The 2015 Oscars were alive with the sound of Lady Gaga.
From the very first note, she had us all pulled right in. It is no easy feat to sing a medley of beloved songs that have been made classic by an iconic singer, but she nailed it. Fans and non-fans alike took to Twitter to sing her praises. Trust me, I was hosting my annual Twitter party at #OscarExp and while there was complete silence during her performance, the tweets started flying two seconds after the last note.
Breathtaking... and then of course Julie Andrews takes the stage.
Lady Gaga needed a little rebranding, I must say, and she gave the film's 50th anniversary a proper salute for sure. She delivered on both accounts.
Honestly, all of the musical performances were amazing from Adam Levine to Tim McGraw to The Lego Movie to Selma. There was not a dry eye in the house after the stirring Selma performance -- which then went on to win the Oscar.
As for the rest of the show, my Twitter crowd seemed underwhelmed.
I personally loved the opening performance, but then again anything from NPH is a winner in my book.
In terms of brand activity, the winner of the night was probably Lego. That highly successful movie took the brand to a whole new level of "entertainment" -- a classic brand extension. The celebs holding Lego Oscar statues was a nice touch. The brand buzz of the night definitely has to go to Lego.
I have to give a shout out to Dove, who took a page from Coca-Cola and Honey Maid with their new #SpeakBeautiful campaign, looking to take negative messaging from social media and turn it positive. Beauty should always be about being positive, and we should support each other every way possible.
My favorite brand campaign of the night, however, came from American Express who launched the "Journey Never Stops." The brand is highlighting stories of highly successful people who once struggled in their lives, noting that every successful person has had a failure at some point. We can all relate.
For me, the Oscars never disappoint. It's a night of fashion, film, and fun...celebrating our pop culture in a way that doesn't exist anywhere else. Bravo for that.
PS: I do have to say that I was a bit upset that Joan Rivers wasn't mentioned "In Memoriam." So I mention her here: I still miss you, Joan. Not only did you have a few movies yourself, you transformed how we view and enjoy the red carpet.