top 20 Brands in 2015 music videos
Posted on 15th January 2016
Concave Brand Tracking ranks the top 20 most visible Brands in 2015 music videos for Billboard weekly Hot 100 songs.
Concave Brand Tracking records all Brand sightings and mentions across various forms of entertainment. This includes all songs that chart in Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 and their respective music videos. This data is used to competitively analyze Brands both in terms of presence and portrayal.
Between the first week of January 2015 and the last week of December 2015, 502 different songs charted in Billboard’s weekly Hot 100. As of the end of December 2015, 368 of these songs had official music videos released onto the artists’ official YouTube channels. With some songs having more than 1 video, our sample includes 378 music videos. Collectively, these have received almost 40 billion YouTube views in 2015.
Of the 378 music videos, 81% featured at least 1 identifiable Branded product. Concave Brand Tracking recorded over 650 different Brands in these videos. This report ranks the 20 most visible ones for 2015.
Our visibility calculation factors in the following variables:
– 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 general associations. Using this data, we will not only explain why each of these Brands were amongst the most visible in 2015, but also how they were portrayed
For more information on this report, our methodology or our services please contact us at info@concavebt.com.
overall trends
Concave Brand Tracking‘s visibility formula factors in the Brand exposure in each music video, but also the number of view these videos receive. We found that the amount of Brand exposure in videos increased 25% in 2015 compared to 2014. Furthermore our tracking of views for all relevant music videos on YouTube revealed that the audience has also significantly increased. The average number of views for a single music video in our sample increased from 56.6 million in 2014 to over 103 million, an 83% rise.
When combining these 2 increases we conclude that
.The overall visibility Brands received from music videos has increased 136% from 2014 to 2015.
Due to shifts in fashion, consumer trends and entertainment marketing strategies, some Brands experience substantial rises or falls in our ranking.
.Timberland had the most significant rise, going from the 607th most visible Brand in 2014 to 19th in 2015.
.Chanel had the biggest drop from 2014’s top 20, going from #14 to #147 in 2015.
.Porsche dropped from #97 in 2014 when it appeared in 4 videos for a total of 44 seconds to #569 in 2015 appearing in a single video for only 5 seconds.
.However, 8 Brands remained in the top 10 year-on-year
Results for particular Brands can be driven by general trends of what products are being more or less commonly used or how involved entire industries are in entertainment marketing.
.The top 5 products in 2015 were cars, caps, instruments, sunglasses and shoes. These products also made up 2014’s top 5 products, though in a different order.
.Liquor dropped from the 8th most visible type of product in 2014 to 18th in 2015.
.Electronic cigarettes and hookahs all but disappeared in 2015 after each appearing in 3 2014 videos.
#20-11
Among the 20th to 11th most visible Brands in 2015 music videos we find a diverse mix, both in terms of product types and where they stood in 2014.
Cazal shot up into the top 20 from #69 in 2014. The biggest rise however, came from Timberland. Its iconic boots made a comeback in 2015, appearing in 14 videos and bringing the Brand up from the 607th most visible Brand in 2014 to #19 in 2015.
Converse and BMW progressed from #23 and #21 in 2014 into 2015’s top 20.
We find Samsung, Dodge, Chicago Bulls, Gibson and Ford in the 20th-11th range, much as they were in 2014. Finally, Versace dropped from #7 in 2014 out of the top 10 to # 15 in 2015.
#10 Lincoln ↑ from #195 in 2014
music videos: 8 2015 total YouTube views : 3.5 billion
total screen time: 3 minutes 38 seconds
most visible appearance: SUGAR by Maroon 5
logo visibility: medium main product: car product visibility: 57% subtle, 39% background
Why so visible?
Lincoln was by far the biggest climber in 2015’s top 10 most visible Brands. The luxury Ford division rose from #195 in 2014 to #10 in 2015. This can be attributed not only to the Brand appearing in videos far more prominently than before but also to featuring in some of the 2015’s most viewed videos.
Lincoln appeared in 8 of our sample’s videos in 2015, far less than any Brand in this top 10 and only 2 more than it did in 2014. However, it got over 5 times more exposure in these videos due to both increased screen time and discernibility compared to 2014.
Lincoln’s Brand visibility in music was also greatly boosted by appearing in highly viewed videos. The 8 videos it featured in garnered nearly 3.5 billion. Only Adidas, Apple and Nike had more total views, and they were all in over 30 videos each. Lincoln vehicles can be seen in THE HILLS by The Weeknd and WORTH IT by Fifth Harmony which each received over 500 million views in 2015. The Brand also appeared SUGAR by Maroon 5 (960 million views) and UPTOWN FUNK! by Bruno Mars (1.2 billion views), respectively the 5th and 2nd most viewed music videos of 2015.
How was the Brand portrayed?
Lincoln appeared almost exclusively in the form of classic Continental and Town Car models. No Lincoln vehicles manufactured later than 1985 were seen. The resulting Brand portrayal was that of an old-school status symbol used by artists as a cool factor as well as to create a vintage look. This is in contrast with Lincoln’s current SUV models having appeared in 2015 TV shows EMPIRE, BLOOD & OIL and TRUE DETECTIVE.
#9 Air Jordan ↓ from #4 in 2014
music videos: 34 2015 total YouTube views : 2.8 billion
total screen time: 9 minutes 29 seconds
most visible appearance: HOTLINE BLING by Drake
logo visibility: low main product: shoes and clothing product visibility: 91% discreet, 8% subtle
Why so visible?
In 2014, Air Jordan was the 4th most visible Brand. This was largely due to significant appearances in 23 by Mike WiLL Made-It and Nicki Minaj’s ANACONDA. These 2 videos accounted for over 90% of the Brand’s visibility. In 2015 it was Drake’s HOTLINE BLING that represented 65% of the Air Jordan’s total visibility. 679 by Fetty Wap accounted for 7%, ANACONDA by Nicki Minaj for 5% and DO IT AGAIN by Pia Mia for 4%. The other 34 videos contributed for less than 3% each.
Despite appearing for longer, in more videos that received more views than in 2014, Air Jordan dropped to #9 in 2015. This can attributed it to its products appearing more discreetly and its logo/name visibility dropping. Furthermore, most Brands in this top 10 also experienced increases in their overall visibility in 2015, many of which were more substantial than Air Jordan’s.
How was the Brand portrayed?
Much like in 2014, the Jordan Brand was rarely associated with basketball or sports. Rather it was worn casually in 47% of videos, fashionably in 24% of videos and while dancing in 32% of videos.
Air Jordan was worn predominantly by black males including artists such as Drake, Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Kid Ink Future and Rae Sremmurd. The only female artist to wear Air Jordan in a 2015 music videos was Nicki Minaj in both ANACONDA and FEELING MYSELF. In terms of white male artists, Air Jordan was worn by Lil Dicky, Hoodie Allen and both members of Florida Georgia Line.
#8 Beats by Dre ↓ from #2 in 2014
music videos: 29 2015 total YouTube views : 2.3 billion
total screen time: 4 minutes 6 seconds
most visible appearance: DO IT AGAIN by Pia Mia
logo visibility: high main product: speakers & headphones product visibility: 53% subtle, 11% close-up
Why so visible?
After being the #2 Brand in 2014, Beats by Dre fell to #8 in 2015. It was one of the few Brands in this top 10 to receive less visibility year-on-year. Indeed, in 2015 Beats had less screen time in fewer videos that received slightly less views than in 2014.
In 2014, Beats by Dre’s screen time was split almost 50/50 between headphones and speakers. In 2015, headphones made up 65% of the Brand’s screen time. Beats by Dre accounted for 56% of all headphones appearing in 2015 music videos. No other Brand represented more than 6%.
How was the Brand portrayed?
Beats by Dre continued to be portrayed as a fun, cool, glamorous Brand. And while it remained highly associated with music, it was only shown being used professionally in a single video. Brands like Sony and Sennheiser, though far less visible overall, were more often used professionally.
The Beats Brand was shown as cool in 61% of its screen time. Individuals were shown having fun while using Beats products in 29% of screen time. The Brand was also associated with dancing in 22% of its screen time.
In 2015, Beats continued being directly associated with major artists. Its products were used by the main artist in 65% of music videos. This included Ed Sheeran, Jessie J, Ciara, Future, Missy Elliott, Brian Kelley, Pia Mia, Dej Loaf, Prince Royce, Travi$ Scott, Becky G and many more.
#7 New Era ↑ from #28 in 2014
music videos: 16 2015 total YouTube views : 2.3 billion
total screen time: 3 minutes 5 seconds
most visible appearance: NASTY FREESTYLE by T-Wayne
logo visibility: high main product: caps product visibility: 88% subtle, 8% background
Why so visible?
Despite rival Brands such as Mitchell & Ness and ’47 becoming increasingly visible in recent years, in 2015, New Era reaffirmed itself as the top cap manufacturer in music and the 7th most visible Brand overall products.
In 2015, New Era appeared in 16 videos for a total of over 3 minutes of screen time. Up from a total of only 1 minute and 23 seconds across 17 videos in 2014. Furthermore, the New Era logo was visible in 87% of the Brand’s 2015 screen time, a higher proportion than any other Brand in this top 10.
How was the Brand portrayed?
New Era hats were largely worn as casual accessories. They quite often had a cool association when worn by performing artists. An example of this was T-Wayne who wore a New Era x Chicago Bulls cap throughout NASTY FREESTYLE.
#6 Ray-Ban ↔ from #6 in 2015
music videos: 18 2015 total YouTube views : 1.8 billion
total screen time: 8 minutes 44 seconds
most visible appearance: UPTOWN FUNK! by Bruno Mars
logo visibility: low main product: eyewear product visibility: 85% subtle, 13% background
Why so visible?
We find Ray-Ban in 6th position, exactly the same as in 2014. That year, almost half of Ray-Ban’s visibility came from a single video, RAP GOD by Eminem. We find a similar situation in 2015 with UPTOWN FUNK! by Bruno Mars making up 69% of Ray-Ban’s visibility.
Ray-Ban only appeared in 18 videos in 2015 compared to 33 in 2014, but collectively these added up to the exact same number of views on YouTube. In particular, Ray-Ban appeared in UPTOWN FUNK! by Bruno Mars which received over a billion views. It also featured extensively in GET LOW by Dillon Francis, I DON’T F**K WITH YOU by Big Sean and STEAL MY GIRL by One Direction. These 3 videos all received over 100 million views each.
Despite only receiving 47 million views, DANCE LIKE WE’RE MAKING LOVE by Ciara was Ray-Ban’s 2nd most visible appearance with 47 seconds of subtle screen time and its logo being clearly visible.
How was the Brand portrayed?
Ray-Ban is a great example of a demographically diverse Brand. It was worn by young (Niall Horan, 22) and “old” (E-40, 48), male (Brian Kelley) and female (Ciara) and an array of ethnicities (Lil Dicky, white – DJ Snake, middle eastern – Tarrus Riley, black).
Ray-Ban also continued to be the only major glasses Brand to be often (40% of videos) worn in the sun for practical purposes. This, as opposed to being worn inside as a fashion accessory. Eyewear from Carrera, Cartier, Cazal, Dita and others were mostly worn in this such contexts.
#5 Fender ↑ from #10 in 2014
music videos: 17 2015 total YouTube views : 2.8 billion
total screen time: 9 minutes 44 seconds
most visible appearance: RUDE by MAGIC!
logo visibility: medium main product: instruments product visibility: 55% subtle, 31% background
Why so visible?
After slowly climbing into the top 10 most visible Brands throughout 2014, Fender continues its ascension as the 5th most visible Brand of 2015 and the most visible instrument Brand of the year. Its nearest competitor, Gibson, sits at #12.
Fender is the only Brand in this top 10 whose biggest visibility contributor is the same in 2015 as in 2014. Indeed, RUDE by MAGIC! received an additional 458 million views in 2015, accounting for 40% of Fender’s visibility. Other major contributors, both in terms of exposure and views, were SUGAR by Maroon 5 (964 million views) and UPTOWN FUNK! by Bruno Mars (1.2 billion views in 2015).
How was the Brand portrayed?
Fender was portrayed as a professional Brand in 70% of the 2015 music videos it appeared in. In contrast, this was 60% for Gibson and Gretsch, 28% for Taylor and 25% for C.F. Martin & Company.
In the 17 videos it appeared in, Fender was associated with 19 different individuals. Only 1 of these was non-white and only 1 was female, meaning 89% of Fender users were white males. Artists who used Fender instruments in 2015 videos include Mark Ronson, Zach Brown, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Maddie Marlow, Mickey Madden and Calum Hood.
#4 Chevrolet ↑ from #8 in 2014
music videos: 39 2014 total YouTube views : 2.8 billion
total screen time: 15 minutes 57 seconds
most visible appearance: HEY MAMA by David Guetta
logo visibility: low main product: cars product visibility: 53% background, 39% subtle
Why so visible?
While Cadillac dropped from #9 in 2014 to #23 in 2015, GM’s Chevrolet Brand rose from #8 to #4. Despite appearing in 9 fewer videos than in 2014, Chevrolet saw its screen time increase by 36% and its YouTube views triple. This larger audience can be attributed to Chevrolet appearing in less Country music videos and more in other genres. Chevrolet went from appearing 57% of the time in non-Country videos in 2014 to 82% in 2015.
Country music videos only received an average of 9.5 million views in 2015 compared to the overall average of 103 million.
How was the Brand portrayed?
In 2014, we noted that Chevrolet’s portrayal was roughly spilt between its trucks appearing in Country and its cars in other genres. However, as the former shrinks, the latter seems to have split itself into 2 distinct type of portrayals of Chevrolet.
In Country music videos, Chevrolet trucks continue to be associated with cross country driving, fun and tailgating.
However, in other genres, Chevrolet appeared both as a vintage status symbol but also as a modern sports vehicle that was sometimes associated with luxury. The distinction usually followed the age of the vehicles. Chevrolet’s Camaro was the most common modern model. It was shown doing stunts in ALRIGHT by Kendrick Lamar, associated with luxury in AYO by Chris Brown. The Impala was the most common older model. They were used to convey coolness and an air of nostalgia. Classic Impalas were also shown equipped with hydraulics in 5 different videos.
#3 Adidas ↓ from #1 in 2014
music videos: 34 2014 total YouTube views: 4.1 billion
total screen time: 14 minutes 22 seconds
most visible appearance: SORRY (PURPOSE: THE MOVEMENT) by Justin Bieber
logo visibility: medium main product: shoes & clothing product visibility: 45% discreet, 51% discreet
Why so visible?
After topping our top 10 in 2014, Adidas fell to #3 in 2015 despite increases in its YouTube views and screen time. Much like Air Jordan, Adidas’ increases in visibility were simply not enough to keep up with competing Brands.
I DON’T F**K WITH YOU by Big Sean, which was only released in Q4 of 2014, but was still the Brand’s most visible appearance for that year, continued to chart and garner views in 2015. It was the 2nd largest contributor to Adidas’s visibility for 2015, behind SORRY (PURPOSE: THE MOVEMENT) by Justin Bieber. These 2 videos accounted for 64% of the Brand’s visibility. RUDE by MAGIC!, I’LL SHOW YOU by Justin Bieber, PRAYER IN THE C Lilly Wood & The Prick and Robin Schulz and DOWNTOWN by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis all contributed between 4% and 7%. The 28 other videos accounted for less than 2% each.
How was the Brand portrayed?
Adidas was only associated with sports in 4 videos, but was worn by dancers in 9. It was worn casually in 20 different music videos.
Artists who wore Adidas included Travi$ Scott, Rich Homie Quan, Big Sean, Justin Bieber, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Missy Elliot and many more.
#2 Apple ↑ from #3 in 2014
music videos: 63 2015 total YouTube views : 5.1 billion
total screen time: 16 minutes 13 seconds
most visible appearance: BLANK SPACE by Taylor Swift
logo visibility: low main product: electronics
product visibility: 44% discreet, 32% subtle, 15% close-upbackground
Why so visible?
In 2014, Apple appeared in far more videos than any other Brand. While Apple still has the most video appearances in 2015, the #1 Brand had only had 2 less and a billion more views.
Even though in 2015 Apple only appeared in 3 more videos than the previous year, it received almost 2 billion more views and almost doubled its screen time. It is noteworthy thought that, in 2015, Apple appeared discreetly in 44% of its screen time, up from only 26% in 2014.
How was the Brand portrayed?
In 2014, Apple got almost 90% of its screen time from iPhones. This product represented 73% of its screen time in 2015 and its new smartwatch got the 2nd most with 14%. The Apple watch was worn mostly by black male rappers: Future in his BLOW A BAG video, Lil Wayne in his NOTHING BUT TROUBLE video with Charlie Puth and by Young Thug in his BEST FRIEND video. Eminem and Dr. Dre also wore Apple watches in PHENOMENAL.
Apple products were used professionally in 8 videos, used by fans at events in 8, for photography in 13 and apps were shown on iPhones in 8 videos. Apple was also strongly linked with its latest acquisition, Beats by Dre. IPhones were used with the Beats Music app – which was discontinued during 2015 – its headphones or its speakers in 16 videos.
Apple products were used by an array of artists including Lil Dicky, Meek Mill, Chris Brown, Drake, Jessie J, Charlie Puth, LoCash, Meghan Trainor, DJ Khaled and many others. They spanned all ages, genders and ethnicities.
#1 Nike ↑ from #3 in 2014
music videos: 61 2014 total YouTube views : 6.1 billion
total screen time: 16 minutes 6 seconds
most visible appearance: SORRY (PURPOSE: THE MOVEMENT) by Justin Bieber
logo visibility: medium main product: shoes product visibility: 79% discreet, 16% subtle
Why so visible?
Like most Brands in this top 10, Nike saw a large increase in its visibility from 2014 to 2015. The Brand featured in 5 more videos than the previous year and got over 2 billion more views. This brought Nike to a total of over 6 billion YouTube views in 2015, far more than any other Brand. Moreover, Nike’s total screen time more than doubled to over 16 minutes.
Nike got 42% of its visibility from SORRY (PURPOSE: THE MOVEMENT) by Justin Bieber, 17% from 7/11 by Beyoncé and 14% from LEAN ON by Major Lazer & DJ Snake.
Please note that the Air Jordan is tracked separately from Nike.
How was the Brand portrayed?
Nike remained, more than anything else, a casualwear Brand in music. It was associated with sports (working out, golf, basketball, baseball, football and skateboarding) in only 9 of its 61 video (15%) but was worn casually in 43 (70%). Nike was also worn by dancers in 29% of its videos.
We also found that, like in 2014, Nike was overwhelmingly worn by males. Only 17% of individuals wearing Nike were female vs. 40% for Adidas. The only female artists who wore Nike were MØ in LEAN ON by Major Lazer & DJ Snake and Beyoncé in 7/11.
top 10 music videos with most Brand visibility
If we look at the top 10 music videos that provided Brands with the most overall visibility, we find a number of different sets of circumstances.
Firstly we have videos like BLANK SPACE by Taylor Swift and SUGAR by Maroon 5 that did not actually have very much Brand exposure. But they received such high numbers of views that the little Brand exposure they offered was seen by an extremely large audience.
Then we have AYO by Chris Brown and DANGEROUS by David Guetta which provided a lot of Brand exposure in their actual videos but did not receive particularly large amounts of views.
Ultimately though, UPTOWN FUNK! by Bruno Mars and SEE YOU AGAIN by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth contained significant Brand exposure in their videos and received more views than any other videos. This provided Brands with the most overall visibility in 2015.
Concave Brand Tracking Whether you represent a Brand or write about the industry, 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.
Tagged as: Music Videos
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