Let’s do a little musical math, shall we?
As everyone is aware, Super Bowl XLVII ad time was expensive: this past Sunday, CBS got $3.8 million from their sponsors for :30 of airtime, meaning each second equals a cool $126,667. If a composer created a 120 BPM score for that ad, the cost-per-quarter-note (along with everything else going on) is $63,333.50. That means the average four-note sonic logo is part of a package worth $253,334.
Get the picture? In a TV arena where everything is maximally magnified, the choice of music and sound for a Super Bowl ad really counts. The thought that goes into sonic branding–whether it comes from original music, sound design, and/or a licensed track–is high-stakes, and it has got to do its job: reinforcing messaging and memory recall.
A common thread among virtually all of the Super Bowl ads voted “most memorable” is the application of a strong sonic brand. Advertising agencies and their clients labor all year to ensure their spot cuts through the clutter. To be forgotten soon afterwards is a failure. A great ad (and the occasional in-stadium power failure) will not only live on for weeks afterwards at the water cooler, but garner millions more views, for years, via YouTube.
Sonic branding done right demands attention–viewers taking a momentary break from the game will swivel their heads right back when they hear something intriguing, surprising, or beautifully familiar. Sound, more than picture, has the power to draw Super Bowl partygoers back to the screen and re-activate their attention.
Ultimately, the top spots are the ones with a magical mix of three components: story, visuals and sound. On Super Bowl Sunday, where every quarter note represents a big investment, nailing down that sound means so much. It just might be the reason that millions of people remember your brand clear to next February–and for decades to come.
Here’s our list of the All Time Top Five Super Bowl spots by sonic branding success, including the best spot from this year’s big game–we like to think of them as “Super Sonics”:
1) Coca Cola’s “Mean Joe Green”–Super Bowl XIII, 1979 (http://youtu.be/xffOCZYX6F8). Mean Joe Greene accepts a cool bottle from a kid, “Have a Coke and a Smile” kicks in, and Super Bowl sonic branding history was made forever. The positive associations from this ad endured for generations, as evidenced by the 2009 Super Bowl XLIII remake for Coke Zero featuring Troy Polamalu http://youtu.be/sjII6F-nJBQ.
2) Chrysler’s “Born of Fire”–Super Bowl XLV, 2011 (http://youtu.be/TzdXzb5Bdbk). The darkly tense hip hop track “Lose Yourself” captured the soul of the city, and perfectly reflected the spot’s visual imagery. This emotion-stirring “Imported from Detroit” commercial starring Detroit rapper Eminem inspired people to talk about Detroit — and Chrysler by extension.
3) Budweiser’s “Frogs”–Super Bowl, XXIV, 1995 http://youtu.be/WkavReH4LE0. Talk about a watercooler classic – the three frogs croaking “Bud…” “Weis…” “Er” strongly associated an innovative sound design with this iconic American brand. It was funny, and gave the world something they could gladly croak along to.
4) Volkswagen–Super Bowl XLV, 2011 http://youtu.be/R55e-uHQna0. A pint-sized Darth Vader used the Force when he discovered the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat in the driveway. The essential use of John Williams’ classic motif from the Star Wars franchise is a huge part of why this ad remains strong in people’s minds, two years later.
5) Budweiser–Super Bowl XLVII, 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2prAccclXs. The mega-brewer returns with “Brotherhood”, the tale of a trainer reunited with a beloved Clydesdale. Fleetwood Mac’s emotional “Landslide” was the perfect backing track – its oft-covered status makes it a song choice that spans time. Will people think of Budweiser now when they hear it on the air? We’re betting yes.
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Stephen Arnold is founder of Stephen Arnold Music, Dallas, TX.
Hwang Dong-hyuk On Season 2 of “Squid Game,” Wrapping Production on Season 3; What’s Next?
Viewers may gasp, cringe or cry out watching characters die on Netflix's "Squid Game," but those simulated deaths have a different effect on its creator, writer and director. Instead, Hwang Dong-hyuk feels happiness seeing them go.
The show has a huge cast and Hwang says it was "really difficult" to manage everyone on set.
As characters would die, Hwang recalls saying to the actors on their last day, "'Oh no! How sad! I won't see you tomorrow,' but I was always smiling inside."
"Squid Game" season two premieres Thursday. It once again stars Lee Jung-jae and centers around a secret competition in South Korea that targets people in debt and the winner gets a big cash prize. What they don't know is that losing the game is deadly.
Hwang originally conceived of the show 15 years ago as a two-hour film but it failed to gain traction with financiers or even interested actors. He put it aside and worked on other films instead. He then had the idea to make it a TV series instead and took the project to Netflix. There, it could reach a wide audience.
"I never in my wildest dream thought it was going to be this huge," said Hwang, who spoke about the show and what comes next. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What have you learned from "Squid Game"?
HWANG: I learned that I shouldn't give up. If you love something and if you want to create something, it might not work now, but the time might come later. Or that idea could be the source of inspiration for something else.
Q: You've already finished filming season three of "Squid Game." Have you thought about what your next project will be?
HWANG: I'm afraid to talk... Read More