The background: a world of unrest
It’s 2020. The sound of the global Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is at its peak, but most brands are avoiding the issue. They either fear being seen as overly political, or they’re preoccupied with the challenge of sustaining a business through a period of global upheaval. But this wasn’t the case at Beats, which wanted to amplify the voices of Black youth and channel the sounds of defiance that shape today’s popular culture.
You Love Me, a short film directed by Melina Matsoukas, takes aim at the brands and corporations that profit from Black culture but fail to acknowledge the human lives behind it. Featuring talent including Tobe Nwigwe, Naomi Osaka, Lil Baby, Bubba Wallace, and Janaya Future Khan, You Love Me relates the Black experience with powerful vignettes of Black culture.
Strategy + execution: acknowledging youth culture
Black youth is an audience rarely acknowledged by the many brands that, albeit sometimes unknowingly, capitalise on its cultural contribution. Beat’s approach focused on amplifying the voices of Black youth, juxtaposed with the use of celebrities, artists and activists to emphasise that fame and fortune don’t determine the value of someone’s life.
The 2-minute film was hosted on YouTube, and supported by paid media. Traditional media broadcast shorter clips around key NFL and NBA events. You Love Me was part of a broader initiative from Beats, highlighting stories from within the brand community.
🤔 Did it work?
In short, yes. Great things can happen when you match compelling storytelling with effective audience targeting. Beats originally aimed for 20 million views but eventually achieved 22 million during the campaign. Longer content on YouTube can struggle to hold an audience, but You Love Me viewers watched 75% of the film against a platform benchmark of 27%.
When Steve Stout and Jay-Z launched Translation in 2008, there was a lot of interest in how this new type of agency would use culture to help brands reach multicultural audiences. Over the years, they’ve more than delivered on that original promise. You Love Me is another example of how a brand can contribute to an important cultural moment with compelling storytelling based on real-life stories drawn from its audience.
