Beats by Dre is ready for the World Cup, with soccer stars blocking out the noise

For the past two World Cups, Beats by Dre has released extended short films celebrating the journey of soccer stars like Neymar Jr., Harry Kane, and more to the planet’s biggest sporting event.

This year is no exception, and today the brand dropped “Defy the Noise,” featuring young stars like Bukayo Saka, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, and Ritsu Doan.

Here we get a very similar vibe to Beats’ classic “Hear What You Want” campaign from last decade, which had stars like Colin Kaepernick, Kevin Garnett, and others blocking out the trash talk, media critics, and more to focus on their game. Same vibe, different tagline.

Created by agency Uncommon London, it’s not an “official” World Cup spot, but with the tournament just a couple weeks away—and Saka (England), Coman (France), Gnabry (Germany), and Doan (Japan) all expected to be in Qatar and playing for their national teams—it’s as close as you can get without paying FIFA.

Seen in isolation, it’s a fun, stylish commercial! But weighed against the brand’s last two editions, “Defy The Noise” lands in third place.

In 2014, it was “The Game Before The Game,” which delved into the pregame rituals of stars like Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger, Spain’s Cesc Fabregas, England’s Daniel Sturridge, and Robin van Persie of the Netherlands. As I wrote at the time, it was “fun, intense, and straight from the Swoosh School of Anthemic Spots that swing for the fences. The fact the product is so intricately tied to such a universal moment—pregame—made “Game Before the Game” damn near perfect.”

Four years later, in 2018, the brand enlisted director Guy Ritchie to create the Guy Ritchiest soccer ad since his 2008 classic for Nike, “The Next Level.” The ad was called “Made Defiant,” and was a multipart tale, divided up like a mixtape, with each tune being a different player from a different country, with various cameos sprinkled throughout.

How do you rate “Defy the Noise” against these?