Listen Up: SiriusXM Dances 'Closer' to the Culture

To entice new subscribers, SiriusXM is dancing as fast as it can.

The satellite radio service cranks up the soundtrack of life in a short film from Uncommon and director Kim Gehrig. Songs you might hear on SiriusXM reverberate, repping diverse styles and eras as five different dancers portray one woman who matures in body, mind and spirit.

The beats and (at times frenetic) movements correspond to personal milestones. Taken as a whole, the video offers a spirited reflection on audio’s oft-intense interplay with aspirations, emotions and memory.

Thus, SiriusXM casts itself as a sonic companion in harmony with pop culture for every generation.

It’s all a vibe, a feeling, delivered with considerable flair. Though wags might find the cradle-to-grave pitch a tad much.

“We need more people to discover that SiriusXM has a superpower,” says Suzi Watford, chief growth officer. “In a world where so much consumption feels surface-level, we give listeners the ability to go deeper. And depth is what true fans want. Whether you’re passionate about EDM or the Real Housewives or college basketball, we fuel fandom, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in the things they love.”

She continues: “Our hosts and programmers are the No.1 fans of their subcultures. They’re the players and coaches who changed the game. The artists who pioneered the genre. The personalities who defined the modern day interview. So, our focus now is introducing this superpower to new audiences.”

Fair enough. Though it’s a noisy, crowded field. YouTube, Spotify and the rest provide fierce competition. SiriusXM has been stuck in mid-tempo of late, with flat financials and a substantial subscriber dip last year.

The campaign, dubbed “Closer,” seeks to reverse those trends. This is top-funnel stuff that could spark some interest. But convincing the uninitiated to pay up might require deeper (and more detailed) grooves. Here, SiriusXM’s brand proposition—how it differs from streamers—doesn’t really resonate.

These songs appear in the film:

• Doja Cat – “Paint The Town Red”
• Sepultura  – “Roots Bloody Roots”
• Benny Page ft. Doktor – “Trenches”
• Carl Cox ft. Reinier Zonneveld & Chris Coe – “Inferno”
• Bat for Lashes – “Laura”
• Soul II Soul – “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)”
• Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – ‘Bright Horses”

The dancers:

• Niara Hardister
• Tyra Haynes-Polke
• Paula Leland
• Karen McDonald
• Mya Ragland

An edited version will play during Sunday’s Academy Awards telecast. 

Other elements include OOH, which focuses on hip-hop, country, and sports:

CREDITS

Client: SiriusXM
Creative Studio: Uncommon
 
“A Life in Sound” Film:

Production company: Somesuch
Director: Kim Gehrig
Co-Founder: Tim Nash, Sally Campbell
Managing Director/Executive Producer: Seth Wilson
Producer: Arlene McGann
DOP: Chayse Irvin 
Choreographer: Denna Thomsen
Production Designer: James Chinlund
1st AD: Kate Greenberg 
Costume Designer: Jennifer Johnson
Key Makeup: Jorjee Douglass
FX Makeup: Mara Rouse
Key Hair: Vanessa Price 
Editor: Tom Lindsay @ Cosmo Street
Post-production: Blacksmith
VFX Supervisor: John Shirley
Flame Ops: John Shirley, Lou Schachte 
Compositors: Jason Heinze, Remedy Jeannie, Dylan Nett, Andrew Emmerson
Producer: Therese Mayer
Colourist: Mikey Pehanich
Colour Producers: Dan Butler, Adam Vevang
Sound & Music: Soundtree
Music Supervisors: Jay James, Neil Athale
Music Production and Additional Composition: Peter Raeburn Luke Fabia, John Mourounas
Music and Sound Research: Colin McIhagga, Ali Schiel, John Mourounas, Gabriel Firmin, Christina Orchard, Olly Wells, Luke Fabia
Sound Design & Mix: Henning Knoepfel
Additional Sound Design: Jack Patterson, Graham Norman
Soundtree CCO: Peter Raeburn

“Superfan” Out-of-Home:

Photographer & Director: Gabriel Moses @ Concrete Rep 
Stylist: Gerry O’Kane @ Concrete Rep
DOP: Jake Gabbay @ WPA
Casting Director: Six Wolves
Movement Director: Sigrid Lauren @ Streeters
Hair Stylist: Mideyah Parker @ Bryant Artists
Make-up artist: Michaela Bosch @ Bryant Artists
Set Design: Jack Flanagan @ Streeters
Production company: Concrete Rep & Pony Projects
Retoucher: The Hand of God
Editor: Joseph Taylor @ TRIM
Grade: John Alexander Lowe
VFX & Online: Studio Private
Media agency: Horizon Media