Behind Lizzo's marketing hits for brands like Instacart, Logitech, Google and Library of Congress

Who other than Lizzo could have made the Library of Congress cool? In September, Lizzo did just that by visiting the nation’s historic archive and playing one of its secret treasures—a crystal flute given by the French to James Madison more than 200 years ago. See all of Ad Age's 2022 Marketers of the Year here. Indeed, Lizzo made history this year, and she made it her own. “History is freakin’ cool you guys,” Lizzo declared before showing off her classical flute-playing abilities. Lizzo brought the Library of Congress more attention than perhaps it’s ever received. She played the flute while performing her signature twerk during a concert before thousands of fans in Washington. “Lizzo helped bring the library and our national collections to life for many more people who didn’t realize the Library of Congress collects music, instruments and so many other items that document our history and culture,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in a message to Ad Age. “She shared our collections with the world. Many people came to us later saying ‘what else do you have?’ They wanted to learn more, and that’s a powerful impact.” You didn't think @lizzo played that antique flute on stage without practicing first, did you? She visited the Library Monday & played several of the flutes in our collection, which is the largest in the world. #LizzoAtLOCSee & hear more from her visit: https://t.co/eZiAVrAGWZ pic.twitter.com/d6T0Iy9hVX— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) September 28, 2022 Lizzo’s homage could be called the twerk heard around the world. Sure, Lizzo had some critics, mostly conservative voices in politics and media, who took issue with the performance, claiming offense at the use of Madison’s flute. But Lizzo’s message has always been clear: she is about positivity, acceptance, and personal empowerment, according to marketing leaders. Lizzo had a string of marketing hits this year to go with her musical ones. She was featured in Google's award-winning “Real Tone” Super Bowl commercial, which used Lizzo’s “If You Love Me” as the soundtrack for the ad about designing cameras that capture the beauty of all people’s skin colors. She began 2022 being featured in Logitech's “Defy Logic” campaign, which explored topics like creativity, diversity and inclusivity and included an avatar of Lizzo performing in the gaming world Roblox. “Working with her was extraordinary, because she is a very authentic person,” said Najoh Tita-Reid, global chief marketing officer of Logitech. “She is bold enough to change the game.” “Lizzo, overall, she was someone who reflected our shared values,” Tita-Reid said. “The notion of her standing for equity; this notion about co-authoring a future, where everyone can have a say in what happens, and who gets to play, who gets to be center stage. “Her being able to be very, very positive, as well,” Tita-Reid said, “in a very, you know, negative world, and we stand for authenticity, positivity and technology.” Lizzo was also a streaming star this year with Amazon and HBO. She won an Emmy for “Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls” reality competition series on Amazon Prime Video. In November, “Love, Lizzo,” a documentary, debuted on HBO Max, and a film of one of her live concerts will stream on the service on New Year’s Eve. ‘That fun positivity’ Digital advertising agency Media.Monks worked on the “Defy Logic” campaign and helped create Lizzo’s Roblox character for a performance in the game as part of the Song Breaker Awards, which Logitech billed as the first awards show in the metaverse. A lot goes into building a Roblox version of Lizzo, said Eric Shamlin, global head of entertainment at Media.Monks. Lizzo had to do some motion-capture work, and her avatar played the flute, a concept conceived even before her Library of Congress performance. There was no twerking in Roblox—it is mostly for kids, after all—but the character did dance and Lizzo released a new song, “Special,” to coincide with the Logitech campaign. Lizzo is the real deal, even behind the scenes, Shamlin said. She wanted to make sure that everyone, regardless of abilities and circumstance, could access Roblox. Ultimately, 6.6 million people attended the Logitech event, Shamlin said. “Inclusivity is her primary brand message, that fun positivity,” Shamlin said. “She’s always having fun, and a lot of brands want to be associated with that.” Instacart is among them. Lizzo collaborated with the grocery shopping app for a brand campaign called “The World Is Your Cart,” which launched in August during MTV’s VMAs. The artist was up for five awards that night, taking one home in the Video for Good category. MTV dubbed it “the night of 1,000 Lizzos” for her standout performances, with one including a digital simulation of multiple Lizzos. Again, Lizzo’s bubbly personality shined through. The commercial features Lizzo in a bubble bath, ordering her favorite foods. Lizzo spent the whole day in the tub for the shoot and never lost her cool, said Laura Jones, chief marketing officer at Instacart. “She was awesome,” Jones said, “and kept the energy high.” The Instacart commercial features a shopping list based on Lizzo's own wish list. Instacart’s personalized grocery lists are its version of a celebrity collab. Lizzo is vegan, so all the foods featured met that standard, Jones said. “What struck me the most was how much she took to this concept and really made it her own,” Jones said. Brands that work with Lizzo also get the halo effect of her massive reach on social media, whether it’s TikTok or Instagram. “She is unapologetically herself,” Shamlin said. “And it resonates with the kids of the TikTok generation.” See all of Ad Age's 2022 Marketers of the Year here.

Behind Lizzo's marketing hits for brands like Instacart, Logitech, Google and Library of Congress

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