The European import car made famous in America by Bill Bernbach is getting its due for the way it’s historically used music and sound to captivate viewers. The Association of Music Producers, sponsors of the AMP Awards for Music and Sound, has voted to induct Volkswagen into its AMP Hall of Fame. The induction will take place during the AMP Awards show, set for May 11 at City Winery in New York.
“Whether working with original music and sound or licensing iconic tracks, Volkswagen and its agencies have always shown an innate ability to marry songs and soundtracks with its on-screen narratives,” said AMP president Jason Menkes, partner and executive producer at COPILOT Music + Sound in New York. “They’ve been on our shortlist every year we’ve voted on AMP Hall of Fame candidates, and we felt this was finally the year we should honor them. They know how to use music artfully and effectively to convey their message to consumers, and have done that brilliantly for decades.”
The brand’s musical history is studded with standouts. It struck gold when it tapped the menacing theme that heralded the introduction of the villain Darth Vader in “Star Wars” for its Super Bowl spot, “The Force.” Created by Deutsch in Los Angeles, the spot featured a young boy wearing a Vader costume who manages to make his dad’s Passat start on cue, to his amazement. The spot ranked near the top of almost every Super Bowl poll that year.
Other examples of VW’s canny ability to marry music with emotional or evocative storytelling includes 1999’s “Pink Moon,” a visual tone poem of an ad in which four young people ride along a country road at night, gazing at the moon above in their convertible Cabrio, top down. They get to a rowdy house party, look at each other knowingly, and decide to keep rolling instead. That spot was created by Arnold Worldwide.
The brand has also tapped memorable music for such campaigns or spots as its 1997 “Da Da Da,” in which two 20-something guys tool around in a red Golf doing pretty much nothing while a rhythmic European pop song played underneath. A few years later, the brand launched a Jetta spot titled “Synchronicity,” in which a young couple cruises slowly through the French Quarter of New Orleans, while everything they see happens in time to the swishing windshield wipers on their car.
“Music plays an integral role in creating advertising that resonates with consumers,” said Jennifer Clayton, general manager of marketing communications at Volkswagen of America USA. “Throughout our company’s history, we’ve recognized the power that music possesses, and it’s humbling to be recognized for the work we’ve created. Thank you to the Association of Music Producers for inducting us into the AMP Hall of Fame.”
A special committee comprised of past and present AMP board members and AMP Awards Advisory Board members was asked to develop a list of nominees for the Hall of Fame honor, explained Lyle Greenfield, founder and partner at Bang Music, past president of AMP and one of the co-founders of the AMP Awards. This list then goes to the full AMP membership for a vote.
“Our criteria for induction into the AMP Hall of Fame are relatively simple,” Greenfield said. “We look for progressive marketers with a sophisticated understanding of how much connects their brands with consumers on emotion and often visceral levels. Everyone on the committee feels strongly that our honoree this year has more than met that standard.”
Among those participating in the selection process were this year’s Advisory Board chair and former FCB Garfinkel CEO Lee Garfinkel, along with past chairs Paul Greco, director of music and radio at JWT; Rani Vaz, sr. VP and director of music and radio production at BBDO New York, and Josh Rabinowitz, EVP/director of music at Grey New York.
Is “Glicked” The New “Barbenheimer”? “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Hit Theater Screens
"Barbenheimer" was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn't stopped people from trying to make "Glicked" — or even "Babyratu" — happen.
The counterprogramming of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office.
And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, "Saw Patrol" ).
This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation "Wicked" opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic "Gladiator II." Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: "Wickiator," "Wadiator," "Gladwick" and even the eyebrow raising "Gladicked" have all been suggested.
"'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more," actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of "Gladiator II" this week. "I think we should all band around 'Glicked.' It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it."
As with "Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, "Glicked" also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging... Read More