A new US campaign from Beats By Dre paired 2022 NFL Draft first round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux with an unreleased Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs soundtrack for a new ad titled ‘Kayvon Thibodeaux Is Made In LA’.
Promoting the Apple-owned brand’s Beats Fit Pro headphones and dropping on 27 April (24 hours ahead of the first day of the Draft), the campaign introduces the new Beats athlete ambassador – a defensive end / outside linebacker from University of Oregon picked at number five by the New York Giants – and the love he feels for his hometown.
The scenes see Thibodeaux training for the next chapter of his career and reflect on his journey to the NFL. Narrated by his mother Shawnta Loice, the ad is set in his South Los Angeles home and showcases how a blend of talent and faith drove his rise to football fame.
“Kayvon Thibodeaux, the football player, he didn’t just arrive from nowhere. We put a lot of prayer into that boy,” states Loice’s voiceover.
The ad was produced in-house by the Beats content creation, marketing and production team and was amplified across the brand’s own YouTube, Instagram and Twitter channels.
The anthemic 60-second spot is an extension of the brand’s existing ‘Made In LA’ campaign which originally debuted in February with creative fronted by Dr Dre himself and an array of celebrities linked to the city.
The ad both leverages spiking football interest around the end of April NFL Draft and promotes new music by Combs who has been teasing a new album since summer 2022.
The campaign was created in-house by Beats by Dre in tandem with production company Happy Place, post production from Parallax, sound mix from Unbridled Sound and music by Sean Combs.
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The campaign offers a sneak listen to the long anticipated ‘Off the Grid Vol 1’ album which will mark Combs’ return to his own music in seven years after a prolific producing period which has seen him work with stars such as Mary J Blige, Burna Boy, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and others.
This tactic is a classic Beats by Dre marketing approach: a smartly shot spot featuring an elite young athlete and an unreleased track from a music superstar.
The approach follows a Beats ad formula last seen in 2021 when it paired US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson and new music from Kanye West.
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