The One Show
The One Show is the world's most prestigious award show in advertising and design. For over 50 years, the Gold Pencil has been regarded as one of the top prizes in the creative industry. The One Show has a rich legacy of honoring some of the most groundbreaking ideas, created by some of the most remarkable minds in creativity.
Learn more about The One Show 2026
No Sweat
Agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab / Los Angeles + ICONOCLAST / Los Angeles + Electric Theatre Collective + Final Cut
Category
Craft / Art Direction
Annual ID
OS25_IN062M
Background
In 2020, Apple ushered in a new era of microchip technology with the Apple Silicon M Series. Now in its fourth generation, the new M4 chip combines unmatched processing power with long-lasting energy efficiency. It’s the kind of power and longevity that once seemed impossible but is now perfect for power-hungry tasks like artificial intelligence.
However, after four years of investment and innovation, consumers couldn’t care less. For the average person, chip tech and specs are hard to understand, let alone be a motivator for purchase. For the first time ever, we took on the challenge: Can we make people interested in—and even help them grasp—the superiority of the new M4 chip?
However, after four years of investment and innovation, consumers couldn’t care less. For the average person, chip tech and specs are hard to understand, let alone be a motivator for purchase. For the first time ever, we took on the challenge: Can we make people interested in—and even help them grasp—the superiority of the new M4 chip?
Creative Idea
The new M4 chip, with its unmatched power and long-lasting efficiency, is an unexpected and unbelievable combination. How do you get people to associate the two? We did it by crafting a feat of effortless power: an Olympic weightlifter who moves like a baton twirler.
No Sweat is a mesmerizing film featuring a weightlifter who defies expectations without ever missing a beat. The weightlifter twirls a colossal set of weights as if it were a featherweight baton—a captivating visual metaphor for how the new M4 series (M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max) handles demanding workloads with effortless grace and precision.
No Sweat is a mesmerizing film featuring a weightlifter who defies expectations without ever missing a beat. The weightlifter twirls a colossal set of weights as if it were a featherweight baton—a captivating visual metaphor for how the new M4 series (M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max) handles demanding workloads with effortless grace and precision.
Insights & Strategy
The new M4 chip is a feat of engineering. However, understanding the tech specs of a microchip is like speaking a different language. Most consumers don’t understand what it means to have increased CPUs, GPUs, NPUs, efficiency cores, ray tracing, and memory. They just want assurance that it will work seamlessly and won’t freeze or crash in the middle of a render or video call.
Our goal was to make the M4’s combination of power and longevity so clear that even someone who doesn’t understand microchips can grasp the superiority of this unexpected duo.
Our goal was to make the M4’s combination of power and longevity so clear that even someone who doesn’t understand microchips can grasp the superiority of this unexpected duo.
Execution
No Sweat takes place in an unbelievable world with its gravity-defying techniques. While many theorized the spot was made with AI, it was actually directed by Megaforce and done entirely with practical effects and CGI.
To pull it off, we had to create an entirely new sport and global-level competition from scratch. We filmed in a real 15,000-person stadium and handcrafted every detail, from the judge badges to the realistic scoreboard stats.
Our powerlifter, played by stunt performer Steven Shelby, trained with six-time world champion baton twirler Yvonne “Bonnie” Palacios and renowned Hollywood choreographer Denna Thomsen to learn and perfect every movement.
Set to Des’ree’s timeless anthem You Gotta Be—celebrating its 30th anniversary—the film is narrated by Olympic figure skating legend Johnny Weir. With Weir’s help, we bestowed iconic names for never-before-done moves like the “Lingonberry Twist” and “The Pinky Promise.” His witty, heartfelt commentary mirrors the lifter’s journey, building to a thrilling crescendo that embodies the effortless power of Apple’s M4 chips.
To pull it off, we had to create an entirely new sport and global-level competition from scratch. We filmed in a real 15,000-person stadium and handcrafted every detail, from the judge badges to the realistic scoreboard stats.
Our powerlifter, played by stunt performer Steven Shelby, trained with six-time world champion baton twirler Yvonne “Bonnie” Palacios and renowned Hollywood choreographer Denna Thomsen to learn and perfect every movement.
Set to Des’ree’s timeless anthem You Gotta Be—celebrating its 30th anniversary—the film is narrated by Olympic figure skating legend Johnny Weir. With Weir’s help, we bestowed iconic names for never-before-done moves like the “Lingonberry Twist” and “The Pinky Promise.” His witty, heartfelt commentary mirrors the lifter’s journey, building to a thrilling crescendo that embodies the effortless power of Apple’s M4 chips.
Results
Premiering during Apple’s multi-day keynote event, viewed by 23 million fans worldwide, the spot captured imaginations globally, rolling out across broadcast and digital platforms with undeniable impact—turning a table-stakes feature, microchips, into a motivator for purchase.
No Sweat repeatedly drove online searches for the M4 chip. Without any media support, it made the M4 chip the most talked about and most searched feature of the keynote event. Each time No Sweat aired in the US, it directly led to spikes in search interest: +34% after the Cotton Bowl, +39% after the AFC Wild Card game, and +35% after the NFC Championship game.
Globally, the spot had 450M completed views. The organic long-form spot achieved 2.1x the completion rate of any other long-form Mac spot.
The campaign earned widespread industry praise:
“Absurdly Powerful and Fun,” “Lighthearted, Eye-Catching” - AdAge
“Playful film with a surprising twist” - Adweek
“Transforms raw computing speed into an art form” - Campaign India
“Turning the usually dry concept of processing power into an energetic feat of strength” - Campaign India
“Our favorite moves were Romancing the Steel and Threading the Needle” - Muse by Clios
“Terrific rendition of a rather dry topic” - Shots
No Sweat repeatedly drove online searches for the M4 chip. Without any media support, it made the M4 chip the most talked about and most searched feature of the keynote event. Each time No Sweat aired in the US, it directly led to spikes in search interest: +34% after the Cotton Bowl, +39% after the AFC Wild Card game, and +35% after the NFC Championship game.
Globally, the spot had 450M completed views. The organic long-form spot achieved 2.1x the completion rate of any other long-form Mac spot.
The campaign earned widespread industry praise:
“Absurdly Powerful and Fun,” “Lighthearted, Eye-Catching” - AdAge
“Playful film with a surprising twist” - Adweek
“Transforms raw computing speed into an art form” - Campaign India
“Turning the usually dry concept of processing power into an energetic feat of strength” - Campaign India
“Our favorite moves were Romancing the Steel and Threading the Needle” - Muse by Clios
“Terrific rendition of a rather dry topic” - Shots
2025 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
TBWA\Media Arts Lab / Los Angeles
Production Company
Iconoclast / Los Angeles
Music / Sound Production Company
Model Citizen
We Are Walker
Post Production Company
Electric Theatre Collective
Final Cut
Trafik
Copywriter
Jessica Moog
Creative Director
Pilar Peace
Tom Corcoran
Director
Megaforce
Director of Photography
Matias Boucard
Editor
Joe Guest
Executive Creative Director
Lucia Orlandi
Global Chief Creative Officer
Brent Anderson
Music Supervisor
Marielle Te
Strategist
Britt Lynch
Strategy Director
Brett McDonald
Executive Producer
Ian Kelly
Executive Strategy Director
Helene Dick
Senior Art Director
Ken Tsuchiya
Senior Producer
Dylan McEnerney
Account Supervisor
Sydney Snyder
Assistant Producer
Iseult Lyons
Assitant Account Executive
Cooper Allen
Director of Music
Josh Marcy
Executive Director, Account Management
James McCullagh
Global Chief Communications Officer
Lu Borges
Global Chief Production Officer
Brian O'Rourke
Group Account Director
Taren Talmage
Lead VFX
Thaigo Dantas
Senior Communications Manager
Brandon Muratalla
Senior Project Manager
Julie Fanning
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