Top 10 visible Brands in music: Q3 2014
Posted on 13th October 2014
Concave Brand Tracking records all Brand sightings and mentions across various forms of entertainment, including all songs and music videos that chart in Billboard’s weekly Hot 100. This data is used to compare Brands to their competitors both in terms of visibility and portrayal.
Between the first week of January 2014 and the last week of September 2014, 357 different songs have charted in Billboard’s weekly Hot 100. As of the end of September 2014, 308 of these songs have had official music videos released onto the artists’ official YouTube channels. Collectively, these have received just over 14 billion views in the first 3 quarters of 2014, of which almost 6.5 billion occurred in the 3rd quarter.
Of the 308 music videos, 85% feature at least one Branded product. Concave Brand Tracking has recorded over 540 different Brands in these videos and has ranked the 10 most visible ones in the 3rd quarter of 2014.
You can check out our Q1 report by clicking here, and our Q2 by clicking here.
Our ranking is 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 is shown
– how visible the product is when on screen
As well as visibility measurements, Concave Brand Tracking records contextual information of Brand appearances such as associated individuals, location, use and values. Using this, we will explain how each of these 10 Brands are portrayed, as well as why they are amongst the most visible Brands of Q3.
#10 Ford
(new entry in the top 10 – ↑ from #20 in Q2)
Sometimes, when a Brand appears, one will notice that the logo is blurred out. This happens when the producer or broadcaster “censors” a Brand.
music videos: 29 (↑ from 23 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in Q2: 454 million (↑ from 191m in Q2)
total screen time: 4 minutes 15 seconds (↑ from 2 minutes 47 seconds in Q2)
most visible appearance: HIDEAWAY by Kiesza
logo visibility: medium main product: cars product visibility: 73% subtle, 23% background
Why?
With a number of new videos featuring Ford vehicles as well as some older ones that have become more popular, Ford enters our top 10, jumping up 10 places since Q2. Yet, Ford has the lowest total screen time and 3rd lowest number of YouTube views of this top 10.
Videos that feature the Ford Brand and were already out in Q2, including SING by Ed Sheeran, WIGGLE by Jason Derulo and DON’T by 5 Seconds of Summer, have seen drastic increases in their YouTube views. These 3 videos account for 260 million views in Q3, up from 107 million in Q2. Furthermore, 5 new videos for Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 songs containing Ford vehicles were released in Q3, contributing over 77 million views.
The types of Ford vehicles that appear vary from Crown Victoria police cars in WAITING FOR SUPERMAN by Daughtry and WIGGLE by Jason Derulo to F-Series trucks in DRINK TO THAT ALL NIGHT by Jerrod Nieman and SEE YOU TONIGHT by Scotty McCreery. However, the model that is by far the most common is the Mustang. Indeed, the Ford Mustang appears in 8 different videos with the oldest being a 1965 Mustang in JEALOUS by Nick Jonas and the newest being a 2014 Mustang in HOT NIGGA by Bobby Shmurda.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Much like the diversity of its models, the way Ford is portrayed varies greatly. It is associated with police, taxi service, cross country driving, romance, cruising, coolness and even street racing. The only associations that Ford has not received are those relating to luxury.
In terms of demographics, the theme of variety remains. Ford is associated with all ages, genders and ethnicity. However, it is more often associated with males and white individuals.
#9 Fender
(new entry in the top 10 – ↑ from #12 in Q2)
music videos: 21 (↑ from 20 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in Q2: 338 million (↑ from 238m in Q2)
total screen time: 4 minutes 29 seconds (↑ from 3 minutes 56 seconds in Q2)
most visible appearance: RUDE by MAGIC!
logo visibility: high main product: instruments product visibility: 70% subtle, 27% background
Why?
Fender owes its entry into our top 10 ranking to the success of RUDE by MAGIC! which received over 120 million views in Q3, up from 17.5 million in Q2. This one video accounts for over a third of all Fender YouTube views. It features a Stratocaster (1967) electric guitar used by Mark Pellizzer.
The entry of Fender into the top 10 comes after its competitor, Gibson, dropped out in Q2. Gibson was the 13th most visible Brand in Q3 down from #12 in Q2 and #10 in Q1.
Fender’s presence in music videos is due to string instruments ranging from an acoustic mandolin in DAY DRINKING by LITTLE BIG TOWN to electric guitars in WE ARE TONGHT by Billy Curringhton and SHE LOOKS SO PERFECT by 5 Seconds of Summer.
How is the Brand portrayed?
In 66% of the videos in which its products appear, Fender is shown as professional and used in the context of a band. Examples include BEST DAY OF MY LIFE by American Authors and REWIND by Rascal Flatts. In every case in which Fender is neither professional or in the context of a band, it is shown as cool (HELLO KITTY by Avril Lavigne), fun (DAY DRINKING by LITTLE BIG TOWN) or romantic (WE MIGHT BE DEAD TOMORROW by SoKo).
It was noted back in Q1 that Gibson was almost exclusively associated with males and never with female artists. Whilst Fender is also used by males over 80% of the time, the Brand does see itself associated with Avril Lavigne, Kimberly Perry and Maddie Marlow.
#8 Chevrolet
(↔ same position as Q2)
music videos: 36 (↑ from 30 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in Q2: 274 million (↑ from 232m in Q2)
total screen time: 9 minutes 4 seconds (↑ from 7 minutes 29 seconds in Q2)
most visible appearance: SUMMER by Calvin Harris
logo visibility: medium main product: cars product visibility: 71% subtle, 24% background
Why?
Despite having the highest total screen time of our top 10, Chevrolet remains only the 8th most visible Brand due to having the lowest number of YouTube views. The 36 videos in which Chevrolet appears – the 3rd most of the top 10 – only average a little over 8 million views each. In contrast, the average number of views in Q3 received by a video from song tht charted in the Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 is over 21 million views. Chevrolet’s views are low due to 47% of the videos in which it appears being for Country songs. Indeed, Q3 music videos for Country songs that charted in the Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 only averaged 2.3 million, roughly 10 times less than the average across all genres.
It is worth noting that SUMMER by Calvin Harris accounts for almost half of Chevrolet’s YouTube views.
How is the Brand portrayed?
In Q1 and Q2 Chevrolet’s depiction was roughly split between Country and Hip hop/Pop. The former saw Chevrolet vehicles as country-friendly and fun whilst the latter featured them as urban, cool and even involved in crime. The 6 new videos in Q3 – which only account for 10% of Chevrolet views – follow this trend perfectly.
The 4 Country music videos – DUST by Eli Young Band, GIRL IN A COUTRY SONG by Maddie & Tae, NEON LIGHT by Blake Shelton and WHERE IT’S AT by Dustin Lynch – all featured Chevrolet Silverado trucks and showed them as cool and fun cross country vehicles. They were also associated with tailgating in 2 of the 4 videos.
The 2 Hip hop videos – FIGHT NIGHT by Migos and WALK THRU by Rich HomieQuan – use Chevrolets as cool cars for cruising in a city environment. FIGHT NIGHT by Migos also portrays the 2014 Corvette Stingray C7 as a luxury vehicle alongside a Ferrari and a Bugatti.
#7 Versace
(↓ from #6 in Q2)
music videos: 25 (↑ from 17 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in Q2: 474 million (↑ from 413m in Q2)
total screen time: 7 minutes 57 seconds (↑ from 5 minutes 56 seconds in Q2)
most visible appearance: 23 by Mike WiLL Made It
logo visibility: medium main product: clothing and accessories product visibility: 81% subtle, 11% discreet
Why?
Versace remains in a similar position since Q2 due to its presence in 8 new music videos and its older videos maintaining high views. 23 by Mike WiLL Made It is still the biggest contributor to Versace’s visibility in music videos, having garnered over 45 million views in Q3 despite having been released a year ago.
84% of videos that feature Versace are for Hip hop songs. Unlike Country, Hip hop videos average a higher number of YouTube views than the average across all genres. The popularity of Versace amongst Hip hop artists, as opposed to other genres, contributes to its high visibility.
How is the Brand portrayed?
With its popularity amongst Hip hop artists, Versace continues to be worn by black males to look cool and show off. Of the 8 new videos for songs that charted in the Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 in Q3, 6 were for Hip Hop songs. Every single one of these saw Versace belts, jewelry, clothing and sunglasses worn by black males such as Birdman in LIFESTYLE by Rich Gang or the members of Migos in FIGHT NIGHT in order to look cool.
We noted in Q2 that the only video that portrayed Versace in a similar way to the Brand’s own advertising was G.U.Y. by Lady Gaga. Another video was added to that category in Q3 as a pair of Versace sunglasses were worn by James Penfold – a white male model – in WAVES by Mr.Probz.
Miley Cyrus remains the only famous female individual to be associated with Versace in 2014 music videos for Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 songs.
#6 Ray Ban
(↓ from #5 in Q2)
music videos: 25 (↑ from 21 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in Q2: 625 million (↑ from 459m in Q2)
total screen time: 5 minutes 27 seconds (↑ from 4 minutes 27 seconds in Q2)
most visible appearance: RAP GOD by Eminem
logo visibility: medium main product: sunglasses product visibility: 97% subtle
Why?
Ray Ban has appeared in 4 new videos, but these only account for under 5 million views or less than 1% of all YouTube views the Brand received in Q3. On the other hand, Ray Ban sunglasses appear in #SELFIE by The Chainsmokers, RAP GOD by Eminem and REALLY DON’T CARE by Demi Lovato, in which each received over 30 million views. The Brand also appears in WIGGLE by Jason Derulo and FANCY by Iggy Azalea, which combined for over 378 million views in Q3.
However, RAP GOD by Eminem still contributes the most to Ray Ban’s Q3 visibility due to the video featuring the sunglasses for a total of 1 minute and 35 seconds and still gaining a lot of views.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Ray Ban continues to be associated with a wide variety of demographics and shown in different types of contexts. In Q2, a trend emerged of Ray Bans being associated with sexyness when worn by women. Now, a trend is becoming clear for when the Brand is worn by men. This is the wearing of Ray Bans in the context of playing instruments, singing or even performing. As well as reinforcing the cool factor of Ray Ban, it also creates a strong association with music.
Of the 4 new videos that featured Ray Ban sunglasses in Q3, 3 followed the aforementioned trend. In COLD ONE by Eric Church and DUST by Eli Young Band, Ray Bans are worn by the main singers during their bands’ performance. With these new videos, overall, Ray Ban is now associated with music in 20% of its sightings and shown as cool in 60%.
#5 Nike
(↓ from #4 in Q2)
music videos: 46 (↑ from 34 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in Q2: 1,200 million (↑ from 887m in Q2)
total screen time: 6 minutes (↑ from 4 minutes 13 seconds in Q2)
most visible appearance: WE ARE ONE by PITBULL
logo visibility: medium main product: shoes product visibility: 66% discreet, 27% subtle
Why?
Nike has appeared in an additional 12 music videos this quarter, bringing its total views for this quarter to well over a billion, the 2nd most of this top 10. With 59% of videos in which Nike appears, being for Hip hop songs that charted in Billboard’s weekly Hot 100, and 33% being Pop, Nike averages over 26 million views per video, much more than the overall average.
However, we do not find Nike higher on this list due to its products appearing discreetly 66% of the time. Furthermore, Nike only averages 8 seconds of screen time per video in which it appears. This means that despite appearing often, Nike products are not given much attention or screen time.
Please note that the Air Jordan is tracked separately from Nike.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Surprisingly, Nike continues to be rarely associated with sports. Indeed, of the 12 new videos that featured Nike, only Katy Perry’s THIS IS HOW WE DO and Migos’ FIGHT NIGHT showed its product in a sports context. On the other hand, 9 of these videos showed Nike as cool. Overall, now 59% of videos featuring Nike show it as cool, whilst only 22% associate it with sports.
In Q2 we highlighted Nike’s lack of female association, both in comparison to other Brands in general and its competitor: Adidas. This problem has not changed as Nike’s female association has remained exactly the same at 13%. Whilst many artists, such as Chris Brown, Tyga or TeeFLii, have worn Nike in Q3, there has still not been a single female artist associated with Nike in any 2014 music videos for songs that charted in the Billboard’s weekly Hot 100.
4# Adidas
(↓ from #2 in Q2)
music videos: 32 (↑ from 26 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in Q2: 1,361 million (↑ from 948m in Q2)
total screen time: 4 minutes 47 seconds (↑ from 4 minutes 14 seconds in Q2)
most visible appearance: BAILANDO by Enrique Iglesias
logo visibility: medium main product: shoes and clothing product visibility: 50% discreet, 34% subtle
Why?
Adidas has appeared in 6 new videos in Q3 which add up to over 100 million views. However, this only accounts for 8% of Adidas’ YouTube views as they have over 1.3 billion, the most out of our top 10. This total is due to a few videos having extremely large numbers. Indeed, FANCY by Iggy Azalea, RUDE by MAGIC! and WE ARE ONE by Pitbull all had over 100 million views in Q3 whilst WIGGLE by Jason Derulo and BAILANDO by Enrique Iglesias both had over 200 million.
Adidas does not appear higher on this ranking – much like Nike – due to low visibility of its products and low average screen time per video.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Like with Nike, Adidas’ association to sports has not increased with new videos in Q3. In fact, not a single one of the 6 new videos showed Adidas in a sports context. Rather, all 6 showed Adidas as cool and 3 of them portrayed Adidas as a fashionable Brand. Additionally, Adidas appears as luxurious when worn by Future in HOLD YOU DOWN by DJ Khaled.
Five of the 6 new videos featuring Adidas saw the Brand associated with black males. Whilst this brings Adidas’ female association down from 37% in Q2 to 30% in Q3, it is still much stronger than Nike. In terms of ethnicity, the percentage of individuals associated to Adidas that are black has increased from 36% in Q2 to 44% this past quarter.
#3 Apple
(↓ from #1 in Q2)
music videos: 51 (↑ from 35 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in
Q2: 906 million (↑ from 636m in Q2)
total screen time: 7 minutes 33 seconds (↑ from 5 minutes 49 seconds in Q2)
most visible appearance: #SELIFE by The Chainsmokers
logo visibility: low main product: mobile phones product visibility: 42% subtle, 19% close-up
Why?
Despite appearing in an extra 16 videos in Q3, the biggest increase of the top 10, Apple has fallen from the top spot it occupied in Q2. The reason for this is Apple having a low average screen time per video and low logo visibility. In fact, the Apple logo was only visible in 2 of the 16 new Q3 videos in which it appeared. This brings Apple’s overall logo visibility down to just under 18% which is the lowest logo visibility of this top 10.
Whilst Apple’s visibility is still mostly due to its iPhones, which account for 91% of its screen time, Q3 did see 3 videos feature Apple computers.
How is the Brand portrayed?
The 3 videos that featured Apple computers show them in a variety of professional contexts: DJing in WAVES by Mr. Probz, photography in FOREIGN by Trey Songz and work in LOOK AT YOU by Big and Rich. This is in line with every other Apple computer sighting this year, which were also in contexts of professional use.
Apple mobile phones continue to be strongly associated with app use and specifically Beats Music. Over a ¼ of Apple’s mobile phone sightings saw it associated with Beats, whether it be its headphones, speakers or its music app. Whilst a Samsung phone was used for the Beats app in MAIN CHICK by Kid Ink and WIGGLE by Jason Derulo, no videos have been released showing the Beats app on anything other than an iPhone since Apple bought Beats, a trend that will likely continue.
#2 Beats by Dre
(↑ from #7 in Q2)
music videos: 30 (↑ from 23 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in Q2: 822 million (↑ from 386m in Q2)
total screen time: 4 minutes 44 seconds (↑ from 3 minutes 16 seconds in Q2)
most visible appearance: BANG BANG by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
logo visibility: high main product: headphones and speakers product visibility: 63% subtle, 7% close-up
Why?
After having occupied the 7th place in our top 10 ranking in Q1 and Q2, Beats by Dre is now the 2nd most visible Brand for Q3. Beats has appeared in an additional 7 videos and seen its total number of views experience the largest increase of any Brand in our top 10. Every new video featuring Beats by Dre has received over a million views, and BANG BANG by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj, Anaconda by Nicki Minaj and BREAK FREE by Ariana Grande account for over 340 million YouTube views in Q3 between them.
Beats by Dre also has the highest logo visibility of our top 10.
Please note that Beats Music is tracked separately from Beats by Dre. Beats Music, by itself, is the 12th most visible Brand for Q3.
How is the Brand portrayed?
For the first half of 2014, Beats by Dre’s portrayal was all about diversity. It appeared in different genres, was shown in different contexts and used by individuals of different ages, genders and ethnicities. However, whilst this diversity is still apparent in Q3, it has shifted.
Despite Country accounting for 22% of videos in which Beats appeared in Q2, not a single of the new Q3 videos are of this genre.
However, Beats by Dre has been portrayed as glamorous in 2 of the new Q3 videos despite never having been shown as such in Q1 or Q2.
Finally, ethnically, Beats by Dre has gone from being associated with white individuals 38% of the time in Q2 to 55% in Q3.
#1 Air Jordan
(↑ from #3 in Q2)
music videos: 18 (↑ from 15 in Q2) Q3 total YouTube views in Q2: 580 million (↑ from 413m in Q2)
total screen time: 8 minutes 2 seconds (↑ from 3 minutes 50 seconds in Q1)
most visible appearance: ANACONDA by Nicki Minaj
logo visibility: medium main product: shoes product visibility: 87% discreet
Why?
After having dropped down to #3 in Q2, Air Jordan has regained its Q1 status as the most visible Brand in 2014 music videos for songs that charted in the Billboard’s weekly Hot 100.
Whilst 6 videos showing the Jordan Brand have over 40 million views each, the single biggest contributor to its visibility is Nicki Minaj’s ANACONDA. The videos showed the Air Jordan Brand for almost 3 and a half minutes. This represents 43% of the Air Jordan’s total screen time and substantially more than 23 by Mike WiLL Made It, which was a video dedicated to the Brand.
How is the Brand portrayed?
Whilst only about 25% of individuals associated to Air Jordan in music videos are female, the success of Nicki Minaj’s ANACONDA gives a clear boost to this demographic association as it is seen worn by Nicki Minaj and her female dancers throughout most of the video. Furthermore, ANACONDA also shows Air Jordan shoes in the context of working out, which reinforces the association with sports. Even with ANACONDA though, only 22% of videos featuring Air Jordan associate it with sports in any way.
In 88% of the videos in which it appears, Air Jordan is portrayed as cool. This is by far the strongest association made with the Brand, with no other ones appearing in more than 50% of music videos. These other associations include attraction (33%), dancing (27%), sexyness (16%), and luxury (11%).
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