In today’s advertising business, it is commonplace for brands to incorporate songs into their ad campaigns. In the past, countless brands developed jingles, which, in and of themselves were quite often highly memorable, but weren’t fully realized songs. Now, while jingles are still widely used, a tagline for a product can also be found –as a lyric–within a song that’s properly matched to a brand.
We recently discovered a gem of a song in our roster by Buckwheat Zydeco called “Jackpot,” which includes the lyric, “You know I’ve always been lucky–But I’m really feeling lucky with you.” This is a great line that seems tailor-made for TV spots advertising lotteries and casinos. We think that “Lyric as Jingle” is a powerful and effective tool by which to convey a brand’s message and feel. By digging deep to find songs with lyrics that magnify the image and speak to the consumer base of the brand, we believe licensing songs for advertising campaigns can create a lasting impression with its audience.
Brand managers and advertisers have a huge universe of songs to choose from when they wish to meld the right music to their campaign. Companies (such as ours) that specialize in licensing songs from a wide range of catalogs are an essential resource for advertisers looking for the perfect song that will embellish their brand. The deep knowledge these companies have of their music facilitates advertisers to find the needle in the haystack.
Before this music + brand marriage can take place, however, various questions need to be asked: What is it about the brand that needs to resonate with a piece of music? Is the brand light and fun? Is it feminine? Is it hard and aggressive? Is it youthful or more mature? In addition to a song’s lyrical message, its style, energy, tempo, rhythm, and overall sound production values also need to evoke the proper “emotion” that best ties in with the brand’s “feel” and identity.
Sometimes all the right elements are present in a song except for one. Rather than abandon the song as a possible choice, it is often possible to have the artist modify the song to taste. An example — the creative team from Mazda came to us to rebrand their well-known “Zoom Zoom” musical identity. They asked for a song that had specific musical punctuations to illustrate their new campaign. Adam Wolf, our senior creative director, intimate with our catalog, was able to identify and match a proper fit. However the rhythm of the accents of the beat were not quite right (the advertiser wanted the accents to have the feel of a heartbeat). The artist was willing and able to go back into the studio without feeling that the song’s integrity was compromised and the agency felt that the modifications worked perfectly for the spot.
Another terrific phenomenon we see happening today in the combined world of music + advertising is that music from new, emerging artists, is being integrated into campaigns. More and more brands today are responsible for “breaking” new artists through their TV spots, to music lovers around the world. When a brand exposes the mass public to an artist or song that resonates with its audience, the brand becomes a “tastemaker” which gives it an image of “less-corporate, more-cool.”
While a few advertisers may wish to spend mega-bucks to feature a hot new song from Beyoncé into their campaign, many are interested in sonic branding that delivers “in the feel or style” of a Beyoncé, or another superstar artist. Believe it or not, we hear, all too frequently, an advertiser client requesting a song from The Beatles, The Stones, or U2, that they feel would be “perfect” for their new campaign (not realizing that the licensing fees alone for such material would tear their ad budgets to shreds).
Advertisers need to be able to express to their music supplier what it is about that “perfect song” that they wish to integrate into their campaign? Is it a big universal theme of love? A triumphant sound of success? Is it a cutting-edge sound that hipster twenty-somethings would listen to? Before the right song can be secured, parameters need to be identified, so that music suppliers can comb through their material and make proper suggestions.
Brand managers also need to be asked if they only liked this “perfect” song because it was from Lady Gaga or U2? Are they open to another artist that doesn’t have the same name recognition? This is a fundamental question every music supplier needs to ask, and one that must first be determined for each brand, before their campaign can progress. How important is it that when someone hears that specific U2 song they equate that song with that brand, and then they want that brand? Occasionally, clients might not even know what kind of aural signature they want, as some have difficulty speaking in a “musical language.”
New emerging artists provide a plethora of songs that fall within the spectrum of the sonic branding advertisers are seeking, without breaking the bank. Music suppliers can suggest to their advertiser clients a selection of “new music” that can fall within the requested brand parameters, and can sometimes even fall outside of that envelope. These new songs are unique and can stand on their own pedestals, while moving a brand message forward. Quite often, in an extremely cost-effective manner, new music can provide a fresh brand feel, while even giving the brand a hip cache in the process. What a bargain!
Keatly Haldeman, is CEO and co-founder of pigFACTORY USA, an international music publishing and licensing company with offices in the USA and Europe. The company represents leading independent songwriters, record producers, record labels, and music publishers with catalogs encompassing classic and contemporary hits and other songs performed by artists such as Iggy Pop, Pussycat Dolls, Tone Loc, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The Turtles, Tina Turner, The Dead Kennedys and many others. pigFACTORY specializes in the international placement of music in film, TV, advertising and videogames, and the collection of music publishing royalties worldwide.
