It’s been a year of hard goodbyes. The world has had to bid farewell to several musical icons and many of these heroes had strong relationships with advertising. Prince, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Merle Haggard, and Glenn Frey all left us with their music to remember them by and all had an impact on brands.
Brands using music in their advertising campaigns experience a higher engagement rate. According to a 2015 study done by Neilsen:
 “A recent study from Nielsen looked at effectiveness of more than 600 television advertisements, more than 500 of which included music. The research indicated that commercials with some form of music performed better across four key metrics—creativity, empathy, emotive power, and information power—than those that didn’t.”
Nielson also reported that commercials using popular music added impact. The study stated, “Popular songs (and artists) deliver a one-two punch: They boost emotive power and can drive significant returns.”
In an article on the American Marketing Association site, Daniel Jackson, CEO of London-based Cord Worldwide, a music licensing firm specializing in music in branding, and co-author of Hit Brands: How Music Builds Value for the World’s Smartest Brands., CEO was quoted as saying:
“Music is kind of the unsung hero of advertising. It’s in the background and it’s kind of an afterthought, but when you get it right, it creates a halo of engagement that delivers way more than the budget for it should say.”
Undoubtedly, many large brands agree on this point.
Merle Haggard’s Ford radio commercials inspired consumers to get behind the wheel of a pickup.
David Bowie’s song Fame encouraged consumers to aspire to driving a Cadillac Escalade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3im23e4Z-gY
The television show Falling Skies made wonderful atmospheric use of Leonard Cohen’s song “The Darkness” for its trailer, drawing in viewers.
And anyone who experienced the 80s will remember Glenn Frey lending his music to not just Miami Vice, but to this classic Pepsi commercial.
More than lending their music to commercials, popular musicians who nod to brands in their lyrics also give the brand a boost. While Prince adamantly refused to allow commercial use of his music, his song “Little Red Corvette” will forever be a testament to the classic sex appeal of Chevrolet’s beloved sports car. It would be hard to quantify how many Corvettes Prince inadvertently sold for the car company, but Chevy definitely appreciated the boost and mourned along with us at his loss.
Chevrolet honored Prince with a full-page ad in The New York Times, The Detroit News and The Star Tribune among other newspapers, nodding to the song and lamenting his loss with a twist on the lyrics. While not everyone agreed that the ad was in good taste, it was immediately embraced by the Internet. The ad has since won several “Best Of” awards from Adcraft Club of Detroit.
Truly, music and advertising create a synergy that brands depend on and that consumers love. And though we’ve lost some amazing musicians this year, their music lives on. As the year comes to a close, maybe we should all take a moment to honor these icons who composed the soundtrack of our lives. And what better way to do it than to crank up their tunes!