​Clever Creative: Beats by Dre’s Hi-Fidelity Rises “Above the Noise”

Over the years, Beats by Dre has amassed loyal followers of music fans from all genres. This is no doubt due to the extraordinary hi-fidelity quality of the product. However it would be naive to discount the impact of the company’s captivating marketing campaigns that focus as much on people and their stories (if not more) as they do on their devices. Because of this, Beats by Dre rise(s) “above the noise” of their competitors.

In their latest campaign by JohnXHannes New York, we see actor Michael K. Williams comforting his niece with a bedtime story that has a lesson for all of us, no matter how old we are. It begins: “There once were some kids who could shut off their ears. They looked just like us. Had the same fears.”

Reading the words won’t do justice to Williams’s narration nor the stunning cinematology, so we invite you to check it out for yourself:

On the surface this ad, which easily functions as a music video, is about Beats by Dre’s ability to totally cancel out surrounding noise, allowing music to be heard the way the artist intended. On a deeper level, this hi-fidelity ad is a message of personal fidelity. It is about believing in ourselves and shutting out the negativity around us in order to achieve our dreams. In the midst of highly-relatable, mesmerizing scenes and Australian singer-songwriter Ruel’s “Don’t Tell Me,” we see stories of young men and women, some familiar faces of the “Above the Noise” campaign and some new ones, who are doing just that.

Of course in these scenes, the music heard through the Beats headphones is the vehicle for the transformations — this is a product advertisement after all. But the connection is fluid and not forced like you often see in ads that try to include social commentary in their campaigns. The philosophy of music as a vehicle is a universal one; one immortalized in the following quote (mistakenly attributed to Plato, but relevant nonetheless): “[Music] gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."

What makes this ad so successful is that while Beats by Dre is a quality product, the focus on the devices takes a back seat to the relatable stories of human nature and ultimately their success. They show us that in a world where negative noise comes at us from every angle, we can only survive if we shut it out and be true to ourselves. And then, not only will we survive, we will excel.

This is a lesson we all need to sleep better.

Let us know what you think of these ads, and be on the lookout for next week’s installment of Clever Creative!

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