The brand-new Mountain Dew advert is a mash-up between titans of hip-hop, the Migos, and a host of sporting and artistic talent. Making an appearance are Holly Holm, the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, NBA player Joel Embiid, professional skateboarders Sean Malto and Mariah Duran and Japanese Neo-Dadaist artist Ushio Shinohara. Quite a line-up!
The advert cuts between all the celebrities featured in their natural habitats: Holm is in the locker room preparing for a fight, Malto and Duran are down at the skate park and Migos, of course, are riding golden tricycles around a golden palace, dripping in gold jewelry. While Shinohara pounds green paint into a giant canvas with boxing gloves, Embiid enters the realm of the ridiculous as he rope-swings across a canyon to get a slam dunk, with Quavo encouraging him. The message is: “Do the thing, even when it seems impossible.”
Mountain Dew has deliberately decided to feature prominent people who have defied the odds to achieve success. Holly Holm is the first female “hero” that the brand has featured in one of their TV adverts, and she is representative of a woman prospering in what is considerably a male-orientated sport. Joel Embiid moved from his home country of Cameroon to the USA at the tender age of 16 to pursue his dream of becoming an NBA player. He achieved his goal in 2014 and became the highest-selected player from his country. Just like everybody in the advert, these sportspeople worked hard for their dreams and kept going even when it was tough.
Migos: Position to Win
That leads to the title of the song used in the advert: “Position to Win.” Written especially for this TV promo by the Migos, the lyrics include “always take the risk” and “in the position to win, in the position to go.” Known for their affluent, “bad and boujee” lifestyle, the trio worked their way up from making mixtapes together in Atlanta to winning three BET Awards and getting a U.S. Billboard No. 1 single. That makes them the perfect outfit to promote the risk-taking, hard-working, winning lifestyle that Mountain Dew recommends.
From a relatively ordinary background, the group has managed to achieve global fame, unimaginable wealth and significant success in their chosen artform, all through daring to dream big and believing in their talents. Although the song is not currently available as a single, there is suggestion that the advert is a preview of what’s to come. The group’s single “Stir Fry” previously featured on an Apple’s Animoji advert
Promoting the Glam Lifestyle
Portraying an affluent, glamorous and prosperous lifestyle is a common trope in the world of music videos, especially within the modern hip-hop music genre. Everything from driving in supercars to the professional poker scene to partying in Hollywood mansions has been represented by artists like Nick Javas, the Migos member Offset’s ex-wife Cardi B and Travis Scott. However, the new video from the Migos collaborator 2 Chainz, featuring actor Adam Scott, goes one step further than illustrating an abundant lifestyle. By partnering with expenses app Expensify, the GRAMMY Award-winning musician offers fans the chance to cash in on his success by screenshotting any receipts that appear on screen and receiving real money for their trouble. This multilayered level of advertisement is well-placed in this specific music video, as the rap and hip-hop music genres are already well-known for product placement and advertising tie-ins. It goes to show how much advertising becomes seamlessly integrated into entertainment media content.
While Mountain Dew and the Migos might not be your thing right now, you must admit that they portray a pretty convincing argument in this fun and silly advert with an admirable message. Instead of selling their range of soft drink products, Mountain Dew decided to sell a lifestyle choice that highlights the positive driving force behind the success of many hip-hop artists