CMO Chris Thorne explains why Jenner is the right partner for the launch, which includes a campaign spot from Uncommon Creative Studio.
Courtesy of Beats
This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.
Beats on Tuesday launched a campaign starring celebrity Kendall Jenner in support of its newly announced Beats 360 product, per details shared with Marketing Dive. Beats 360 is a fitness-focused, over-ear headphone that features customizable ear cushions.
In a hero spot set to Gary Numan and Tubeway Army’s “Are Friends Electric?,” a workout gear-clad Jenner sits in a cafe and attaches lime green cushions to her Beats 360 before she makes a revelation: Everyone in the cafe is a different version of her, whether making a call on the headphones, working at the cafe or reading a book called “The Parallel Lives of Us.” Jenner is also featured in the artwork and photographs of the cafe, named — naturally
“The key to the whole headphone is that everybody has so many different versions of themselves. Not only can this headphone fit in whatever you do, but you can change it just like you change your shoes, your watch or any accessory,” said Beats CMO Chris Thorne. “We don’t need to put all these other people in this ad. Why don’t we get a bunch of Kendalls?”
Jenner, the model, socialite and reality TV star, is a frequent partner of consumer brands. She founded 818 Tequila and appeared in a Super Bowl ad for Fanatics Sportsbook, a L’Oréal Paris spot that nodded to “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and a controversial Pepsi ad in 2017. Beats, which has also worked with Jenner’s half-sister Kim Kardashian, sees the partnership as more than an ad campaign.
“We look at these partnerships as long term. We don’t really do endorsement deals,” Thorne said. “We bring people into the Beats family, and hopefully [they] stay for a long time. LeBron’s been with us since the beginning, and we view Kendall in that same way.”
Crafting and teasing a campaign
The campaign will run across digital platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, Pinterest, Hulu, Amazon and ESPN, and features out-of-home ads in Los Angeles, New York, London and Shanghai. It was produced by Magna Studios with creative from frequent Beats collaborator Uncommon Creative Studio.
“There are a lot of agencies that bring you ideas, and they’re all good. Maybe I like that one better, but I could tweak them all and make them a little better,” Thorne said of the agency space. “Uncommon brings you something, you love it or hate it… They’re high beta. I love that in a partner because they’re going to push you.”
The debut of Beats 360 sees the Apple-owned audio company developing a product to meet changing consumer needs. Over-ear headphones, long the domain of home-listening, are increasingly showing up in out-of-home moments like during gym workouts, Thorne said.
To help launch the product, Beats seeded organic media opportunities with brand partners, long before today’s announcement. Spanish soccer star Lamine Yamal was seen wearing the headphones when he reported to training camp in May for the World Cup. Usage by Yamal, LeBron James and tennis star Aryna Sabalenka helped demonstrate Beats 360’s athletic durability. Jenner’s inclusion in the pre-release effort speaks to how the brand looks to integrate organically in pop culture.
“I never want our brand to feel like we paid our way in and slapped a logo on something. I think there’s just something so fun about these Easter eggs out there,” Thorne said. “We didn’t know how they were going to show up. You send [partners] a headphone. There are no rules. There’s no ‘you have to wear this on this date and you have to wear this color.’”
The campaign’s digital approach will lean on Jenner’s popularity across channels, from TV to Instagram and TikTok, where she has 277 million and 7 million followers, respectively. Additional content will roll out in advance of the holiday period in tandem with an international push that features talent including Yamal and others. Nana Ouyang, “a big do-it-all influencer, artist, musician and leader in the fashion world,” will be the face of the campaign and the product in China, Thorne said.
Filed Under:Creative,CMO Corner
