There's a heightened impact to any commercial when a song that has enjoyed extensive radio airplay is folded in. It does what every commercial and ad is designed to do: engage the consumer so that, hopefully, a little information about the product – or company – will rub off.

Classical music has been used as “beds” for both television and radio commercials for many years. Vivaldi, Mozart, Handel and other great composers have been either the soothing or bright, sparkling tones that provided to bring the voice-over to life. Coca-Cola just rewrote a catchy lyric with “I'd like to buy the world a Coke,” taken from “I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing,” a tune that had spent some time on the pop charts.

Mainstream Rock Joins Mainstream Advertising

In recent years, there have been some surprising appearances of music from rock icons in television campaigns. Microsoft's spot for Windows 95 that utilized the Rolling Stone's “Start Me Up” came as a real surprise to those of us who had not yet realized that rock's ultimate bad-boy band had long ago gone corporate. Eric Clapton's great version of “After Midnight” was so strong that today many people can still hear the arrangement but have forgotten what beer it was for. Nike built a generic ad campaign for their brand around the Beatle's “Revolution,” some years after Michael Jackson acquired the rights to their songbook.

Sly Stone's “Everyday People” was used in a car commercial, and no doubt startled many viewers preparing to tune out the advertisement. Perhaps the most successful incorporation of rock into mainstream advertising is Chevy Truck's use of Bob Seger's “Like a Rock.” That song has lasted through several years of model changes, the advent of the SUV market and the challenges from the Japanese auto makers. Chevrolet doesn't use a lot more than the title words, and doesn't really need to. It's a perfect fit for the rugged pickup image that every truck builder strives for.

Occasionally a one-time hit song will be recycled into something far beyond its original meaning. The best example of this may be the California Raisin Board's clay-mation raisins singing Marvin Gaye's hit “I heard it through the grapevine.” That spot was an enormously successful mix of a cartoonish theme with a Motown classic that created a truly unique and attention-grabbing commercial.

The Power of Music in the Marketplace

Because popular music has a pre-established identity, it can often be more effective in an advertising format because of its ability to catch the consumer's attention. Jingles are much easier to tune out than a song that was once a chart-topper or a personal favorite. For similar reasons, popular music has become a staple and an important feature in many contemporary movies. Soundtrack albums are top sellers rather than the ancillary product they used to be, a merchandising afterthought.

Sassy Slogans can wave a baton over your advertising needs. We can provide original music matched up to existing branding themes. We can also seek out lyrics to published songs that will fit with your web site or company's image and find a way to marry the two. We will research the rights on published music and if you want one, produce a brand spanking new tune instead. Lyrics that have stood the test of consumer listening carry a lot of advertising power. However that does not denigrate the value of a well-written song that is introduced along with a well-designed ad campaign.

Sassy Slogans – we've got a Tin Pan Alley of our own, right between two rows of cubicles. Tune us in.