Sony follows Olivia Rodrigo subway spot with MTA ad blitz and MetroCard design

Rodrigo and her purple earbuds will appear across 50,000 MetroCards and a slew of subway station displays

Published On
Oct 25, 2024
Out-of-home Sony ad with Olivia Rodrigo in a New York subway station

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When Sony Electronics teamed up with Olivia Rodrigo on a limited-edition pair of its LinkBuds wireless headphones in the Gen Z pop star’s signature violet color, she and Sony promoted the new colorway in an ad set on a New York subway.

The backdrop for that spot, it turns out, wasn’t merely an aesthetic choice. It hinted at a new partnership between Sony, Rodrigo, Outfront Media and New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority that will print Rodrigo and her purple Sony headphones across roughly 50,000 MetroCards and a slew of subway station billboards starting next week.

The partnership, announced today, marks the MTA’s second-to-last branded MetroCard collaboration, as the organization pivots to a fully digital payment system. Rodrigo herself proposed the idea of teaming up with the MTA as part of the marketing around her LinkBuds collaboration, said Jordy Freed, director and head of brand, business development, partner marketing and strategy at Sony Corporation of America. Sony has been working with the artist for nearly two years as part of its ongoing “For the Music” campaign, he told Ad Age. 

Olivia Rodrigo MetroCard

“She loves New York, and she loves the culture of New York,” Freed said. “It’s something she feels very passionate about as an artist, and our job is, as a brand, to say, ‘How do those passion points align with the story we’re trying to tell that resonates with consumers—and her fans, in particular?’ … We're in the business of supporting creators’ vision, and that goes beyond the music they create.”

Many of Rodrigo’s fans are Gen Z, like the 21-year-old artist herself, and the subway theme of the campaign is also meant to appeal to the age cohort’s romanticized view of the New York lifestyle, he said. Indeed, recent MetroCard collaborations with brands including Glossier and Victoria’s Secret and artists such as Ice Spice have been huge hits with the TikTok crowd.

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“To be on one of the last ever MetroCards is super cool,” Rodrigo said in an email. “I had so much fun shooting my Sony campaign on the New York City subway. I can’t wait to see my fans wearing these Sony LinkBuds designed in my favorite violet color.”

Rodrigo worked with Sony to design the purple earbuds, Freed said, even flying out to the Sony headquarters in Tokyo to select different color combinations and guide other stylistic choices. Fans can also choose from two audio modes tuned by Rodrigo and her producer, Dan Nigro, featuring the “optimal” balances of bass, treble and other settings for listening to her albums “Sour” and “Guts,” Freed said. 

 

The MTA will release the 50,000 limited-edition MetroCards featuring Rodrigo on Oct. 28. 

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Credits

Date
Oct 25, 2024
Client :
Sony Electronics
Director :
Andrew Thomas Huang
Creative :
Interscope
Photo :
Rahul Bhatt
OUT OF HOME MEDIA :
Outfront
Production :
Joe Greco Productions
Production :
Object & Animal

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