Why Millions Have Resonated With Apple's 2024 Christmas Brand Story Film
51 million views.
That’s how many times Apple’s heartwarming 2024 Christmas Brand Story Film has been watched since its launch on November 29th.
Aside from it being a Brand Story Film from Apple—arguably the biggest brand in the world—why have so many people resonated with this film?
It all comes down to its highly emotive storyline, its relatability, and its non–TV-commercial-like nature.
One Of The Best In 2024
At just 1 minute and 50 seconds long, Apple has created what I believe to be one of the best Brand Story Films of 2024.
Of course, the film’s short runtime doesn’t tell the whole story of its production timeline.
Often, when working on creative video campaigns like this, marketing teams jump straight to the final creative outcome. As a result, the storyline, strategy, and emotional impact can become secondary to the finished deliverable—ultimately harming the final film.
Through my LinkedIn posts, I’ve often dissected the best (and the worst) Brand Story Films, exploring the thinking behind their creation and explaining them using my Brand Film Framework.
Today, in this edition of Wednesday’s Fix On Video, I want to go a bit deeper. I’ll help you understand not just the filmmaking beauty of this short film, but the beauty of its concept development.
Let’s explore it together.
What Actually Is A Brand Story Film?
First, let’s clarify what a Brand Story Film actually is.
For many companies, when they hear “Brand Film,” they think of a “hero video” designed to showcase who they are, why they exist, and how they operate.
I personally dislike this approach.
Most “hero videos” end up being glorified corporate showcases that I have no intention of watching—even from brands I intend to buy from.
Instead, I wanted to change the way Australian brands approach video campaigns, taking inspiration from the very best.
This is where the Brand Story Film comes into play.
It ticks all the boxes of a “hero video” but has almost zero direct reference to the brand itself.
That may sound counterintuitive, but trust me—it’s not.
A Brand Story Film is rooted in the idea that your company needs to communicate its message to customers. Yet, over the past five to ten years, customers have become increasingly resistant to advertisements (we see an average of 50 to 400 ads every day).
The Brand Story Film is a tool to bypass your customers’ “defensive guard” (as I like to call it), subtly and subconsciously delivering your message without appearing pushy or sales-driven.
This is able to be achieved through what I call “The 4 Pillars Of A Brand Story Film” 👇🏻
→ your true product or service
→ the impact(s) of your product or service (note that only one singular impact should be focused on within each brand story film for maximum cut through)
→ the emotions associated with both the before and after of experiencing the impact
→ your brand’s core values and beliefs
Apple's Process To Creating This Film
Apple has long been a creator of Brand Story Films. Over the years, they’ve produced remarkable, creative—and most importantly, effective—content.
Their marketing team and video production partners are therefore quite familiar with the theory behind Brand Story Films.
As the name suggests, a Brand Story Film is all about telling a story. How do you create that story? By leveraging the 4 Pillars mentioned above.
Let’s imagine how Apple might have followed a process similar to my Brand Film Framework
Apple's True Product Or Service
What does Apple really sell?
At a surface level, they sell modern smart technology. But that’s too shallow. Many companies stop at this level, missing the deeper, truly resonant message.
If we go deeper, we discover that Apple sells the ability for humans to exponentially enhance their personal and professional lives through technology.
Now we’ve identified something more meaningful.
Apple's Impact On Their Customers
Next, we consider how Apple’s products impact customers. Since Apple has a wide range of technologies, let’s hypothesise a single impact based on five of their products:
iPhone → the ability to have the world in their palm of your hand to create limitless opportunities for yourself.
Mac → the ability for a marketing team to create creative assets at 10x the usual productivity.
AirPods → the ability for those with hard of hearing to be able to hear clearly again without a hearing aid.
Find My → the ability to locate your lost Apple device after it has been stolen.
iCloud → the ability for families to cherish the moments that matter to them most forever.
In this specific Christmas film, Apple focuses on the new AirPods (version 2) and their hearing aid feature.
Notice how it’s just one product, one feature, and one impact.
Many companies feel the need to tell their entire brand story in one video, showcasing every product, every feature, and every possible impact. This dilutes the message, making it confusing for viewers and reducing effectiveness.
Instead, Apple is laser-focused:
True product or service: Modern technology that enhances life.
Singular product: AirPods.
Singular impact: Ability to hear clearly for those with hearing difficulties.
How Apple's Impact Makes Their Customers Feel
The next step from here is to determine how this impact makes their customers feel before and after experiencing it.
The before is the situation your potential customer is in right now. What pain are they feeling? What is it about their life right now which is worse off?
Generally speaking, emotions that are explored in the before include guilt, sadness, anger, loneliness and tiredness, amongst many others.
Then, contrast this to the after. How do your customers feel about experiencing your impact?
Again, generally speaking, emotions that are felt in the after include happiness, joy, courage, closure and pride, amongst many others.
Using the example of Apple’s impact:
Before: If someone can’t hear clearly, they might feel frustrated, upset, lonely, or even angry.
After: When someone can suddenly hear again, they could feel grateful, happy, or proud.
In Apple’s film, these emotions are key. We’ll see how they play out shortly.
Apple's Core Values And Beliefs
The final pillar is your brand’s core values and beliefs.
Apple lists its core values on its website, stating:
“We believe that business, at its best, serves the public good, empowers people around the world, and binds us together as never before.”
With that, we see how Apple’s overall values align with the impact they’re showcasing.
Bringing It All Together
Once the 4 Pillars of a Brand Story Film are established, the next step is to craft a relatable situation.
In this example, Apple focuses on the AirPods’ ability to help those with hearing difficulties. For a relatable storyline, they likely considered daily experiences of people who can’t hear well:
Not being able to hear loved ones talking.
Missing the sound of music or nature.
Feeling left out during family gatherings.
Since the film launched around Christmas, Apple wove in a holiday theme:
A daughter opens a new guitar on Christmas Day—a gift from her parents. She starts playing, but her father, who has a hearing condition, can’t hear her. Memories flash back to when she was a child receiving her first guitar, highlighting the father’s sadness and longing. Then, his wife hands him his new AirPods. He activates the hearing aid mode, allowing him to hear his daughter’s music clearly for the first time, bringing both of them immense joy.
From this brief outline, we see how the 4 Pillars connect to form an emotionally captivating storyline:
True product/service: Enhancing life quality.
Singular impact: Hearing clearly through AirPods.
Before and after emotions: Sadness, loneliness, regret → happiness, gratitude, pride.
Core values: Serving the public good, empowering people, and bringing them closer togethe
The Power Of A Well Produced Brand Story Film
I hope this breakdown demonstrates how effective a well-produced Brand Story Film can be. It ties together everything that makes a brand special—its deeper purpose, its values, and its emotional impact on real people.
It also shows the importance of creating relatable situations that resonate with your customers on an emotional level. Whether you’re making a long-form Brand Story Film or a short-form video, staying away from pushy sales messages and focusing on genuine storytelling can help you forge the deeper connections needed to earn and retain customer loyalty.
Want Some Help In 2025?
At Fixon Media Group, our team specialise in capturing the emotions that resonate with your customers and transforming them into powerful, captivating brand films designed to connect with your audience.
If you’re looking to create impactful brand films and short-form video content in 2025, feel free to get in touch with our Melbourne based video production team.