Naomi Osaka leads a group of black Gen Z ambassador talent (also including Cordae and Flo Milli) in a new Beats campaign making a stand against racial inequality and which aims to inspire the world’s youth to celebrate their identities.
Promoting the brand’s new ‘Beats Flex’ wireless earphones, the ‘Flex That’ campaign is created from a series of video vignettes, each featuring an influential, black Gen-Z talent who is making a stand against racial inequality while challenging norms, pushing boundaries and celebrating their own identities.
The initial three spot campaign, created by agency Virtue Worldwide, started with tennis star Osaka, and also features Grammy nominated songwriter Cordae and rapper Flo Milli and features each making their own protest.
Osaka’s ‘Silence Is Violence’ spot starts with her walking to the court with the statement beaded in her hair. “I’m grateful to be able to use my global platform to speak out against racial injustice.” commented Osaka. “I do believe ‘silence is violence’ and we all have to do our part to help change the world for the better.”
The second spot sees Cordae rapping about the societal need for change.
“It’s embedded within my DNA to speak on what’s right, and what I believe in. Once you have knowledge on the past, it’s easier to understand the present. It’s all a cycle. It’s our responsibility to help break that cycle.” said Cordae.
While the third and final spot in the series features Flo Milli standing up to the Confederate statue.
Flo concluded: “It’s so important for me to use my reach and influence to help inspire future generations to bravely speak out against racial injustice – an issue so deeply rooted in our country’s history.”
The campaign was created for Beats by Dr. Dre by creative agency Virtue Worldwide and production company One Another.
Comment:
The campaign dovetails with Beats’ parallel, global brand initiative spearheaded by a hero ‘You Love Me‘ commercial which features sports star activists including Naomi Osaka and Nascar driver Bubba Wallace (alongside other black stars from across the music, entertainment and cultural landscape).
It also runs in parallel local strands of the initiative such as Beats current work with Premiership club Chelsea FC which centres on a one-to-one discussion spot between former player and activist Paul Canoville and current star Callum Hudson-Odoi. The video, posted across the brand and team’s social channels, outlines football’s history with racism and confronts the change and the challenge still needed in today’s game.
Athlete, activist and marketing magnate Osaka has become a powerful force around the world in endorsing brands prepared to work with her and support the issues she feels passionate about including her high profile US Open victims name masks in support of Black Lives Matter.
Despite her high profile activist stance, the three-time Grand Slam champion (who made a surprise endorser switch from Adidas to Nike in a deal worth $10m per year) is poised to overtake her childhood idol Serena Williams as the highest-paid female athlete in the world (her earnings last year reached $37.4m).
Her corporate partner stable also includes BodyArmor, Citizen, Hyperice, Mastercard, Nissan and Shiseido.
Links:
Beats
Virtue Worldwide
https://www.virtueworldwide.com/
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