Alison Brie and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Awkwardly Rehearse ‘The Kiss’ in TBWA\MAL’s Latest for Apple

By Erik Oster 

TBWA\Media Arts Lab continues the trend of celebrity appearances in Apple ads in its “The Kiss” spot, promoting Apple TV with stars Alison Brie (Mad Men, Community) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones).

The spot follows on the heels of last week’s fun iPhone 6s spot starring Cookie Monster and last month’s “Less Time” featuring a cameo from Aubrey Plaza. In “The Kiss,” Brie and Coster-Waldau rehearse a kissing scene, but something isn’t right. So Brie speaks into the Apple TV remote, asking Siri to rewind seven seconds in the 1,000 Times Good Night scene where Coster-Waldau kisses Juliette Binoche. “What angle are you guys at, is that 25 degrees?” she asks, also unsure if there’s any tongue involved in the partially-open-mouthed kiss. But Coster-Waldau has other ideas, opening Apple Music to play Jeremih, which he then awkwardly croons along to. 

Whether or not it hits all its comedic marks, the spot is memorable for both its instantly recognizable stars and the distinctly awkward situation. It also manages to integrate demonstrations of Apple TV features into the ad without it seeming over-the-top or obvious, since they work naturally as part of the narrative (Brie’s experience in comedic awkward scenarios also helps sell the scene). And the timing of the ad’s release, on the same day Get A Job appears in theaters, which stars Brie alongside Anna Kendrick and Miles Teller (Whiplash) and in the monthlong build up to Game of Thrones’ season six debut, could hardly be better.

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