Jimmy Fallon & Kim K. face off in Beats by Dre campaign

We all love a celebrity feud.

Taylor Swift v. Kayne

Kim Cattrall v. Sarah Jessica Parker

Gwyneth Paltrow v. Martha Stewart

(I acknowledge I'm starting to get a little niche with this one.)

Anyway, we love these fueds. They draw us in, we pick sides, and we talk to our friends about it. It's awesome.

And this feuding celebrity dynamic is exactly what Beats by Dre has decided to play with.

Because, in their latest collaboration for Beats Studio Pro—over-ear headphones—they've pitted two of our favourites against each other. Two household names. Two powerhouses in their own right. Two celebrities with conveniently rhyming names.

Yeah, it's Kim v. Jim.

Kim Kardashian and Jimmy Fallon are battling it out (via fictionalised skit) to see who will land a collab with Beats by Dre.

In the skit, we see Jimmy popping his head into a Beats by Dre boardroom, only to discover they're putting him up against Kimmy K as their next collaborator.

Both Kim and Jim have chosen new headphone colours, but only one will be released.

The room is watching Kim's headphone commercial (with her doing the classic, Kim K sort of vacant look at the camera while moving softly in slow motion). Then Jimmy's, which shows him dancing in a bright yellow tracksuit with matching glasses.

Everyone in the meeting seems to support Kim and her neutral-hued collection while openly dissing Fallon's mustard coloured pair—a homage to his love of hotdogs.

(That they side with Kim is, to me, the most unrealistic element of all. Sorry, Kim, but Jimmy is genuinely one of the most charismatic people on this earth.)

Then, who turns around in a classic meeting-room swivel chair? Of course it's Kim. And she's confident. When she and Jimmy talk it out, he says, 'May the best person win,' and she says, 'Thank you, I will.'

It's incredibly cliché and expected, but charming all the same.

But... what's so good about it?

Well, in this campaign, Beats by Dre have created a fictionalised universe. They've focused on telling a story, which hooks us in. And they've built up some real lore. While we know it's a skit, and it's not real, the collaborations are. As are the individual commercials.

They also posted text messages between Kim and Jim to add coal to the fire, building upon the story and ~maybe~ causing some people to buy into it!

And the best thing about it? The showdown actually happened on The Tonight Show.

Yano what surprised me most? There was actually a winner! I was so sure it was going to be a cop out, with both releasing their colourway, but, na. Kim won!

That's what makes this campaign so effective: the storyline is meaningful, rather than just a stunt.

We actually get entertainment from following along. And even though it's likely Kim was always going to win, to go through the effort of producing a Jim pair and a separate advertisement speaks to the strength of the marketing strategy.

To me, the main takeaway from this campaign is how telling a good story pays off. So focusing on writing is key when making something audiences will meaningfully connect with.

I also think their multi-platform approach works well. Using commercials, social media posting, and then Jimmy's actual talk show to tell their story. Good for them.

The only thing I'm left feeling salty about is how obvious it seems to me that Jimmy's headphones were superior.

-Maggie, Copywriter