"Listen to Your Heart"

12 February 2025

2 mins 03s

Beat that.

Even at this early stage of the year, this Beats by Dre commercial starring Lionel Messi, LeBron James, and Shohei Ohtani may prove hard to, er, beat. The brand's Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds are able to monitor users' heart rates, so directors Julien & Quentin use not one, not two, but three of the most famous BPMs in sport as a launchpad.

Persuasively narrated by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, the ad is delirious a one-way conversation between the Heart (RZA) and Messi/James/Ohtani. The ticker knows what makes each athlete tick: where they came from, where they are, and where they want to go. "You put in the work," it says, "now put it to work"—or RZA will rip you a new one.

Not only does the spot sound the part, it looks the part, too, with Julien & Quentin and DPs Oliver Millar and Pat Scola able to make practice raise pulses. The advertised earbuds help each athlete stay in the zone... and make opponents fear what's to come on game day. For those up against Messi, James, and Ohtani, heartbreak feels inevitable.

Global

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