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.”