Dubai: Premium audio equipment maker Harman International Industries is going with rock royalty for its latest celebrity endorsement.
Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney is fronting the ‘Hear the Truth' campaign running for JBL, which is a Harman brand. A commercial featuring McCartney first aired during the recent Grammy Awards and will be followed up in print and online.
The new ad spotlights McCartney's latest single My Valentine, taken from the album, Kisses on the bottom.
The multi-year campaign already has some heavyweight backing in the form of A.R. Rahman, the Indian music composer, and rock band Maroon 5.
The endorsements seem to be working — sales are up 40 per cent in the region according to Harman's Middle East office, which is on course to touch revenues of $300 million (Dh1.1 billion) for the current financial year. The ad was filmed in London and directed by Martin Campbell, best known for his work on the James Bond thriller Casino Royale.
"The JBL campaign is about acoustic quality and features artists who want their fans to listen to music as it was intended to be heard," said Dinesh C. Paliwal, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harman. "Music fans should not settle for good enough when it comes to listening to their favourite artists. They should not have to sacrifice the quality of the music for the sake of convenience that comes with digital music."
