Casio & Renault cash in on Shakira's 'revenge' song
The brands were mentioned in the Columbian pop star's latest song where she compared them to their 'more reputable' counterparts Rolex and Ferrari
Columbian pop star Shakira seems to have invited the ire of brands Casio and Renault after the singer mentioned them in her new song, the newly released “BZRP Music Sessions #53."
For some context, the pop star separated from her partner Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué in October 2022 after the latter was accused of cheating on her. Her latest song, allegedly inspired by her turbulent relationship with Piqué, contains some scathing references to his infidelity and some unsavoury comparisons with his mistress Clara Chía Martí.
The video dropped on Wednesday and has already a broken YouTube record for being "the most-watched Latin song" in the history of the platform, according to news reports. Within 24 hours, the song garnered a whopping 63 million views.
Two brands who unwittingly got some publicity due to the song were electronics company Casio and auto-maker Renault's Twingo. The two were compared to their "more reputable" counterparts Rolex and Ferrari in Shakira's song. The lyrics "You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo. You traded a Rolex for a Casio" is an obvious reference to Piqué replacing Shakira with what she thinks is a lesser version of herself.
In the world of brands, however, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Both companies cashed in on the wave and responded to the song in slick ways.
Casio responded with a tweet that can be translated to: "Today we have quite a few notifications for a mention of CASIO in a song ?
CASIO (watches and keyboards) and (calculators) are from and for life ?"
Hoy tenemos bastantes notificaciones por una mención a CASIO en una canción ?
Los (relojes y teclados) y las (calculadoras) CASIO son de y para toda la vida ?#Harder, #Better, #Faster, #Stronger pic.twitter.com/Si8CZfKEe1— División Educativa (@CASIOedu) January 12, 2023
They included an image from the animated sitcom Family Guy where members of Daft Punk are seen with a Casio keyboard.
French automaker Renault's Spanish Twitter handle also referred to a part of the lyrics where she sang: “A she-wolf like me isn’t for guys like you.” It tweeted: “For guys and girls like you. Turn up the volume!”
Pa tipos y tipas como tú. ¡Sube el volumen! #Renault #Twingo #claramente #joven #urbano #eléctrico #ágil #Icónico #compacto #travieso pic.twitter.com/eND207qM3H
— Renault España (@renault_esp) January 12, 2023
Casio even went a step further by sharing an Instagram post for their water-resistant watch with the caption, "Nos encanta que esto nos salpique", which can be translated to "We love to get splashed by this." The term "salpique" could be a reference to the soccer star's last name Piqué.
View this post on Instagram
The soccer star also appeared in a video where he said that Casio sent watches to him and members of his King's League tournament, hinting at an agreement between the two parties.
Piqué firma contrato con Casio. Así la repuesta de el ex futbolista. pic.twitter.com/HyhUjPHXlt
— Cristhopher Islas (@Cristhopher_28) January 13, 2023
Last week, cosmetics brand Elizabeth Arden also found itself in the spotlight when Prince Harry mentioned its hyaluronic acid cream in his autobiography Spare. The brand wasted no time in sharing a social media post for the same, hoping to cash in on some of the publicity.
You’ve heard all the buzz about plumping Hyaluronic Acid, but did you know it’s extremely helpful during the colder months ❄️?
— Elizabeth Arden (@ElizabethArden) January 9, 2023
The trick is to apply it to damp skin—HA pulls the moisture ? from the environment into the skin.
Shop now: https://t.co/uaomV6aFdP pic.twitter.com/dIERmwlip5
The cosmetic brand has been seeing an increased demand for the product ever since the book mentioned how it helped the prince relieve the frostbite on his genitals. Reports say that the product is flying off the shelves ever since.
