Forget Real-Time Content, Beats By Dre Can Predict the Future

I would like to welcome Dr. Dre to his role as our new world emperor and congratulate him on being the first person to figure out how to predict the future. My money was on Bezos.

How else can you explain what happened this weekend, when Beats By Dre showcased two videos, filmed months ago, that captured exactly how the NFC Championship Game would play out in front of hundreds of millions of people?

First, in December, Beats By Dre broadcasted a three-minute-long video showing 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick entering a rabid, hostile Seahawks stadium and blocking out their vicious fans with his Beats By Dre headphones. Lo and behold, six weeks later, Kaepernick and his 49ers were headed to Century Link field to take on the Seahawks and their bonkers fan base. (If you watched the game, you know Seahawks fans were going out of their minds.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ttsx5squWg

Then, on Sunday, they released their latest video: boisterous (and brilliant) Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman battling with the media in the locker room and blocking out pesky reporters. What’s been the dominant sports story of the past 24 hours? Sherman’s trash-talking post-game interview with Erin Andrews and subsequent press conference. (Both of which were amazing, as was his acrobatic deflection for an interception to win the game.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HESJgpYYUyM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_E6iHYPoKE

It’s like Beats By Dre knew exactly what was going to happen.

If you’re cynical, you could say Beats By Dre got lucky with the matchup and speculate Sherman gave that post-game interview at Beats By Dre’s behest.

If you’re optimistic, you could say Beats By Dre is embracing a model for culturally relevant branded content, replicable even if you can’t see into the future or travel through time.

Why Beats by Dre’s Oracle Ads are Excellent Content Marketing

Beats By Dre succeeded for the same reason Duracell hit it big with their ad featuring deaf Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman: They told a really good story and benefited when the right time came along to tell it. This mimics a trend we’re seeing throughout the media world, where publishers are getting a lot more mileage out of old stories by resurfacing them when they become contextually relevant. If you tell really good stories, you’ll inevitably find the opportunity to capitalize.

You should also check to see if Dr. Dre has really figured out how to predict the future. Because that would probably help your marketing, too.

What’s the deal with the Content Strategist? It’s something we created at Contently because we believe in a world where marketing is helpful, and businesses grow by telling stories that people love. Take advantage of our tools and talent and come build that world with us.