Top 10 visible Brands in music: Q1 2014
Posted on 7th April 2014
With 88% of Billboard Hot 100 music videos containing at least one Brand, Concave Brand Tracking has ranked the top 10 most visible Brands in music for the 1st quarter of 2014.
Since the first week of 2014, 179 different songs have charted in Billboard’s weekly Hot 100. Of these, 144 have had official music videos released onto the artists’ official YouTube channels as of the end of March. Collectively, these have received over 3 billion views in the 1st quarter of 2014.
Of these 179 songs, 26% referred to at least one commercial Brand in their lyrics, but a whopping 88% of the music videos featured at least one recognizable Branded product.
Concave Brand Tracking records all Brand appearances and their contexts across different forms of entertainment, including all songs and music videos that chart in Billboard’s Hot 100. This allows us to statistically show how Brands are being portrayed across different media and in comparison to their competitors.
Using our data of Brands spotted in these 154 music videos, we have compiled a ranking of the top 10 most visible Brands in Q1 of 2014. The rankings are determined based on the following criteria:
– how many videos a Brand has appeared in
– how many YouTube views those videos have received
– how much screen time a Brand received in those videos
– whether a Brand’s logo or name are shown
– how visible the product is when on screen
As well as visibility measurements, Concave Brand Tracking records contextual information of Brands appearances such as associated individuals, location, use and associated values. Using this, we explain how each of these 10 Brands are portrayed, as well as why they are the most visible..
#10 Gibson
music videos: 17 total Youtube views: 101 613 023 total screen time: 3 minutes 22 seconds
most visible appearance: LET HER GO by Passenger
logo visibility: high main product: guitars product visibility: 2% close-up, 82% subtle
Why?
Appearing in 18 music videos that add up to over 100 million YouTube views, Gibson is the 10th most visible Brand of Q1 2014. It appears on this list due to 40% of all guitars in this year’s music videos so far being Gibsons. The closest competitor in this measure is Fender with 20%. The Gibson logo is also visible in 75% of its sightings.
Gibson does not appear higher on this list due to 83% of its sightings being in Country videos, which do not garner as many YouTube views as Hip hop or Pop.
How is the Brand portrayed?
By appearing mostly in Country music videos, Gibson is strongly association with this particular genre. This is further reinforced by its guitars often being played by these music videos’ main artists. Gibson guitars are seen played by the likes of Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett or Billy Ray Cyrus.
In 3 videos, Gibson is associated with romance or female attraction, but its primary association is with professional musical performances. In 64% of videos in which they appear, Gibson guitars are used in recording studios, on stage or generally in professional performances.
Gibson instruments appear almost exclusively in the hands of male individuals with only 2 instances of women playing them, neither of which were artists of performers.
#9 Chevrolet
music videos: 20 total Youtube views: 77 360 895 total screen time: 5 minutes 28 seconds
most visible appearance: THAT’S MY KIND OF NIGHT by Luke Bryan
logo visibility: medium main product: cars product visibility: 9% close-up, 76% subtle
Why?
Chevrolet appears in 20 different music videos, which give it the longest total screen time in this ranking. It also has the highest % of close-ups in the top 10 most visible Brands of Q1 2014. We do not find Chevrolet higher than #9 as its total number of YouTube views is low.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Chevrolet gets its visibility in music videos mainly from Hip hop (50%) and Country (45%). As can be expected, its depiction in either genre differs greatly.
In Hip hop, Chevrolet vehicles are associated with cruising with an entourage in YG’s MY NIGGA and T-Pain’s UP DOWN,crime in Juicy J’s BOUNCE IT and Future’s MOVE THAT DOPE and luxury in Future’s HONEST. The Chevrolet models shown in Hip hop vary widely, including a Corvette, Caprices, an Impala and even a Silverado.
In Country music videos, the depiction is much more consistent. Chevrolets are associated with cross country driving, romance and sometimes female attraction.
#8 Ray Ban
music videos: 14 total Youtube views: 157 337 037 total screen time: 3 minutes 9 seconds
most visible appearance: RAP GOD by Eminem
logo visibility: high main product: sunglasses product visibility: 0% close-up, 95% subtle
Why?
Appearing in many videos across music genres and demographics, Ray Ban is to sunglasses what Apple is to mobile phones. Ray Ban achieves strong visibility due to the high popularity of its Aviator, Wayfarer and Clubmaster models and the visible logo on them. Ray Bans are the most recognizable sunglasses in music videos and by far the most popular.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Ray Ban enjoys an extremely varied presence, appearing in Country, Dance and Hip hop videos whilst being worn by individuals of different ages, genders and ethnicities. In terms of associations, they vary from formal in Eminem’s RAP GOD (worn with a tuxedo) to sexy in Trey Songz’s NA NA and motorcycles in both Thompson Square’s EVERYTHING I SHOULD’T BE THINKING ABOUT and Tiësto’s RED LIGHTS. However, the most consistent association is with sun, summer and the outdoors. Whilst this may seem like an obvious association for a sunglasses Brand, most other shades Brands like Dita or Versace are seen indoors or at night.
#7 Beats by Dre
music videos: 12 total Youtube views: 235 896 547 total screen time: 1 minutes 41 seconds
most visible appearance: 23 by Mike WiLL Made It
logo visibility: high main product: headphones and speakers product visibility: 2% close-up, 54% subtle
Why?
Appearing in 12 videos, both with its Pill portable speakers (4 videos) and headphones (8 videos), Beats by Dre is the 7th most visible Brand of this list. Whilst we have become used Beats by Dre receiving high emphasis in music, in 2014, so far in 2014, only 4 videos have featured close-ups or obvious shots of its products. Videos such as Zedd’s STAY THE NIGHT or Lady Antebellum’s COMPASS featured the Brand but only discreetly or in the background.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Whilst the Beats Pill is still the only Brand of portable speaker with high visibility in music videos, its headphones are seeing rising competition from the likes of Monster, which had evident appearances in Juicy J’s BOUNCE IT or Jason Derulo’s TALK DIRTY.
In terms of associations, Beats headphones’ are quite varied, being shown as relaxing in Scotty McCreery’s SEE YOU TONIGHT and Kid Ink’s SHOW ME, fun and color in Lady Antebellum’s COMPASS and partying in SchoolBoy Q’s COLLARD GREENS.cThe only professional use of Beats by Dre headphones comes in Dierks Bentley’s I HOLD ON.
#6 Nike
music videos: 22 total Youtube views: 539 215 106 total screen time: 2 minutes 37 seconds
most visible appearance: 23 by Mike WiLL Made It
logo visibility: high main product: shoes product visibility: 0% close-up, 79% discreet
Why?
With the highest number of videos in which a Brand is featured as well as the highest total YouTube views and good logo visibility, we find Nike at only #6 simply due to the lack of attention its products get. Despite its frequent appearances, Nike products receive no close-ups and are discreet in 79% of its sightings.
Please note that the Air Jordan is tracked separately from Nike.
How is the Brand portrayed?
The Nike Brand is highly associated with coolness as artists and extras alike wear their sneakers as a vanity Brand. Nike also enjoys a strong association with physical activities such as basketball in 23 by Mike WiLL Made It and Eminem’s BERZERK, football in both WHITE WALLS by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Justin Moore’s LETTIN’ THE NIGHT ROLL and working out in Trey Songz’s NA NA. Nike is also portrayed very much as a male Brand with only 10% of the individuals associated with it being female.
#5 Chicago Bulls
music videos: 2 total Youtube views: 78 071 523 total screen time: 2 minutes 7 seconds
most visible appearance: 23 by Mike WiLL Made It
logo visibility: high main product: clothing product visibility: 0% close-up, 91% subtle
Why?
The Chicago Bulls Brand only appears in 2 music videos, but with over 2 minutes of aggregated screen time and good visibility in Mike WiLL Made It’s 23 it ranks 5th in this quarter’s ranking.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Appearing in an extremely visible manner in mainly one video can be dangerous for a Brand as it risks being type casted by the singular portrayal. However, in this case, the Chicago Bulls Brand is shown in such different ways within the one video that this can hardly be said. Mike WiLL Made It wears a Bulls cap, sweater and jacket along with Versace shades, whilst Miley Cyrus wears a skimpy outfit made from a Chicago Bulls uniform. The former portrayal implies a cool, casual, relatively fashionable Brand. Miley’s wearing of the Chicago Bulls Brand also implies fashion, but also femininity and sexiness. Yet, the main overall association that the Chicago Bulls Brand enjoys is with the Air Jordan brand.
#4 Apple
music videos: 18 total Youtube views: 239 711 082 total screen time: 2 minutes 59 seconds
most visible appearance: #SELFIE by The Chainsmokers
logo visibility: low main product: mobile phones product visibility: 8% close-up, 40% subtle
Why?
Despite appearing in many videos that add up to hundreds of millions of YouTube views, Apple does not appear higher on this list mainly due to the low visibility of its logo. Apple iPhones have been frequently seen in close-ups when showing text messages, phone calls or apps but have not enjoyed a single close-up in which the logo is visible. Whilst Apple remains a manufacturer of various products, 93% of its screen time involves iPhones with the remaining 7% coming from laptops and tablets, which are not as common in music videos.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Apple is portrayed as a very popular and common Brand used by everyone across all demographics, from rapper Future to country singer Kimberly Perry. As it is mostly portrayed through mobile phones, the main associations with the Apple Brand are communication, photography, filming and music. There is also a consistent link between Apple and the Beats Brand, both when Beats by Dre Pill speakers are plugged into an iPhone and when the newly released Beats Music app is used on iPhones.
#3 Cadillac
music videos: 7 total Youtube views: 50 162 123 total screen time: 4 minutes 5 seconds
most visible appearance: WHITE WALLS by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
logo visibility: high main product: cars product visibility: 0% close-up, 78% subtle
Why?
With the least total views of the top 10 Brands and one of the lower number of videos in which it appears, Cadillac still ranks as the 3rd most visible Brand for Q1 2014. This is mostly due to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ WHITE WALLS and Drake’s WORST BEHAVIOR, which both heavily feature the Detroit Brand. These two videos each give Cadillac well over a minute of screen time and have combined over 22 million YouTube views in Q1 of 2014.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Cadillac’s portrayal in its two major appearances – WHITE WALLS and WORST BEHAVIOR – are strikingly similar, as both depict it as an iconic, old school status symbol.
Both in the song and the video, WHITE WALLS is a tribute to Cadillac. The video portrays it as a cool and aspirational Brand with strong heritage value.
Whilst WORST BEHAVIOR similarly associates Cadillac with old school glamour, is not as positive as both the song and video are an expression of Drake’s frustration towards an older generation that failed to recognize his talent. In this context, Cadillac and Versace are used in the satirical portrayal of sleazy old men.
Of the 27 different recognizable Cadillac cars shown across the 7 videos, only 4 are models from after 1995. This further illustrates Cadillac’s association with the past and portrayal as almost a vintage Brand.
#2 Versace
music videos: 11 total Youtube views: 319 807 805 total screen time: 3 minutes 28 seconds
most visible appearance: 23 by Mike WiLL Made It
logo visibility: high main product: sunglasses and jewelry product visibility: 0% close-up, 78% subtle
Why?
Despite being a vintage clothing Brand known mostly for women’s fashion, Versace is the 2nd most visible Brand due to the love black males have for it. Indeed, 2 Chainz, Jason Derulo or Mike WiLL Made it are part of the black male demographic, which make up 80% of the individuals associated with the Italian Brand. Versace’s appeal comes from its iconic association to vintage fashion and luxury, something most rappers want to communicate as strongly as possible in their videos in order to shape their own personal Brands.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Versace is the perfect example of a Brand used by artists for its legacy and how it makes them look, but which does not gain much in terms of its own Brand values through these portrayals. Though shown to convey luxury, only 1 of the 11 videos in which Versace appears has a context that reflects this. The vast majority of its appearances merely portray it as cool, and only 20% of its screen time implies a link with fashion.
#1 Air Jordan
music videos: 11 total Youtube views: 243 965 960 total screen time: 3 minutes 50 seconds
most visible appearance: 23 by Mike WiLL Made It
logo visibility: high main product: shoes product visibility: 2% close-up, 78% discreet
Why?
Appearing in a variety of videos and worn by artists varying from Juicy J to Niall Horan of One Direction, Air Jordan was found to be the most visible Brand of Q1 2014. It appears in a high number of different videos and enjoys good logo visibility as well as a highly prominent presence in Mike WiLL Made It’s 23, which has garnered over 200 million YouTube views of which over 74 million occurred in 2014 (the 15th most viewed video of our sample).
How is the Brand portrayed?
Through its presence in music videos, Air Jordan is depicted mostly as a an extremely cool Brand. It is worn to impress, show off and look good. Whilst sometimes associated with going out, dancing or fashion, no other associations comes out nearly as a strong as the pride of the Brand’s wearer.
What is interesting is that the Brand built on arguably the greatest basketball player of all time enjoys very little association with basketball or sports at large. According to its portrayal in music videos, Air Jordan truly is a casual footwear Brand and not a sports one.
Concave Brand Tracking
Whether you work for a global Brand or write about them, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@concavebt.com if you would like to learn more about our methodology, data or the services we provide.
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