Justin Timberlake — singer, actor, spokesperson — is the new creative director for Bud Light Platinum. Sure Yeezy introduced you to the blue bottle, but JT is driving it home with a new single, sepia-toned Grammy performance and a little something Paul Chibe, Anheuser-Busch’s vice president of U.S. marketing, calls “relevance and credibility.”
“Justin Timberlake is one of the greatest creative minds in the entertainment industry, and his insights will help us further define Bud Light Platinum’s identity in the lifestyle space,” Chibe stated. “Since launching Bud Light Platinum last year, we’ve worked to align the brand closely with music, including leveraging tracks by Kanye West and Avicii in our first ads. Partnering with Justin as he makes his return to music brings a new level of relevance and credibility to the brand.”
“Bud Light Platinum brings a refined, discerning aesthetic to beer that plays well with what I’m doing,” said Mr. Timberlake in a statement. “I’m looking forward to not only being a part of the creative process, but in bringing other talented musicians to the forefront as well.”
The jury is still out on the Timberlake-MySpace collaboration, a partnership that was to tap JT’s creative superpowers. Sure the portal’s been redesigned and like so many other sites it’s sporting a Pinterest-like aesthetic. But the swell of superfans and music junkies has not appeared and it looks like the crooner’s rescue might have been a little too little, a little too late.
What of Timberlake’s brand? CD heal thyself, to twist a phrase. He’s been off the charts for more than five years. His film credits are middling to fair. His SNL performances — especially those Lonely Island jams — have been acclaimed but still number in the single digits. What’s the long-term value of these co-branding connections? Is this meaningful collaboration or just borrowed equity? And which brand in the end will truly benefit — will it be the beer or the boy band leader?