ADC Awards
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Learn more about ADC105
Flock
Agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab / Los Angeles + Rock Paper Scissors Editorial + House of Parliament + Smuggler
Category
Craft in Video / Direction - Single
Annual ID
ADC104_ADV075M
Background
Privacy is a critical brand value for Apple, built into the iPhone's design from day one. Over the years, Apple has become a leading industry voice in this space, raising awareness while also delivering groundbreaking protection against the hidden yet pervasive data economy. While these efforts have helped strengthen awareness of the privacy issue, the data economy is doubling down on its efforts to find new and sophisticated ways of collecting people’s data online. Meanwhile, tech companies have felt pressure to showcase their own privacy commitments, often taking advantage of the complex topic with vague promises but limited actual protection.
Creative Idea
Flock is a fantastical, dystopian depiction of the extensive online surveillance economy and the iPhone’s ability to help protect against it.
It depicts bird-like surveillance cameras targeting people’s browsing data before Safari’s privacy protection comes to the rescue.
It depicts bird-like surveillance cameras targeting people’s browsing data before Safari’s privacy protection comes to the rescue.
Insights & Strategy
Online tracking continues to become more pervasive and sophisticated. Between the prevalence of cookies and the rise of an even more subversive practice known as ‘fingerprinting,’ people’s online activities are being constantly tracked with precision by companies. Our strategy was to show how, in this world of constant online surveillance, Safari on iPhone provides superior privacy protection.
Execution
The production turned creatives into ornithologists, mechanical engineers, and even scrap-metal musicians. After meticulously studying bird behavior and movements, surveillance birds were brought to life. Each bird was custom-designed for its environment—seagull-like cameras near the ocean and bat-like trackers haunting dim parking garages. 3D-printed models on set added tangible realism, capturing light, texture, and reactions from the cast.
Set against the striking architecture of Santiago, the film’s eerie atmosphere is amplified by the mechanical, sentient sounds of the camera birds. To enhance the surreal yet immersive look, digital footage was printed onto film stock, seamlessly blending CGI into the real world.
Set against the striking architecture of Santiago, the film’s eerie atmosphere is amplified by the mechanical, sentient sounds of the camera birds. To enhance the surreal yet immersive look, digital footage was printed onto film stock, seamlessly blending CGI into the real world.
Results
The campaign cemented Apple as a champion of online privacy while igniting an industry-wide shift toward better privacy protections.
The film was strategically positioned among a series of provocative brand actions. OOH set out our stance loud and clear: “Safari. A browser that’s actually private,” paving the way for the film to pick up and evolve the narrative. Meanwhile, a series of bespoke digital assets delivered the warning directly to the people while they were browsing.
Over the course of two months, our actions stirred a stream of news headlines and social media comments. 33% of our campaign coverage went straight to the culprit, calling out Chrome from the headline down, while search interest for Safari nearly doubled, with a 45% lift during the campaign flight. Against the groundswell of interest and conversation, Google Chrome finally came to the table, announcing changes to their privacy policies. This was followed by similar announcements from Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge—ultimately improving digital privacy for billions of users worldwide.
The campaign drove 49 million people to apple.com to learn about Safari’s privacy protections, where Android users spent a staggering 1 minute and 35 seconds. Meanwhile, Apple’s leadership in digital privacy increased by 61 percentage points over its biggest competitor.
The film was strategically positioned among a series of provocative brand actions. OOH set out our stance loud and clear: “Safari. A browser that’s actually private,” paving the way for the film to pick up and evolve the narrative. Meanwhile, a series of bespoke digital assets delivered the warning directly to the people while they were browsing.
Over the course of two months, our actions stirred a stream of news headlines and social media comments. 33% of our campaign coverage went straight to the culprit, calling out Chrome from the headline down, while search interest for Safari nearly doubled, with a 45% lift during the campaign flight. Against the groundswell of interest and conversation, Google Chrome finally came to the table, announcing changes to their privacy policies. This was followed by similar announcements from Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge—ultimately improving digital privacy for billions of users worldwide.
The campaign drove 49 million people to apple.com to learn about Safari’s privacy protections, where Android users spent a staggering 1 minute and 35 seconds. Meanwhile, Apple’s leadership in digital privacy increased by 61 percentage points over its biggest competitor.
2025 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit Honor
Credits
Agency
TBWA\Media Arts Lab / Los Angeles
Production Company
Smuggler
Post Production Company
Rock Paper Scissors Editorial
House of Parliament
Associate Creative Director
Felix Karlsson
Tobias Lindborg
Daniel Litzow
Chief Digital Officer
Beth Keamy
Creative Director
Matt Paterno
Parker Adame
Designer
Hermes Miranda
Director
Ivan Zacharias
Director of Photography
Jan Velicky
Editor
Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
Executive Creative Director
Greg Greenberg
Global Chief Creative Officer
Brent Anderson
Motion Designer
Lucas Lourenco
Music Supervisor
Andreas Nilsson
Sound Designer
Gus Koven
Strategist
Casey Heyl
Strategy Director
Stephanie Small
Associate Music Supervisor
Aron Helfet
Executive Producer
Margaret Nickerson
Executive Strategy Director
Phillip Lee
Global Head of Design
James Taylor
Senior Designer
Eduarda Nieto
Senior Motion Designer
Chris Balzano
Senior Music Supervisor
Liz Pfriem
Senior Producer
Syd Ames
Account Director
Sunchia Eckert
Account Supervisor
Jackson Lansbury
Assistant Producer
Laura Wames
Chief Communications Officer
Lu Borges
Colorist
Ricky Gausis
Communications manager
Daniella Morrison
Director of Interactive Strategy
Gurbani Chadha
Executive Account Director
Nicole Rowett
Global Chief Production Officer
Brian O'Rourke
Group Account Director
Dan Wallace
Music Coordinator
Gio Thomas
Music director
Josh Marcy
Project Manager
Amber McGeary
Senior Project Manager
Adriana Monteiro
VFX Artist
Tom Graham
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