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.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More