To announce the launch of our newest flagship product, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (QCUH), we sought out a partner who unapologetically embodies our brand’s belief in the power of sound.
Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, was the perfect fit. As a singer, actor, writer and comedian, he struck every chord that we were looking for in a partner. We chose Donald Glover for this campaign because he’s an icon in innovation – a multi-hyphenate artist that’s preparing his return to music. Music is central to his identity, and his passion for the craft aligns with our values.
We wanted a multifaceted creative that we could team up with, not simply as talent, but as a creator and Director of the work. Our goal was to authentically speak to our shared audience of passionate music lovers and in turn, ignite brand visibility and excitement for our QCUH launch.
We were the first brand to work with Donald Glover’s new creative agency, Gilga. Over a few months, we collaborated with the team on ways that Donald could tell a unique story that would be part of a larger comeback to music, as well as tease out some of the other entrepreneurial efforts.
One of the biggest challenges was finding the right balance between something unique for Donald and for Bose, that was also on brand for both. As a brand, sharing creative control to this extent was a first for the company. For Glover, working on branded work was also not common. We were fine-tuning details in our creative collaboration even as we were shooting.
We landed on the idea of having the headphones be the catalyst for this incredible “day in the life” journey, where we get a glimpse into his world, culminating in a light/sound experience that’s teased in the spot.
The setting, being on Donald’s farm in Ojai, made this execution incredibly unique. The Bose brand recently launched a new brand look and feel and the monochromatic color strategy was woven through the film in wardrobe, setting and props, and paired with the branding on supers.
The anthem brand spot demonstrates how the power of sound is ever-present across his creative pursuits - showcasing how Glover uses the new Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in all facets of his creative work.
To ensure we ignited visibility at launch, we deployed a mix of high impact placements and a video neutral strategy across platforms including social and streaming to connect with our music lover wherever they consumed content throughout their day. A mix of long form content and cuts were used to tease out the messaging across formats. Within streaming environments, we selected ad placement based on contextual relevance including but not limited to music and entertainment programming. We also prioritized this asset for tentpole commercial moments including Black Friday. Additionally, we secured editorial exclusives on launch day with key press in culture and lifestyle news to extend our brand partnerships presence and drive visibility.
The campaign effectively reached and engaged music lovers, driving 162M total video views across digital and CTV in Q3 at an average video view rate of 45% -- which is 22% stronger than benchmark.
We ran a masthead placement on YouTube which ran both the 30s and 60s hero spot. This placement drove +23% searches for Bose headphones within 24 hours, and served 24.5M impressions. The placement had a 0.51% click through rate, within the top 25th percentile for the Consumer Electronic industry.
This collaboration underscores how powerful sound can bring fans into the center of their favorite artists’ music and let them experience it in the most realistic way. In the end, it became a great conversation starter about these 2 brands teaming up and a part of a larger story for both entities, getting recognition on sites like Complex and other editorial outlets.
