Malcolm Owen
Apple has revealed a new collection of commercials featuring the Apple Watch's fitness functions, challenging users to "Close Your Rings" on their smart watches by exercising and performing activities every day.
Initially surfacing on the Apple Australia YouTube channel but likely to expand to other regional channels in the near future, the three 15-second videos show how three people exercise throughout their day, closing the rings on their Apple Watch in the process. Each high-tempo video focuses on a different user with varying fitness goals and lifestyles.
Yocelin is depicted as a young woman who keeps fit by playing basketball, but is also shown dancing, playing with children, and other everyday activities. Eric is an older gentleman who cycles, walks a dog, and climbs up and down stairs while moving around a city.
The last subject, Atilla, is meant to represent users who are highly fitness-minded, and is shown to be running, swimming, cycling, playing table tennis, and briefly visiting a supermarket.
"Sit less. Move more. Get some exercise," the video descriptions state, continuing the message of the videos themselves, ending with "Close Your Rings."
The rings themselves are the Apple Watch's Activity app's indicators for the user's movements in the day. The pink Move ring is closed when a user's personal active calorie burn goal has been met, while the second green Exercise ring requires at least 30 minutes of activity at or above a brisk walk. The last blue Stand ring requires users to stand and move around for at least one minute during 12 different hours in the day.
Apple often challenges its users to close their rings, holding special events throughout the year and providing awards for those completing it. In February 2018, Apple held its second-annual "Close the Rings" challenge for employees, with those achieving "gold" metrics being presented with a special Activity Rings-based Apple Watch band as a prize.
William Gallagher
Charles Martin
3 Comments
As long as this results in a reduction in the use of that "artists" ad. That ad with the horrible song is in heavy rotation on network TV and the various streaming services. I hope the general public doesn't find it as grating as I do.
Happy to see the variety emphasized. AppleWatch has gotten me out of a gym rut and into more varied exercises. I use rings as my most common watch face. Maybe in future Apple will have wider range of star achievements, which I’m surprised to say I like, to the point of having a “trophy room” complication. Be fun for users and promote long term stickiness. I’m talking about things like marathon trophy, special National Park hikes, dance marathons, etc. No end of potential, you can even bring AR into it.
Yeah this is cool as usual, we need that annual Close Your Rings challenge to be made for the public as well.