Sound Advertising
(3 min read)
The Super Bowl is a spectacle that goes beyond the gridiron. It’s become a cultural event, and nobody wants to be left out of the Monday morning water cooler conversation about the most outlandish commercial with the biggest cameo or catchiest earworm.
With millions and millions of dollars spent on advertising and weeks of build up and teasers, it’s no wonder folks are analyzing these commercials in an academic fashion. We came across this piece from Marketing Brew that does just that, sharing comparisons to the relatively somber tone of the 2021 Super Bowl ads, the percentage of custom vs licensed music, and more.
But tucked away in all of this analysis is a phrase quoted from Bjorn Thorleifsson, head of strategy and research for amp - the sonic branding agency who provided the bulk of the article’s data.
“Before shelling out the money to license a song, marketers have to consider whether or not the song ‘is an integral part of the storytelling.’”
While that particular section goes on to talk about the GM’s Austin Powers ad and how that specific music from the film was essential to the scene, the phrasing of the statement caused us to raise our collective eyebrows and ask…shouldn’t all music used in an ad be an integral part of the storytelling?
We certainly think so.
How else do you convey all the necessary emotions to foster engagement and recognition in a :30 or :60 spot, especially when relying less on spoken taglines as the data shows? With impactful images and music that amplify the story, no matter if it’s funky, fashionable, youthful, or dramatic.
For example, our friends at Catch&Release worked on a recent Delta and Wieden + Kennedy campaign that aired heavily during the Olympics and Super Bowl. The montage utilizes a vast array of footage from stock to iconic, matched with an emotive, cinematic score. The voiceover uses lofty and uplifting language, but neither Delta, airplanes, or flying are ever mentioned — only showing up on the final screen for a few moments.
It’s an ad straight out of the old Apple playbook of “Don’t show the people what you do, but how you make them feel with the service/product.” Without the music, it’s just a bunch of images that on their own are… ok, certainly not inspiring. But when the music is “an integral part of the storytelling” the sky's the limit.
As the advertising sound of 2022 continues to take shape, don’t spend too much time analyzing the Super Bowl trends (unless you want to make people more confused about crypto). Just focus on the story and finding music that lifts it to new heights. Quirky, caring, intense, bombastic, heartfelt — make the music integral for all the right reasons.
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