Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” film for Lunar New Year featured a musical of ’90s mando-pop songs, complex dance sequences and flash mobs.
An entire musical with flash mobs and complex choreography shot on iPhone stand out among the original songs and music videos in this latest edition of Ad Age’s Top 5 Music roundup.
Chili’s and Desperados created original songs for staple products, while Clash Royale made its own hilarious spin of a 1980s classic. Meanwhile, BigTime Creative Shop tapped into classical music to transform a boxing rematch campaign into more of a major movie trailer.
Check out our latest selection of Top 5 music campaigns below.
Chili’s returned to Nascar in February (it’s a Spire Motorsports sponsor) with an original country song and music video all about its Presidente Margarita, aka the ’Dente. The song and music video spotlighted the experience of drinking a ’Dente in a handblown, blue-rimmed glass with lyrics about and visuals of a Chevrolet car modeled after the shaker it’s served with. A cut of the song aired during the Daytona 500 on Fox. The catchy anthem reminded restaurant goers of the menu staple, presenting it as the answer for any occasion.
Desperados tapped into the Latin fusion musical genre with a Dominican dembow bop about its “beer with a Latin vibe” produced by Colombian artist Ovy on the Drums and performed by Venezuelan rapper MicroTDH. The infectious song, which aims to assert that “a life constrained is a life unlived,” was released with a music video that shows how Latin music and a Desperados beer cause the urge to dance. The track is a clever lean-into Latin music and culture for the European brand with a Spanish name, as Latin music has grown by 985% on Spotify over the past decade.
Music set a dramatic scene for a cinematic boxing promo from BigTime Creative Shop for last month’s Riyadh Season rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Set in a grand European opera house, a film that compared the rematch to a fight between titans featured a full symphony orchestra, with music composed by Philip Kay to elicit the feeling of grandeur. The soundtrack frankly set the tone for the film, which featured larger-than-life scenes and CGI reminiscent of Greek art with idealized depictions of the human body.
Coming in at No. 2 is a pretty hilarious music video for Supercell’s Clash Royale, featuring the game’s character Barbarian, renamed “Barbolitan,” performing a duet with Michael Bolton of his hit “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.” The campaign was launched in time for Valentine’s Day and includes a ’90s-style music video animated to look like the game. The campaign was a cheeky and timely way to bring back the song, made famous in 1983 by Laura Branigan before Bolton’s Grammy-winning 1989 hit recording, to a new generation.
Topping the list is a charming “Shot on iPhone” film launched for Lunar New Year that takes viewers back to the ’90s through a whimsical musical. “I Made a Mixtape for You” addresses the complex dating culture in China through the story of a modern-day couple that grapples with traditional expectations of love and marriage from their elders. The film, featuring complex dance sequences, flash mobs and solo choreography, is rooted in music throughout, with Mandopop songs and romantic lyrics leading viewers along the journey as the protagonist inches closer to finding “the one.” The musical entertainment was a fun and clever way to illustrate the complexity of relationships in China, while demonstrating through dance the capabilities of the iPhone 16 Pro.
