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SiriusXM, following its recent appearance in the Academy Awards telecast, has made another high-profile media buy, this time in Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour concert film now airing on Disney+.
The brand is rerunning its poignant 60-second spot called “A Life in Sound” during the exclusive streaming event that kicked off today and allowed less than a dozen marketers to place ads during the nearly three-hour show.
The move is part of an ambitious rebrand that began late last year, with SiriusXM cherry-picking cultural moments to promote its new logo, pricing and attitude.
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“Appearing in places like the Oscars is important, and it says something about who we are and how we want to behave,” Suzi Watford, chief growth officer at SiriusXM, told ADWEEK. “And the Eras movie is a big place for us to be, and it makes sense given the connection Taylor has with Sirius.”
SiriusXM underwent a brand revamp that dropped in November, emphasizing its new “body language” such as a refreshed logo and a reanimated mascot, according to Nils Leonard, co-founder of the brand’s agency of record Uncommon Creative Studio.
The next step to stretching beyond its satellite-radio roots has involved bringing in “a new emotive, raw energy.”
“People had made up their minds about Sirius in ways that we thought were unfair, partly based on its scale and ubiquity,” Leonard said. “So our goal was to get people to do a double take, and to do that you have to move them.”
Sirius, perhaps better known as an in-car service because of its ties to U.S. automakers, is looking for the next generation of listeners to add to its current 34 million subscribers. Those younger, more diverse audiences may access its music, talk and sports on smart speakers and gaming consoles in addition to platforms like Apple TV.
Along with a new look and pricing structure, the brand is also touting an expanded programming lineup and features like enhanced personalization and improved search.
“We’ve been good at talking about the functional benefits,” Watford said. “In looking for ways to modernize the brand, we wanted to get above that.”
“A Life in Sound,” from decorated director Kim Gehrig, officially dropped on International Women’s Day in its full 3-minute length. It made its TV debut during the 96th Oscars on ABC in its 1-minute version, which will also air during the Eras film.
The cinematic piece traces a woman’s impassioned journey—expressed in dance—through various stages of her life, from young girl to senior citizen. The genre-blending soundtrack includes voice clips of Sirius hosts John Mayer, Conan O’Brien, and Nikki and Brie Garcia, with music samples from Doja Cat, Bat for Lashes, Soul II Soul and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, among other artists.
The audio came first, according to Leonard, with the casting and choreography layered on top. For the creative team, that translated to time “spent in rooms with our eyes closed listening carefully” to decide how the action should unfold.
Also key for creatives was showing the passage of time, from carefree girl to mature woman, and the rollercoaster of emotion that punctuates life’s different chapters. Attention to detail was important: Eagle-eyed viewers, especially of the long-form ad, may notice the light changing as the scenes play out, representing morning to night of one complete day.
“A Life in Sound” comes on the heels of several other marketing programs, including the cheeky “Metal Sweater” mini-movie and the Guest DJs initiative with Beastie Boys, Olivia Rodrigo, Cardi B, Alice Cooper and other artists taking over the service.
“A Life in Sound” falls under the “Closer” marketing umbrella launched earlier this month, aiming to show how the service brings fans “closer” to the music and celebrities they love. The campaign will also includes out-of-home ads starring real-life Sirius superfans.
The static and digital billboards tout hip-hop and country music lineups, along with sports podcasts, with placements in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Boston and Atlanta.
Content shot behind the scenes will begin rolling out soon, Watford said, and more work under the “Closer” tagline will continue through 2024.
“The goal has been to capture the relationship our listeners have with the service,” Watford said, “where there are actual humans talking to other humans.”
T.L. Stanley is a senior editor at Adweek, where she specializes in consumer trends, cannabis marketing, plant-based food products, pop culture and creativity.
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