While Coca-Cola’s marketing team is slowly and steadily reaping the subliminal advertising benefits from injecting their sonic logo into K’naan’s World Cup hit, other brands have been going for quicker, less subtle band and brand linkups. Take the latest partnership – Fiat and Faithless, who have teamed up to create an advert/music video they’ve dubbed a “prommercial”. It seems Fiat has intentionally distanced themselves from the sponsorship route (think Seat and Shakira). And notably, the three-minute video they’ve produced has no Fiat references aside from the image of the Punto Evo car itself:
With over 100,000 views on Youtube and extensive blog coverage, yes, Fiat have created a large amount of free exposure for themselves. And if impressions are the metric for success, we at soundlounge acknowledge a winning formula.
However, reading more closely into the coverage and comments, it seems the prommercial concept itself is garnering more attention than the Faithless song. “Feelin’ Good” has already dropped off the top 200 iTunes download chart after reaching a less-than-inspiring rank. It’s actually been described by critics as one of the more radio-unfriendly tracks on the new Faithless album. So, while Fiat promises further collaborations with Faithless, will the novelty have worn off?
As often happens, when a brand uses music for ‘cool’ appeal, the partnership looks to be more beneficial for the band. They get the production of their music video and TV coverage paid for by the brand – more immediate exposure than they would ever get from their record company’s stretched marketing budgets.
It’s no secret that the music industry is desperate for these kinds of collaborations to bolster flagging resources. This shift in the music industry means that the days of a three-album deal and a five-year development of an artist, where a band builds their own unique fan base are long gone. Bands today have to look after a fan base that may be less forgiving than one that has grown organically with them over several years.
Similarly, brand marketing directors, although well aware of the time it takes for consumers to really buy into a concept, are also under time pressure to create campaigns with instant response. The truth remains though – real brand associations take time. ‘Instant’ definitely has an impact, but for how long?
If it comes to pass, another Fiat/Faithless collaboration should highlight whether this is a partnership with any longevity. From a purely financial standpoint, Faithless would be crazy to turn down another offer. But the benefits for Fiat from their new prommercial? The jury is still out.
To any rookie filmmaker, adding music to a great piece of footage might seem easy and fun, but any serious commercial production team knows the headaches, heartaches, and often cheque book-aches in getting exactly the right track for a film. When it comes to permission from big bands in the league of Radiohead – it can seem an impossible task.
For over 30 years soundlounge have been persuading artists like The Beatles; Madonna; David Bowie; Duran Duran; The Who; Iggy Pop; Cream and many, many others to say yes – some for the very first time – for their music to be used in a TV commercial.
The UNICEF campaign is now gathering its own momentum. In just a few days of being live on youtube, it has achieved 50,000 views, 94,000 records on Google and been tweeted out by Bill Gates. Many people are now asking just how did we secure Radiohead’s “Yes”……..
The Brief
Way back in Feb this year, soundlounge were invited to meet with the passionate yet exhausted creative team from Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Katie Stanley and Huw Williams, who had literally just returned from their three-week shoot capturing the lives of children in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Uganda and the Philippines. Their account of what they had lived and filmed was moving and passionate. They spent a great deal of time going into minute details to try and explain to our music supervisors, Brian Kelly and Sam Nicholson, their ambitions for the music and exactly what they needed the viewer to feel through the music and picture working together.
Not every agency is so thorough with their music brief or in their willingness for music supervisors to probe into the heart of the desired response
The Film
Rarely in 30 years of music supervision work has the soundlounge team been so moved by a film. The award-winning director Adrian Moat has shot a spectacular film and editor James Rosen of Final Cut had created a fantastic edit together, all 5 min 20 secs of footage! Our first challenge: the agency wanted music throughout the entire film – tricky when most tracks are under 4:30 minutes!
The Search
Brian and Sam began the search for potential tracks. They knew the music had to tick off the following boxes:
Evoke the desired emotions
Work with the images and pace
No negative associations with the artists or song lyrics
No other brand conflict
Liked by the agency
Loved by the client
Approved by the artist and writers
Literally hundreds of tracks and creative ideas were explored, the best of the ideas edited to picture, tracks remixed to extend to five minutes, and each presented to the agency and charity for consideration.
Free?!
As music supervisors we receive many calls from producers at agencies asking about music that often starts with “we have a very small budget for music”. Calls asking to ’help’ them find a song for their charity clients campaigns always means one thing – pro bono, which means a whole different conversation with Rights Owners
What this means is that in addition to every other creative requirement, the final track for UNICEF would have to be donated with all fees waived by Artist, Publisher and Record Company. For each one of our ideas we presented to the client, tentative enquiries were made as to availability. This in itself is an exercise in diplomacy – asking questions that do not compromise any artist into feeling obligated or imply that their track is the one selected (or rejected). Not easy conversations.
Radiohead
But there were only two tracks that ever really resonated for us. Both of them were Radiohead copyrights – we knew that the tracks we had chosen were exactly the right sound for the film and reflected the message from the charity.
Knowing what to ask for and when to ask is key in negotiations at this level. Tom Foster, Head of Sync at Warner Music Group, was brilliant in the way that he worked with our lead licensing negotiator Dan Payne. We had included Tom in the loop early when the possibility of Radiohead came up. Having seen the film in its various stages, he advised that it was now worth a conversation with the band. But we also knew that Radiohead get at least five enquiries a week for synchronisation, most of which are turned down.
Successful bands are notoriously busy, whether writing or recording or relaxing from all of the above, so the windows of opportunity are short. The film was sent over to Radiohead. All we could do now was wait. We got the call. They had seen the film. We held our breath. Radiohead granted us approval for its use.
Approved
The band had said yes to the UNICEF message, a yes to the film edit and a yes to our five-minute mix of ‘Videotape’. Huw Williams at AMV BBDO understood the significance of this permission:
“The sheer power of the film and the Radiohead association will unquestionably strike genuine appeal with more people than we could have ever hoped. But we have been ever mindful that investing in the planning of the campaign would help us make the absolute most of this rare and wonderful opportunity.”
Sellouts or Saints?
Charities, the music industry and famous (and sometimes not so famous) artists often conjure up one thought – Live Aid, Live 8, charity records…. High profile events where the cynical amongst us question motivation. The truth is that many, many artists in the world of music make things happen under the radar that have a much more far reaching, powerful and targeted effects.
Radiohead obviously know the true meaning of charity, where something is quietly given with no press statements, that enable and empower others to improve their lives.
We truly hope this spirit of charity will rub off on viewers when they take the 5mins to view this amazing film.
To learn more about UNICEF’s ‘Put It Right’ campaign and how you can get involved, visit unicef.org.uk
Last week we brought you Coke: The J.S. Bach of Brands. Time now to highlight Audi, who have certainly been taking a few notes from the master of Romantic opera: Richard Wagner.
Wagner, arguably one of the most brilliant and insane composers of his time, built his reputation on epic operas that lasted well beyond the attention span of most listeners today. His infamous Der Ring des Nibelungen, which took him 26 years to complete, clocks in at around 15 hours of performance time! You might imagine audiences would drift off after the first few hours, but how could they with ballistic themes like the legendary ‘Ride of the Valkyries’?
So what do Wagner’s epic dramas have to do with the 30-second commercials Audi has been putting out lately?
Turns out they both use musical devices known as ‘leitmotifs’. A leitmotif is a recurring theme that represents a certain idea, emotion, or character. Leitmotifs can be heard everywhere from Star Wars to The Who’s Quadrophenia to the Final Fantasy video game series. Though Wagner didn’t coin the phrase ‘leitmotif’, he used them extensively as building blocks for his operas. He referred to these themes as ‘guides-to-feeling’ and believed he could convey complex emotional ideas by combining and developing these basic motifs throughout a piece of music.
Audi, as we’ve mentioned before, have been doing something quite Wagnerian with their brand’s sound. They’ve been busy recording instrumental riffs, vocal melodies, heartbeats, even noises from the cars themselves to create their own unique ‘sound style guide’. They can then draw from this palette of themes to compose soundtracks for their future commercials. Just like Wagner, Audi are creating logical frameworks for their music, in hopes that they can more effectively tug at the consumer’s heartstrings.
Will we ever hear a 15-hour Audi opera? Let’s hope not. But if any brand is going to spawn a cult following of music theory nerds, it’s Audi.
Charlie McCarron, Sound Consultant
Matt Lee, Music Supervisor soundlounge
After finding out about Coca-Cola’s clever injection of their own sonic logo in K’naan’s World Cup song “Wavin’ Flag”, many of our readers called Coke out as being sneaky and/or cheeky. So we at soundlounge are here in defense of their brilliant (if a bit devilish) sonic branding strategy.
In the brand-sphere, Coke have proven to be masters of this kind of “audio watermarking” – subtly embedding their brand’s sound in the music of their advertisements. But the idea of a sound signature is hardly new. In fact, the original master of audio watermarking lived and died three centuries ago: J.S. Bach.
Most composers think long and hard about the structure of their music. But Bach took it to an extreme new level. As both a musical and mathematical genius, he composed pieces so intricate and layered that scholars today still find secret meanings in his work. Some say he used the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 8, 13…) as guides for his compositions.
But his most famous hidden message is just four notes: B-flat, A-natural, C-natural, and B-natural. In the original German spelling…B, A, C, H!
It’s the Bach motif! It appears in so many of his pieces that scholars agree it’s there for a reason. It was Bach’s way of “signing” his compositions. Was it vanity? Or was it just a quirky sense of humor? We can’t be sure, but whatever his reason, this recurring theme connects his pieces on a deeper level. It might not be as obvious (or catchy) as Coke’s audio watermark in “Wavin’ Flag”, but Bach’s audio watermark is one of the most popular of all time. Over 409 works by 330 composers have used Bach’s motif in memorial to this brilliant man.
Is Coke taking a few notes from Bach? Since the start of their Open Happiness campaign, they’ve “given” their melody to dozens of international music superstars. K’naan is just the most recent in a long list of musicians to use Coke’s motif.
But “Wavin’ Flag” has seen success far beyond any of the other Coke-watermarked songs. The beauty of this for Coke is that they own this hit-single melody. They can reuse it in their advertising without any licensing fees, unlike say, the McDonald’s/Timberlake “I’m Lovin’ It” scenario. Ideally for Coke, people will hear their melody in the next Coca-Cola commercial and get all nostalgic about that fun song from the 2010 World Cup.
If any brand comes close to musical genius, it’s Coke. Will their melody last for three centuries though? We (probably) won’t be around to report on it, but don’t hold your breath…
Charlie McCarron, Sound Consultant
Matt Lee, Music Supervisor soundlounge
And the soundlounge award this year goes to…(drum roll please)…a totally brilliant piece of sonic branding from the Coke team of music supervisors. Those who have been following soundlounge’s extensive blog coverage of World Cup advertising music will know that there were dozens of contenders for the crown. However we are all agreement here, that apart from the vuvuzelas, the most recognizable sound from this year’s World Cup has come from a previously little-known Somali-Canadian artist.
Thanks to Coke, K’naan’s song “Wavin’ Flag” has reached an amazing number one in eleven countries (and still counting). With over twenty regional remixes featuring local superstars, “Wavin’ Flag” has become the most popular and memorable soundtrack to South Africa 2010.
Coke has made K’naan an international superstar by modifying his song and promoting the “Coca-Cola Celebration Mix”. But this socially conscious rapper and poet insists this relationship with Coke doesn’t affect his integrity as a musician: “I don’t work for Coke or anything; what I do is my music.” (Billboard).
So isn’t this just a piece of band-brand marketing? Whether or not listeners are consciously aware, Coke have used a technique we call audio watermarking. This is a popular and well-known trick that has been around for centuries and used by composers and producers to weave a sound/motif into a piece of music. Unlike say the Audi sonic logo, which sits at the end of a commercial, watermarking acts like an ‘earworm’, which gets inside our brains and becomes so compulsive that we go around humming it as we walk down the street and not understanding why. We effectively become living, walking, singing commercials for Coke. Whatever K’naan would have his fans believe, embedded into “Wavin’ Flag” is an interesting piece of branding, and Coca-Cola have been priming us to wave their sonic branding flag for a while now…
We’ve actually been hearing this melody for years in Coke commercials. But this time the branding is even less obvious than their original “Open Happiness” song. By sneaking the Coke melody into an otherwise musically unbranded song, they’ve seen incredible success in the charts. In our opinion, it’s a much more intelligent form of branding than paying artists to name-drop brands in their lyrics.
So why doesn’t the average “Wavin’ Flag” fan connect the dots? It took us a few times before the penny dropped and we started to research. It’s as if Coke wants their motif to be subliminal, so that listeners recognize the sound but can’t say exactly why they recognize it. No other hit single has captured the sound of a brand in such an effective and clever way. Even Billboard didn’t come out and say it’s the Coke motif:
‘["Wavin Flag"] features many elements of the original song but includes a pre-chorus that sets the uplifting, unified tone of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, turning the song into one that is “more open, more inviting, more celebratory”‘.
Coke has clearly been steering the ship, taking K’naan on a grand tour of 84 countries. The big question though – what happens after the World Cup? A&M/Octone Records CEO James Diener says that Coke is “invested in K’naan for the duration of his career” (Billboard). That’s a bold statement given the fickle nature of musical popularity. If K’naan loses momentum, will Coke drop him for a fresh new artist or another ‘local’ artist for the next big sports sponsorship? Until then, will they be moderating all of K’naan’s music and infusing it with the sound of Coca-Cola?
You can be sure soundlounge will be listening out for the next Coke advert. And now that you know the Coke motif inside and out, keep your ears open and let us know if you do hear it anywhere else!
Ruth Simmons, Managing Director
Matt Lee, Music Supervisor
Charlie McCarron, Sound Consultant soundlounge
If you enjoyed our article, feel free to say hello on Twitter – @soundlounge (and @soundequity for Ruth)
As expected after England’s exit from the world cup, the football themed adverts seemed to have ceased as brands scramble to show anything but football on their adverts! However, the world cup IS still going on so it’s left to the BBC and ITV to continue with their world cup campaign.
Both opt for adverts full of energy, although ITV are full pace from the start, whereas the BBC gradually builds to a climax bursting with energy and color. The big difference however is BBC’s editing, which is done to fit the music perfectly and therefore create an ad with far greater impact than ITV (1-0 to the BBC).
ITV’s music choice is the massive “Fire” by Jimi Hendrix. A big license for a big event, but you do question how fitting it is when compared to the well-chosen and well-synched African influenced track supporting the BBC ad. Here the track mirrors the visuals in terms of using both traditional and contemporary influences… a strong 2nd goal by the BBC.
Despite the domination by the BBC, the scale of ITV’s music choice certainly grabs attention, and the pace of the advert does excite the viewer (2-1). However the BBC gave a much stronger performance overall with a far more evocative ad, which shows how an unknown track can be so much more effective than a well-known alternative.
We were hoping today’s post would be a tribute to England’s great triumph over Germany. We were prepared to scour YouTube for the best (or worst) English football chants we could find, like the controversial crowd favorites “Ten German Bombers” and “Two World Wars, One World Cup”. But not even a stadium full of rousing anti-Deutschland chants could save England during the match this past weekend.
Instead of dwelling on the past or arguing over missed goals, today’s post is dedicated to our German friends. It’s an inspiring story about a German pop song, a parody football song, and a few lucky university students who landed a record deal.
It all started back in May, when 19-year-old singer Lena Meyer-Landrut won the Eurovision Song Contest for Germany. With over 18 million YouTube hits, her song “Satellite” has become an über-hit:
Not long after the Lena phenomenon, some clever university students wrote new lyrics to the song in honor of the German football team, and recorded “Schland o Schland”:
Their music video went viral and was hastily removed by EMI, the rights holders of the original song. But it wasn’t long before Lena’s label, Universal Music, saw the potential for this song and struck a deal with this new “band”, Uwu Lena (after the German football star Uwu Seeler and Lena).
“Schland o Schland” has become a fresh new football anthem, but will the band’s fame last beyond 15 minutes? They’re probably just hoping Germany stays in this World Cup as long as possible…
In anticipation of the big game between Brazil and Portugal today we couldn’t resist revisiting this old Nike ad from 2004:
Nike always seems to capture and evoke the appropriate emotions perfectly in their football adverts. This playful, Latin-influenced track by Perry Como sets the mood brilliantly. The Brazil team have featured heavily in Nike’s adverts over the years, and each time Nike have used another great Latin track: Papa Loves Mambo, Mas Que Nada, and Soul Bossa Nova.
But what happens when Nike feature some of England’s players on home soil? The classic grey backdrop of an English summer coupled with the English distinct lack of rhythm that the Brazilian’s Samba style football oozes is hardly synonymous with Latin music. This can only mean one thing…Blur!
“Parklife” is, if anything, even more emotive than Nike’s Latin alternatives. Its classic 90’s Britpop feel helps the ad resonate with every Englishman’s memories of playing football with their mates, which is exactly what Nike intended. From an English perspective, this is possibly Nike’s best football advert, so It just goes to show that you don’t need the Brazilian flair to make an exciting football ad…the right music will do it perfectly!
Our next blog will be on Monday 28th June…let’s hope we’ll be doing a feature on songs to celebrate an English victory rather than songs of commiseration!
What do you imagine when you think of the World Cup? Probably words such as “passion”, “excitement”, and “despair” pop into your head, which is probably why we often see adverts such as Nike’s “Write the Future” made for the World Cup, which encapsulates all these emotions beautifully.
The Guardian & Observer however have taken a much more light-hearted approach with this playful and happy cartoon accompanied by a very witty folk-style song.
The writers of this song did a great job in making a catchy and genuinely memorable tune which, coupled with the amusing rhymes and great animation, helps make a refreshing change from the other ads out there. Hopefully we’ll see more like this in the future.
The World Cup has been with us for over a week now but it’s not just football matches that have kept us music supervisors entertained. There has also been a battle of the brands and with it a deluge of high budget football-themed adverts. The best and biggest of the bunch is of the course Nike’s “Write the Future” ad:
But what about the other adverts? We’ve been looking at a couple of match ups on the run-up to the World Cup.
Both brands start this match with a sense of fun but you get the feeling Coke have more conviction from the off with a strong use of actual match footage. Pepsi must be disappointed with themselves after trying to no avail to get their players to act…no doubt we’ll see plenty more acting from the players during the games! Coke then double their efforts with an online campaign to inspire viewers to upload their own celebrations and its 1-0 to Coke.
Never ones to be defeated easily Pepsi attempt to strike back with a heavily African influenced track, but it seems the pace is all wrong as Coke counter with their own African influenced track that is far more evocative and memorable, 2-0 Coke. The exposure of “Wavin’ Flag” means we’re all singing along with Coke’s ad, whilst Pepsi’s remains distinctly forgettable.
Pepsi continues to battle on and has one final chance with their use of a very strong cast. The big name players such as Henry and Drogba never fail to grab our attention (2-1), although they lack the flashes of skill we’ve all come to eagerly anticipate from the Nike ads. While the familiar faces draw us in, the music certainly doesn’t…an unfortunate end result for Pepsi.
