Fresh off the announcement of an impending $3 billion purchase by Apple, Beats is kicking up its advertising campaign a notch with a star-studded World Cup commercial.
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The video features an abundance of international football stars and other celebrities, focusing mainly on Brazil and F.C. Barcelona prodigy Neymar. The spectacularly talented forward is getting ready for the big game with advice from his father, as well as tuning out distractions with, of course, a pair of Beats headphones. It starts off more thoughtfully, before going full bore showing the cast of stars and the product with intense music.
"The Game Before The Game" is an effective commercial on Beats' end, and an entertaining one from the consumer's perspective. It's a lengthy spot at five minutes, but conveys the company's brand well with "The Jungle" by X Ambassadors and Jamie N Commons pumping in the background.
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The headphones star constantly in a variety of colors, adorning the heads of Cesc Fabregas, Luis Suarez, Chicharito, Robin van Persie, Daniel Sturridge and others as they prepare for a big game. It's not just World Cup stars who appear either, with LeBron James, Serena Williams, Nicki Minaj and others also sporting the headphones as they get ready to watch the action.
James--a Samsung endorser--reportedly asked to be in the commercial, according to Ad Age. Omar Johnson, Beats chief marketing officer, claims that the pre-game rituals are all authentic and "nothing is make-believe", though I'll remain skeptical that it isn't all enhanced for the commercial, even if Mario Goetze does kick a ball at a wall before his games.
Beats doesn't ever reference the World Cup by name, as it's not a sponsor, but it's pretty clear that's what the players are preparing for, with national flags and colors aplenty. Apple's iPhone appears a handful of times as well as the device connected to the headphones, with the ties between the two brands already appearing in front of consumers.
