soundlounge sonic branding blog» Music Supervision

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

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

A Different Take on the World Cup is a post from: soundlounge

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

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

Sound Style Guide – The Pros and Cons

soundlounge — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:36:09 +0000

Pick up almost any article on sonic branding and somewhere you will find a sentence that exalts the ability of music to connect with ‘people’ on an emotional level. But for any brand – ‘people’ is a very big universe and responsible brand gurus know they’ll need more information than just these broad emotional promises, before they can allocate precious time and money to the sound branding process.

Maybe this explains why music and sound still represent a big hole in many marketing strategies. It would seem that the major brands are very aware that when they try to plug this hole with one-off hit music ’strategies’, or low budget tracks, they don’t support their branding but often simply just fill the silence. A recent Marketing Week report reveals that finding and judging music are still major hurdles for many brand managers. BT‘s Fraser Smeaton honestly admitted:

“When we started using music in our direct response television campaigns, I sat in the room with the creatives and asked them two questions: How do I decide? And what’s the framework I use to make this decision on music? One of our leading agencies simply replied: ‘Whichever one you think works best’…You can feel incredibly exposed. [We are missing]…the segmentation to give us a framework for choosing music”.

Turns out a few smart brands have already found these frameworks to help them choose and judge music. With all the buzz surrounding the new Audi sound style guide, a lot of brand managers out there are probably wondering, should I be doing this? Does my brand do enough with music to need a sound style guide? And what exactly goes into one?

To set your creative gears in motion, take a few moments and explore how Audi approached the process:

Watch on YouTube

But this is just Audi’s approach. Maybe you’re selling chocolate bars, and aren’t interested in recording noisy chewing and lip smacking in surround sound. So where do you start with your sound style guide? Or more importantly, why should you start?

First we’ll address some of the common fears we hear from brand managers on the fence about sonic branding. And then, we’ll get into the benefits of having a sound style guide on hand.

Key Fears

1) Music has perceived limited shelf life…

Some say: Think of the red Coca-Cola can or the yellow McDonald’s arches – these visual applications are timeless. But music doesn’t work the same way. One too many commercials with the same song and the audience will reach for the TV remote.

We say: Yes and no. It’s true that most commercials use one track per execution, literally to support the visual narrative. But some brands can use the same track for time immemorial. Think BA, think Hovis, think Marmite. Just as the visual branding evolves, so can the sound branding. All of these brands rearranged and refreshed their music to keep it relevant whilst maintaining the integrity of the original.

A sound style guide worth its fee should do more than define a repetitive jingle, a 4-note audio logo, or a single track that survives for a couple commercials. It should create a timeless palette of musical “colors” and “fonts” that any composer or music supervisor can draw from for each new campaign.

2) Sound style guides are a BIG time commitment…

Some say: Audi spent about a year and a half developing their sound style guide. We don’t have that sort of time; we have events and commercials and upcoming deadlines to worry about.

We say: Not every brand is going to need that amount of time at the drawing board, but it will require some longer-term commitment to understand what works for your brand and then develop those sounds. It doesn’t happen overnight but neither does visual branding On the other hand, consider how much time and money is actually wasted trying to find the right track amongst the millions that are out there in the ‘cloud’? Daniel Mathieson, Head of Sponsorship at Barclaycard, says:

“There was a lot of trying out of different tracks…There was an element of luck involved in trying to find that track because right at the last minute, another option was thrown up and that was the one we went with”.

At soundlounge, we’ve found that with the focused attention of the brand stakeholder for just a few hours and access to their brand archives, we can create a sound guide for brands in just a few weeks. It’s a quicker and more effective process than the usual game of creative ping pong, where the brief gets changed and reinterpreted, and decisions are based on “I’ll know it when I hear it” criteria.

3) Sound style guides cost too much…

Some say: What about the costs to produce the guide? Then on top of that, will we still have to demo, record a master sound recording or licence the track?

We say: Yes, you will still have to pay for copyright licences and/or for commissioning new demos. But with a sound guide, the briefing process will be…well, on brief. This allows your music supervisors, composers, recording artists, and sound engineers to do their job more efficiently , which will mean cost savings for you on every campaign

4) Sound style guides restrict creativity…

Some say: A sound guide will restrict our creativity. Every situation demands a different piece of music. What happens when Audi’s creative team comes up with a hilarious new idea that will only work if they can use ‘Ode to Joy’?

We say: Great – if the sound DNA is suddenly and consciously changed for a reason, the consumer impact will only increase. Think Mars’ white wrappers for the World Cup. Contrary to urban myth, these frameworks actually stimulate creativity and open up opportunities.

We know that not everyone welcomes change, and some creative teams do resist the whole concept of a sound guide. I often wonder if Stephen King, Head of Planning at JWT in the ‘70s, had the same issues when he first outlined his ideas for a visual corporate manual!

So if you are going to take those crucial first steps, what are the benefits of having a sound style guide? We have quite a list, but here are some of the highlights…

Key Benefits

Brand recognition: Imagine an era when consumers can identify a brand just from how it sounds. Not just a sonic logo, but an integrated sound DNA that is as recognizable as your sister or brother. Impossible? Great music industry producers have been doing this with bands for years. A few beats from U2 or The Beatles are all we need to pick them out. We believe brands can be every bit as recognizable with the right sound strategy.

Sound consistency: With improved music briefing, brands often find that they can remedy their past sound schizophrenia (different tracks, different instrumentation, and varied production quality from one campaign to another). The immediate result – more consistent sound that keeps your audience subconsciously “connected” from campaign to campaign.

Sound assets: Every time a brand uses sound – in marketing, sales, or PR – it influences the public’s perception of that brand, effectively creating an asset or a liability for its overall brand equity. Using precise brand equity metrics with a great sound guide will help build a reservoir of sound assets that reflect the brand’s core values, are measurable, and add to the bottom line.

Brand differentiation: When your creative team can consistently identify songs that fit your brand, when your customers can “hear” your brand from the other room, and when your competitors are jealous of your unmistakable sound DNA, then you know your sound branding has set you apart from the rest of the marketing noise. The sound guide is your first step.

If you are considering creating a sound guide and want to know more, simply pick up the phone or drop us an email. We would be delighted to put you on the right track.

Ruth Simmons
+44 (0) 20 7724 2420
ruth@soundlounge.co.uk
twitter.com/soundequity

Sound Style Guide – The Pros and Cons 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

Do you have a Sound Style Guide? Audi does.

soundlounge — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:50:31 +0000

“Films are 50 percent visual and 50 percent sound.” –David Lynch

Even the most average brand has its own Corporate Identity Manual. Effectively pages upon pages upon pages of visual style guidelines. Which typeface to use, how to not screw up the logo, which Pantone colors will sell the most hamburgers, etc. Visual branding has been taken to almost ridiculous extremes, as evidenced by the infamous Pepsi rebranding guide.

But if David Lynch is right, and sound accounts for half of a film experience, why haven’t brand managers been obsessing over their music and audio choices? Where are the pages upon pages upon pages of sound style guides?

It would seem that music historically has been selected on a needs to basis – ‘We just need a bit of music here to support this narrative or message.’ One-off music ideas that work for one execution. But before we get run down by the crush of creatives defending their decisions, a few questions to muse. Does this approach work? Or are brands actually creating some form of audio schizophrenia by changing their sound with each new campaign? Most importantly, can you stand in the kitchen and recognize the brand just from what you hear?

Whilst many advertising agencies still treat sound branding as a dark art, it would seem that smart brands are beginning to realize the potential of a sound strategy.

Audi has been thinking quite a bit about the sound of their brand for a few years now. They have used the heartbeat for their sonic logo (the audio sign off at the end of a commercial). The original was created by Milo Heller in Hamburg. It was later given a facelift by Metadesign. The newest version has been created by S12 in Munich.

The S12 guys have apparently developed a unique palette of instruments and sounds to draw from, just like a color scheme in a visual style guide. In the video below you’ll hear some of the sounds they’ve claimed as Audi-esque: a steady heartbeat, a breath, a piano:

By narrowing their set of musical building blocks, they’re hoping to create a consistent brand sound for their otherwise consistent brand image. The end goal, of course, is for the audience to hear that heartbeat and think Audi.

When brands develop a sonic logo and start talking about this as their sound identity it has to be a step forward. The challenge is persuading them that a sonic logo is merely a syllable in the whole sound identity language. Just as no self-respecting brand thinks they are done with just their visual logo, there are whole new sound frontiers to be crossed after the sonic logo. What about contextual use, or adapting sound to meet the needs of cultural differences, or evaluating how it is working, or its contribution to ROI or even the possibility of trademarking their sound?

When Stephen King, Head of Planning at J Walter Thompson in the 70’s, first addressed the concept and importance of visual branding – yes it is only 40 years old – I am sure he was met with similar resistance as the sound branders of today. But who could have ever have predicted that using consistent methodology and frameworks, we would be able to differentiate one brown fizzy drink from another and understand lifestyle? Or from the shareholders perspective, build something where a visual logo is valued in the billions of dollars.

When other great luminaries in the Advertising world like Sir John Hegarty of BBH agree with David Lynch in their appreciation of the role of sound, can brands really afford to leave these pages of their CI manual blank?

Audi are already revved up and way ahead of their competition.

Ruth Simmons, CEO
soundlounge

Thinking about working on your brand’s sound? Watch this space for the pros and cons of creating a sound style guide.

Do you have a Sound Style Guide? Audi does. is a post from: soundlounge

Your Future Car’s Engine Sound, Downloaded From iTunes?

soundlounge — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:13:29 +0000

Silence can be deadly, especially when it’s a hybrid car sneaking up behind you. So for the first time in history, automakers are working to create synthetic engine noise. And they might start calling on everyone from sound designers to film composers to music supervisors for the sounds of these new cars.

Sound like science fiction? Just take a peek at this Batmobile-like hybrid from Fisker Automotive:

Watch on YouTube

The cool part is that this car’s “takeoff” sound came from a set of external speakers. In theory, you could replace this sound with anything you want, just like changing a cell phone’s default ring. Will customizable engine sounds be the next “ringtone” craze? Will we one day download our car’s tones from iTunes? Will artists of the future collect royalties on mileage?

There are obviously some legal hurdles before we hear anything too unique on the road. But the door is currently wide open for automakers to experiment with new sounds. It’s only a matter of time before the big brands will be racing to create the coolest-sounding electric car. What a fun time to be in the audio branding business!

Charlie McCarron, Sound Consultant
soundlounge

Special thanks to @soundseller for pointing out the Fisker Karma Hybrid video.

Your Future Car’s Engine Sound, Downloaded From iTunes? is a post from: soundlounge