Posts tagged emotion
How To (And How Not To) Use Music In Ads
Feb 19th
Bruce and I were talking the other day about great songs in commericals, and he sent me a link to this new Nike spot that uses the song “Ali In The Jungle” by the British band “The Hours”.
Human Chain from NikeSportswear on Vimeo.
This is a beautiful spot to begin with, but the song is what pushes it over the top to become a truly great ad. The song gives the spot a level of emotion and meaning, with the line “Everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you going to get up?” repeated throughout. It’s as if the song was written for this campaign…but it wasn’t. That means someone brilliantly chose this song to help bring the message of the ad to life(or they got lucky and just stumbled upon the song and had a “Eureka!” moment. Either way, it’s a great example of how music and image can combine successfully to stimulate an emotional response to the product/service being advertised. (Note: Bruce has a great white paper on the use of emotion to change behavior, available to download here.)
If the Nike “Human Chain” spot is an example of how to effectively use music in advertising, then the Radio Shack(oops, I’m sorry, “The Shack”) “Chemist” spot is an example of when music and message just don’t seem to work, and the ad ends up failing.
Seriously. Oingo Boingo’s “Weird Science”? And what’s with the cheap, Monty Python-esque animation? And what was it you were actually advertising? Oh, the fact that you sell phones…and that you…wait for it…have it down to a science! LOL! Like so many ads, by trying to be clever, they end up totally confusing me, and I most likely won’t remember what it was they were trying to sell…which is kind of the point of advertising…isn’t it? Compare it to the Nike ad, where the song and the visuals tell you right away what it’s about, and they keep you engaged right to the end. Maybe “The Shack” (speaking of terrible rebranding) should’ve tracked down Kelly LeBrock…or at least Anthony Michael Hall to do an endorsement.
The Requisite Super Bowl Ad Review
Feb 9th
I believe it is a requirement of every marketing/advertising blog to write something about the Super Bowl ads, usually first thing on Monday morning, following the big game. Well, as Bruce told you yesterday, he was hanging out with his mom and didn’t watch the game, so I figured I should ensure he keeps his “Marketing/Advertising Blogger” street cred by supplying my own quick take on the best spot of Super Bowl XLIV.
My vote for best ad: Google “Parisian Love :60”
Like every year, there were plenty of ads that made me laugh(Betty White and Abe Vigoda playing football!), plenty that left me scratching my head(the ‘86 Bears doing a remake of the Super Bowl Shuffle), and plenty that were just plain bad(everything ever done by Go Daddy…regardless of how hot Danica Partick is). The Google ad was the only one that, after watching it, I said “wow, that was a great friggin ad.” So many other spots were so focused on entertaining the audience or becoming the “watercooler conversation” the next day, that I hardly remember what it was they were supposed to be selling. I know Doritios and Bud Light ran a ton of spots, and to me they were interchangeable; lots of frat boy humor and not a lot of substance.
If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.
-David Ogilvy
I think there are three things that make Google’s ad great: simplicity, focus on product benefit, and effective use of emotion. It’s just the Google homepage(the definition of simplicity, by the way), and a demonstration of some of the many ways that its search capabilities can be used to make life easier/better. No one is getting kicked in the groin, there are no talking babies, and Danica Patrick is no where to be found. Now, if all the ad did was show someone making a bunch of searches on Google, this would have been a supremely boring spot, but the use of the music and the clever theme to the searches (going to Paris, falling in love, starting a family) gives it the emotional boost that makes it resonate with the viewer.
You can say the right thing about a product and nobody will listen. You’ve got to say it in such a way that people will feel it in their gut.
-Bill Bernbach
I really don’t remember any other ads that were as successful in doing that. So that’s my favorite spot from Super Bowl XLIV(I just love using Roman numerals), what did you think of that spot? What was your favorite ad? Any votes for the worst ad of the night?
