Many brands simply add a celebrity’s branding when working with artists.
But Olivia Rodrigio has partnered twice with Sony to make custom headphones. After developing a pair of earphones called LinkBud S last year, Rodrigo and Sony launched two new earphones in October that retail for $200: LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open.
Jordy Freed, director, head of brand, business development, partner marketing, and strategy at Sony, said that the headphones specifically target Gen Z based on price point, size, and functionality. Freed said that the partnership is about more than Rodrigo being a phenomenon amongst Gen Z—she’s also a creator.
“We work with creators that have strong creative vision, and we knew that she had a new album coming and a tour, and we wanted to dig in over the course of several years to chart how her vision would align with what we’re doing,” said Freed. “We also found out quickly thereafter that she’s a big user and supporter of some of our professional audio gear, and so it’s just the perfect fit.”
The initial meeting with Rodrigo took place in February 2023. Sony had products for Rodrigo to test and over several months, she refined the packaging, color, and other physical properties.
“She could easily have just said, ‘Okay,’ or we could easily have said, ‘Okay, we’re just going to do the cosmetic, the color, the packaging,’ … but there’s a lot more that our product can offer fans that bring more meaning,” said Freed.
When the LinkBuds S was released in September 2023, fans engaged with the custom EQ feature, a sound-setting feature that Rodrigro and her producer Dan Nigro came up with for listeners to best hear her albums Sour and Guts. “You could certainly use headphones to listen to it, but if you can bring that music as part of the product experience itself, well, that just transforms in different ways,” says Freed.
To promote the launch of the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open in October, Sony ran a four-week campaign that appeared on 636 buses, 260 two-sheet posters, 570 branded trains, and two large wallscapes. The campaign resulted in more than 160 million impressions, according to the company. On social media, the campaign reached more than 36 million impressions across TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
ADWEEK spoke with Rodrigo about her partnership with Sony and how she added her creative flare to the products.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
ADWEEK: How did your partnership with Sony come about?
