The Shakira Influence: Piqué’s Loss, Rolex and Casio’s Gain

Using social media intelligence to monitor how mega influencers shape brand visibility

In addition to deliberate product endorsements, famous singers unintentionally boost brand exposure just by mentioning or using a product as part of a song. Social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram allow celebrities to connect with millions of fans, meaning their casual reference to a product can increase exposure for the brand overnight.

This happened recently when Shakira mentioned several brands in a song about her broken relationship with Spanish soccer star, Piqué. Rolex, Casio, Ferrari, and Twingo each gained millions of additional clicks and greater brand exposure in Latin America, a region where these brands don’t usually receive high brand recognition. Here, we used social listening to analyze the trends the song unleashed, in real time, to show just how powerful mega influencers can be.

Figure 1: Cover of Shakira’s new collaboration with Bizarrap

The end of Shakira and Piqué’s celebrity marriage

In 2021, Shakira ended her 12-year relationship with Spanish soccer star Piqué after allegations of infidelity. A little after the formal announcement, Shakira turned to music and collaborated with BRZP to create the popular song "BZRP MUSIC SESSIONS, VOL. 53." The song went viral on YouTube with over 250 million views just two weeks after its release. In the song, Shakira references her ex-partner's actions, stating that he "traded in a Ferrari for a Twingo, a Rolex for a Casio." This comparison positions Shakira as a high-value item, such as a Rolex, and Piqué's alleged mistress as a lesser-value item, such as a Casio.

Figure 2: Top topics associated with Rolex Entity search; Infegy Atlas data.

Reactions reverberate around social media

The high volume of posts resulting from the popularity of the song generated significant brand exposure for these brands. According to NSS Magazine, this amounted to over $70 million and $40 million of free publicity for Casio and Rolex respectively. The mention of all four brands in the song, including Twingo and Ferrari, resulted in a worldwide increase in post volume. Twingo and Casio experienced the most extreme gains, and both reached five-year post-volume highs.

Figure 3: Comparative post volume for brands mentioned in Shakira’s song; Infegy Atlas data.

Narratives reveal Shakira dominating brand conversations

Utilizing Infegy Atlas’ Narratives, we generated a visual representation of conversation clusters around the brands.

Analyzing all conversations regarding Rolex, we saw that the largest (light) blue cluster represents discussions about Shakira's song. With just one line in the song, Shakira was able to capture and dominate over half of the Rolex-related conversation that occurred in the past three months.

Figure 4: Narrative clusters showing a high percentage of Shakira-related posts; Infegy Atlas data.

The brand conversation in Latin America

Shakira, who is originally from Colombia, has a significant following in Latin America. Due to this, a large portion of the increased brand exposure for Rolex (and the other four brands) occurred in Latin American countries. Infegy Atlas analysis reveals this high concentration of conversation in Spanish-speaking Latin American nations.

Infegy Atlas also shows an increase in Spanish-language posts about Rolex. 70-80% of all conversations surrounding the brand typically occur in English. However, after the release of Shakira's song, Spanish-language conversation rose to 75% of the global share of Rolex-related conversation. This marked a significant shift in the language used in discussions about Rolex.

Figure 5a: Geographic post volume for Rolex showing high concentration in Latin American countries; Infegy Atlas data.

Figure 5b: Comparative language distribution showing a large surge in Spanish-speaking post volume for Rolex-related content; Infegy Atlas data.

Concentration on Twitter

Also noteworthy is how quickly Twitter's share of conversation grew and surpassed that of Instagram. Twitter tends to be a more reactive platform, while Instagram is a much more curated experience. Typically, Instagram accounts for around 50% of all discussions regarding Rolex. This is understandable, as Rolex is a luxury brand often showcased by Instagram influencers and users.

However, with the release of Shakira's new song, a large number of Spanish-speaking Twitter users shared their reactions to the song while discussing Rolex. This resulted in a significant increase in Rolex-related exposure on Twitter, and an increase in Spanish-speaker post volume on Twitter.

Figure 6: Comparative channel distributions showing huge Twitter post volume surge for Rolex-related content; Infegy Atlas data.

Conclusion

Shakira's recent song "BZRP MUSIC SESSIONS, VOL. 53" showcases the power of mega influencers in moving markets and how they can increase brand exposure.

The high volume of posts resulting from the popularity of the song led to significant brand exposure for Rolex, Casio, Ferrari, and Twingo. The large following that Shakira has in Latin America played a significant role in the increased brand exposure, as shown by the high concentration of conversation in Spanish-speaking Latin American nations.

Additionally, social listening revealed an unprecedented spike in Spanish-language posts about Rolex (over English posts about the brand, which is typical).

The power of mega influencers is demonstrated by how Shakira dominated over half of the Rolex-related conversation (over three months) with just one line in her song.