The top 5 music campaigns you need to know about right now

A creative music personalization campaign stood out among a slew of music videos and remixes that dominated the latest edition of Ad Age’s Top 5 Music roundup. A collaboration between Resy and Spotify personalized and curated people’s tastes in food and music, while Duolingo and the Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn brought us renditions of globally recognized songs. Meanwhile, Deezer and LifeBridge cleverly used music to send a message—of both joy and warning. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here Check out our latest selection of Top 5 music campaigns below. 5. Duolingo: Learn Korean or Else Agency: In-house Season 2 of the globally acclaimed Korean thriller series “Squid Game” was finally released on Netflix on Dec. 26. As expected, much of the promotion around the series and brand collaborations tapped heavily into the motif of the Pink Guard characters and their creepy soundtrack, “Pink Soldiers.” This Duolingo campaign flipped the menacing and unsettling characters—and their song—on its head, entertaining viewers instead with a K-pop dance remix of the song and a music video in which Duo the Owl and other Pink Guards dance. Directed by Warren Fu and choreographed by Sean Bankhead, Duo leads a dance routine with guards in the in-house campaign as they chase a learner who forgot to complete a Korean lesson. The song lyrics playfully recall the “Red Light, Green Light” game played by contestants in the series, teasing the language learner by taking Duo’s threatening reminders to take a lesson to the next level. The campaign reminds users to do their daily Duolingo lesson—or else—a fitting callback to the series. 4. Deezer: Live the Music Agency: BETC Paris A boxing match became an arguably better kind of battle—a dance battle—in this colorful campaign from the music streaming platform Deezer. Created by BETC Paris, the “Dance Fight” spot is the second installment of the brand’s “Live the Music” campaign. It depicts two boxers going head-to-head when their bodies are suddenly pulled into a groove by earworm music over the loudspeakers, a track titled “Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom” by emerging artist Bonti. Suddenly, infected by the beat, they begin to bust moves in a combination of styles including “voguing” and “wacking” with a pretty iconic “death drop” to finish. The punches and swings of the boxers are executed with rhythm throughout the spot, as the entire arena begins to bop to the music. The fun campaign delivers the message that even fierce battles and tense moments can turn into pure joy with music. Read Ad Age’s 2025 predictions stories here 3. Albert Heijn: Whamster Agency: TBWA\Neboko OK, OK, Christmas is over, but this goofy campaign from Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijin lives in my mind rent-free for its amusing tribute to Wham’s iconic song “Last Christmas.” The “Whamster” campaign from TBWA\Neboko tells the story of a hamster who wants to join his family on a winter adventure. To convey this, the film recreates the “Last Christmas” music video frame by frame, featuring a cameo by Andrew Ridgeley. The charming film celebrated the 40th anniversary of Wham’s holiday hit, injecting a fresh dose of nostalgia into an already nostalgic holiday. Watch more 2024 holiday ads 2. Resy x Spotify x American Express: Music Tastes Agency: Barbarian This effort is a fantastic example of the collaboration and curation ad execs predicted as a creative trend for 2025. At the end of November, Resy partnered with Spotify and American Express to help users of the music streaming app find new restaurants based on their music tastes. Users selected one of eight cities—Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco or Washington—to receive a Music Taste profile based on their streaming habits. Profiles included “tastes” such as Smooth, Hearty, Lush or Fiery. Resy then recommended restaurants based on the city and taste profile. This clever, tech-driven campaign brought together music and personal taste to deliver a personalized experience of discovery and curation. Hats off to this one. 1. LifeBridge Health: Stop the Iron Pipeline Agency: StrawberryFrog Topping the list is a moving music video and original track from LifeBridge Health that aims to raise awareness about illegal gun trafficking in Maryland. “Stop the Iron Pipeline” features a powerful song from Maryland native and Grammy-nominated rapper Logic that tells the story of how guns move across Interstate 95, known as the Iron Pipeline, and their impact on the streets. Accompanying the anthem is a three-and-a-half-minute video that follows a gun trafficker from a fly-on-the-wall point of view as he travels across state lines to sell illegal guns to people, trying not to notice any alarming signs from the people he’s selling to—until his next buyer is a Maryland teenager. The chilling campaign from agency StrawberryFrog taps into music as a medium for exploring the tragic consequences of gun trafficking, harking back to the roots of rap music. The video visually brings these harrowing truths to life. NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today

The top 5 music campaigns you need to know about right now

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