DHL takes Coldplay on tour in new ad by 180 Amsterdam

This is a new type of sponsorship deal: DHL is the “official logistics partner” for Coldplay’s world tour, which kicks off in Brazil next week and goes on for nine months.

180 Amsterdam’s ad shows a DHL driver charging her electric truck before heading out on the road, singing along to the Coldplay track “Yellow.” The scene cross fades into the brand’s frontman, Chris Martin, singing the same track to a stadium full of fans.

DHL is using the association to plug its sustainable credentials – Coldplay said in 2019 that they would only tour again if they could do it with a positive environmental impact.

The band aims to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 50%, remove at least twice as much carbon from the air as the tour emits and ban the sale of all single-use plastic from the shows. They also harness fan energy through state-of-the-art kinetic floors and power bikes.

Coldplay made headlines in 2019 by announcing that they would not hit the road again until their next tour could have a positive environmental impact. It’s why they named DHL as their logistics partner, recognising the simultaneous work both are committed to for a more sustainable future.

John Messum, ECD at 180 Amsterdam said: “This partnership is an important one as it shows how brands will need to work together to help tackle the challenges of being a sustainable global business. We’re proud to be able to celebrate the valuable work being done by both while capturing the magic of the band’s live experience.”

Dirk Ude, head of global advertising for DHL said: “Capturing the magic of one of the best known bands in the world, this campaign is a shining example of the creativity that comes through great collaboration with our partners 180.”

As ever with 180 Amsterdam, the film is well-produced and the casting is great. The cross-fade is cheesy, but then Chris Martin didn’t build his career on being cool.

MAA creative scale: 6.5