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Apple “Data Auction” 2022

Apple “Data Auction” (2022) is an Apple commercial directed by Ivan Zacharias for TBWA\Media Arts Lab – Europe, produced by Smuggler. It won 5 awards, including Ciclope 2022 Gold Production Production Design, shots Awards The Americas 2023 Gold — Cinematography (Up to and including two minutes) and AICP Show 2023 Honoree Production Design.

A young woman discovers her personal data is being auctioned off in a grand, opulent hall, leading her to take control of her privacy with iPhone's features.

Video: Ivan Zacharias on Vimeo

Shot by shot

  1. A young woman with curly hair in a denim jacket looks through vinyl records in a sunlit record store, holding up a record to examine it.© Apple0:00
  2. A young woman with curly hair and a denim jacket looks concerned in a music store.© Apple0:06
  3. A diverse group of people, dressed in formal and semi-formal attire, sit in an ornate auction hall, looking towards the front where an auctioneer stands.© Apple0:20
  4. An older man in a grey suit and red bow tie looks around an ornate auction room, speaking intently.© Apple0:26
  5. A bald man in his 40s, wearing a black coat, smiles subtly while looking to the right in a grand, ornate hall filled with people.© Apple0:31
  6. Two male attendants in white shirts and green aprons open a small cabinet revealing many personal items inside, in a dark, ornate room.© Apple0:35
  7. A young woman in a denim jacket stands in a doorway, looking up and to the left, while a diverse audience sits in rows facing away from her in an ornate hall.© Apple0:43
  8. An elderly woman with white hair sits in a floral armchair on a stage, looking around as a man in a green apron stands behind her.© Apple0:49
  9. A split-screen shows an auctioneer, a large book titled "BROWSING HISTORY," and an auction assistant holding the book, all in a dramatic, dark auction house setting.© Apple0:57
  10. An auctioneer stands at a podium, while two assistants present items, including a framed question mark, to a seated audience in a grand auction hall.© Apple1:03
  11. An auctioneer and a man in a suit stand on a stage, as a box with a question mark disappears in a puff of smoke.© Apple1:07
  12. Two framed screens displaying email inboxes are shattered by a cloud of smoke, revealing the text "It's your data" on a stage with blue curtains.© Apple1:14

Stills © Apple. Made by TBWA\Media Arts Lab – Europe, Smuggler and Ivan Zacharias.

Every shot, full-quality frames and clips, and search across every commercial. Free account.

The idea

A literal auction of personal data to highlight iPhone's privacy features.

Tagline: “Privacy. That's iPhone.”

dystopian settingheroine discovers a secretauction as a metaphordramatic revealempowerment through technologybreaking the fourth wall

The cut

Length
87 s
Shots
50
Average shot
1.7 s

What creatives use Apple “Data Auction” for

  1. 01Reference frames for your treatment

    Pitching something with the feel of Apple “Data Auction”? A screenshot from a video player won't hold up in a deck.

    Download any frame of this spot at full quality, with its credits, or search every spot for the same look.

    A young woman with curly hair in a denim jacket looks through vinyl records in a sunlit record store, holding up a record to examine it.© AppleA young woman with curly hair and a denim jacket looks concerned in a music store.© AppleA diverse group of people, dressed in formal and semi-formal attire, sit in an ornate auction hall, looking towards the front where an auctioneer stands.© AppleAn older man in a grey suit and red bow tie looks around an ornate auction room, speaking intently.© Apple
    Frames from Apple “Data Auction”

  2. 02Shot list example: how it was cut

    You need the structure of a great spot, shot by shot, for your storyboard.

    Every shot of Apple “Data Auction” in order, with its length, framing and what happens in it.

    A young woman with curly hair in a denim jacket looks through vinyl records in a sunlit record store, holding up a record to examine it.© AppleA young woman with curly hair and a denim jacket looks concerned in a music store.© AppleA diverse group of people, dressed in formal and semi-formal attire, sit in an ornate auction hall, looking towards the front where an auctioneer stands.© AppleAn older man in a grey suit and red bow tie looks around an ornate auction room, speaking intently.© AppleA bald man in his 40s, wearing a black coat, smiles subtly while looking to the right in a grand, ornate hall filled with people.© AppleTwo male attendants in white shirts and green aprons open a small cabinet revealing many personal items inside, in a dark, ornate room.© Apple
    Length: 87 s · Shots: 50 · Average shot: 1.7 s

  3. 03Ad ideas: every spot built on a dystopian setting

    Before you present an idea, you need to know who has done it, and how.

    Apple “Data Auction” is built on a dystopian setting. Search the library by idea to see every spot that uses it.

    Brawl Stars (Supercell) “Starr Park”© Brawl Stars (Supercell)Philips Cinema TV “The Gift”© Philips Cinema TVCoinbase “Everything Is Fine”© CoinbaseThe Ordinary “The Periodic Fable”© The Ordinary
    Brawl Stars (Supercell) · Philips Cinema TV · Coinbase · The Ordinary

More commercials by Ivan Zacharias

More from TBWA\Media Arts Lab – Europe

  • Apple "The Matchmaker" (2025) commercial still© AppleApple “The Matchmaker” 2025Dir. Ali Kalthami · TBWA\Media Arts Lab – Europe

Award-winning tech commercials

Questions

Who directed the Apple “Data Auction” commercial?

Ivan Zacharias directed it, produced by Smuggler, for the agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab – Europe.

Which agency made Apple “Data Auction”?

TBWA\Media Arts Lab – Europe created it for Apple (2022).

What awards did Apple “Data Auction” win?

5 awards, including Ciclope 2022 Gold Production Production Design, shots Awards The Americas 2023 Gold — Cinematography (Up to and including two minutes), shots Awards The Americas 2023 Gold — Concept (Up to and including two minutes) and AICP Show 2023 Honoree Production Design.

What is the tagline of Apple “Data Auction”?

“Privacy. That's iPhone.”

Sources for the credits and awards

en.wikipedia.orgsmugglersite.comen.wikipedia.orgLBBaicpawards.comawards.ciclopefestival.comshotsshots