It has been exactly a year since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis shook the country and inspired a protest movement around racial injustice. Brands saw an opportunity to deliver the kind of equitable positioning that people were beginning to demand, backed by actionable monetary commitments and promises around improving diverse representation in their workforces.
Beats by Dre produced a number of ads with an anti-racism stance since the audio products manufacturer first put out a statement in support of Black communities after the death of George Floyd. Its powerful film from November 2020 especially delivered a gut punch by asking viewers: “You love Black culture, but do you love me?” The work from New York-based independent agency Translation celebrates Black creativity while questioning people’s love of the culture, and aired during the NBA Draft and NFL Thanksgiving game, as well as during other games and across digital platforms like Apple Music. The spot features Nascar’s Bubba Wallace, tennis pro Naomi Osaka and influencers like the Compton Cowboys, with Solange Knowles providing the score, Lena Waithe behind the words and Tobe Nwigwe narrating. The spot garnered 53.5 million TV ad impressions with a $2.1 million national TV ad spend, according to TV analytics platform iSpot, and saw a 6.5% higher attention rate than normal.
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