Friday Think/g: When a Brand’s in The Frame, But It’s Not About The Fame

Hi, all.

Hope you had a good week.

Welcome to Friday Thing/k – a brand storytelling canvas where I’d like to share with you smart, creative, inspiring, engaging, cool, and innovative content marketing ideas that take my digital marketing breath away once a week.

The music is always on at our office, it’s like working in a musical.

Between Ayal (Minister of Sound and our MD), Adam (aka Shazam and our Head of Brands and Agencies), and Ed & Brett (Spotify borrows playlists from these two Account Managers), the music never stops at Outbrain Sydney.

When it comes to me, well, that’s a different story.

Or should I say, song?

I’m the sound of silence.

My playlist is very limited and gives a new definition to kitsch.

Here are just a few examples of my musical profile:

• “Hello” – Lionel as well as Adele’s version
• A few select songs by Brian Adams
• Guns N Roses – “Don’t you cry”
• Scorpions – “Wind of Change”
• U2 – “One”

Who am I kidding… these are not examples, this is all I know!

Yet, from time to time, a new song enters my life in repeat mode. The most recent is actually a bunch of songs by Adele.

While YouTube-ing for Adele’s “Hello,” I came across an awesome 15-minute video of her doing carpool karaoke with James Corden. Viewed almost 100 million times, of which I personally contributed 13 complete views, it has become the most viewed online clip in the history of late-night television:

In part of a series on The Late Late Show, James Corden drives a Range Rover around the streets of London and L.A with stars like Adele, Bieber, J-Lo, and One Direction singing along to the radio in betwixt casual conversation.

Combined, Corden’s carpool karaoke videos have generated close to half a billion views, and still counting.

Do you know what that means?

That viewers have seen him driving a Range Rover almost 500 million times.

The auto brand is always in the frame (in fact, it is THE frame), but unlike the star singer and host, it’s presence is on mute. Yet, somehow, the elegant, fun, spacious, and posh feeling of driving a Range Rover sets the scene.

A brand that lets others drive the show and own the stage while it quietly takes its own backseat.

Brilliant.

P.S. Just watched Adele’s video again.

Another video I played a lot in the past was “How Long Will I Love You,” a cover by singer Ellie Goulding.

Similar to the carpool karaoke, it also has a silent partner enabling the star to shine. I don’t know how many times I watched this video clip before figuring out it was shot entirely on a Nokia Lumia 1020 and is actually part of a beautiful brand storytelling campaign:

A great sound, and look of brand integration.

On the other side of the scale is a marketer who decided to shout out loud that their brand was the star of the show.

If I had been pitched this creative concept or read the script, I would have thought the product placement/integration was way too forced and salesy, but then along came Penelope Cruz to mess with Jimmy Kimmel and balance everything out.

This took place almost 2 years ago and the brand that took the frame and fame was Nespresso.

By the way, if you’re after some more coffee-related content, check last week’s Friday Thing/k.

Now, I might play Adele’s carpool karaoke one more time.