’s mostly just artsy-unnerving. But it was shot on iPhone, so the brand message is baked in.)