soundlounge sonic branding blog» Music Licensing

Coca-Cola: The J.S. Bach of Brands

soundlounge — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:43:54 +0000

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

Coca-Cola: The J.S. Bach of Brands is a post from: soundlounge

Coca-Cola Sneaks their Sonic Logo into K’naan’s World Cup Anthem

soundlounge — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:47:40 +0000

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…

Watch on Vimeo

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)

Coca-Cola Sneaks their Sonic Logo into K’naan’s World Cup Anthem is a post from: soundlounge

BBC vs ITV

soundlounge — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:41:56 +0000

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.

Final Score: BBC: 2, ITV: 1

Matt Lee, Music Supervisor
soundlounge

BBC vs ITV is a post from: soundlounge

German Football Fans Win a Record Deal

soundlounge — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:17:23 +0000

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…

Charlie McCarron
twitter.com/soundlounge

Special thanks to Spiegel Online for their coverage of this story.

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The Coolest Indie Album of the World (Cup)

Brazil Vs Portugal…a Preview!

soundlounge — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 03:27:02 +0000

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!

Watch on YouTube

“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!

Matt Lee, Music Supervisor
soundlounge

Brazil Vs Portugal…a Preview! is a post from: soundlounge

A Different Take on the World Cup

soundlounge — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:08:09 +0000

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.

Watch on Youtube

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.

Matt Lee, Music Supervisor
soundlounge

For the making of this advert, visit PepperMelon.tv

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World Cup Ad Showdown: Coke vs. Pepsi

soundlounge — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:52:45 +0000

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.

Coke vs. Pepsi

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.

Final Score: Coke: 2, Pepsi: 1

Matt Lee, Music Supervisor
soundlounge

World Cup Ad Showdown: Coke vs. Pepsi is a post from: soundlounge

What Makes an “Official” World Cup Song?

soundlounge — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 05:10:34 +0000

Last week, our Music Supervision team was sent “The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album”. I know…we could barely contain our excitement either. It seems FIFA have been putting their name to a glut of songs from Shakira’s “Waka Waka” to K’Naan’s “Wavin’ Flag”, the latter isn’t even on the album. How can it be that there are so many so-called Official World Cup songs?

This year we’ve been granted the power to choose our own World Cup song, as there is no FIFA approved song for England. So, left down to popularity (surely the fairest way rather than whoever gives FIFA the most money!) we, the British public, have chosen “Shout For England” by Dizzee Rascal and James Corden. Like it or not, this has topped both the iTunes chart and the official UK top 40 this week.

The closest English competition came from…yes you guessed it, “Three Lions ‘98” at no 10 in the UK top 40. Terry Venables came a not-so-close 3rd with “If I Can Dream” coming in at 23, which The Sun has picked up as the soundtrack for its World Cup Campaign. They should possibly have taken a leaf out of Coke’s book who really did their research and sent out detailed briefs to get sent a list of 55 songs. Coke finally landed on K’Naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” which is arguably the most globally popular World Cup song this year:

So, if we can choose our own World Cup song without FIFA’s help, why can’t the rest of the World? For a start there’d be far fewer official songs, and maybe there’ll be one that the whole world can get behind and enjoy without the clutter of all the other FIFA approved tracks.

Matt Lee, Music Supervisor
soundlounge

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Inspired by the past…

soundlounge — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:00:18 +0000

Today there are 4 Spanish speaking countries playing in the World Cup so we thought we’d treat you to this 2006 advert from Adidas:

Up there as one of the classic football ads, this ad uses two great tracks for the two different sections. RJD2’s “De L’Aouette” is used during the picking of the teams and only helps with the dry wit and casual attitude of this surreal situation. As the teams kick off, Jim Noir’s “Eanie Meany” plays. The upbeat and lighter tones again just add to the sense of fun and transform the advert from good…to inspired!

In all the great football-themed adverts, the music plays a vital role in accompanying the visuals and setting the right mood. Over the next few weeks we’ll be featuring plenty more inspirational football ads so keep an eye out for your favourites!

Matt Lee, Music Supervisor
soundlounge

Inspired by the past… is a post from: soundlounge

Collaborative Consumption Presentation Music

soundlounge — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:37:08 +0000

A bit of soundlounge news – we’ve recently had the pleasure of working with Rachel Botsman to license a music track for her TEDx Talk on Collaborative Consumption. The results:

Watch on Vimeo

The days are long gone when presentations were given and forgotten. Now, in the YouTube era, any presentation you give could be online for all eternity. Scary thought!

So maybe licensing music might be the last thing on your mind. But it’s important to cover all your bases legally, for when your small conference video suddenly goes viral. A great solution for most presentations is a production library track. While a hit song might cost £8,000 per use, this library track we found for Rachel cost a one-time fee of £200 to license for unlimited use.

Need music for your next presentation? Feel free to contact us.

soundlounge

Collaborative Consumption Presentation Music is a post from: soundlounge