“Fursat”, the 30 minute film by Vishal Bhardwaj isn’t the first time Apple has collaborated with film directors to showcase the camera quality on their iPhones. Since 2016
Apple has been collaborating with film directors to create films that highlight the cinematographic qualities of the cameras on its iPhones. Starting with Sean Baker’s “Tangerine” in 2015, Apple has made numerous projects, shorts and features including some with leading directors like Steven Soderbergh and Zack Snyder.
But Apple isn’t also the first company to produce a creative piece that isn’t an ad for promoting its brand, Coca Cola did it with the song “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” in 1971. Created as a jingle by Bill Backer of McCann Erickson, London, the jingle became so popular when it released on radio stations that RJs started getting request to play it along with other music by groups such as The Doors and Jackson 5. The jingle was later made into an TV commercial. Bill Backer then released it as a song titled “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)” which peaked at No.7 on the Billboard Top 100! Two versions of the TV commercial
Louis Vuitton collaborates with leading artists to design for its Capucines bags. The collection called ArtyCapucines have elevated the iconic bag to an art form. There are different editions of the ArtyCapucines bag. The 4th edition done in 2022 featured renowned artists like Amélie Bertrand, Daniel Buren, Peter Marino, Park Seo-Bo, Ugo Rondinone, and Kennedy Yanko. There are only 200 pieces of a bag designed by a particular artist and each of these pieces that are a fusion of art and fashion retail for over $8,000. This is just one example of the brand’s tie-up with artists. Louis Vuitton has tied-up with other artists to put art on its other famous luggage pieces also.
In 2014, Heineken partnered with Grammy Award winning DJ, Armin Van Buuren to promote responsible drinking. The tie-up aimed to promote moderate drinking on nights out and was accompanied by a new music track, ‘Save My Night’, and a short film ‘The Experiment’, both of which were produced by Armin van Buuren.
More recently, DHL partnered with the musical group Coldplay for sustainable logistics during their “Music of the Spheres” tour where Coldplay released a new number called “Yellow”. The song formed part of DHL’s commercial on the tour. Not necessarily coincidentally, yellow is also the most identifiable colour for DHL.
Brands collaborate with artists and musicians for different benefits. The first is authenticity. When renowned artists or musicians tie-up with brands it denotes that the brands deliver quality and value. Then there is celebrity value. In the age of Instagram and YouTube, associating with an artist helps the brand to connect with thousands of loyal followers and fans. The right partnership provides companies with the opportunity to access untapped audiences, differentiate themselves and gain new meaning via association with the artist.
As brands increasingly use their voice to make social statements, a collaboration can serve to strengthen a company’s commitment to sustainability or responsible drinking, for instance, so long as the partnership of aligned values is received as genuine.
Companies with a history of creativity are likely to find it easier to be understood by their audience when using art to engage them authentically with their product offering. Brands without this creative stamp need to be aware that their efforts could be perceived by consumers as a form of “art washing, which can be avoided if they appear genuine and authentic.
