To introduce the new “unsend messages” feature for iPhone, we enlisted the highly sought-after acting finesse of Leon, the lizard. Leon tactfully plays the role of “dead lizard” while his entrusted guardian frets over the worst thing that could possibly have happened. He had one job. In the background, the slowed chords of Hanni El Khatib’s “Alive” hang awkwardly with nothing but our guardian’s anxiety filling the silence between. He dispatches the fatal news. Then, as if waking from the dead, Leon spins over and Hanni rejoices “I can’t believe I’m alive, spun around, flipped upside down, I’m alive”. The iMessage is frantically unsent and our guardian’s career as the neighborhood lizard-sitter lives to see another day.

The slowed chords of the intro to Hanni El Khatib’s “Alive” perfectly score the anxiety of our hapless petsitter character, facing the reality of having to break the news of Leon the lizards death to his owner. But as Leon spins over, the sombre scene turns to one of elated relief as Hanni rejoices “I can’t believe I’m alive, spun around, flipped upside down, I’m alive”. The lyrics creating an apt inner monologue for both Leon and his temporary carer.

R.I.P. Leon performed better than Relax, it’s iPhone ads from the previous year. Premium placements across the globe helped amplify awareness of iPhone 14 and the new “Unsend a Message” feature for iOS. In the US, Broadcast TV drove scale for R.I.P Leon as it ran in key sporting events and entertainment programming, earning 766M views. Online, the ad saw nearly 2x higher completion than 2022 creative on YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat.