Holly WinnBrands put a lot of thought into whether to add music, what artist’s music to include and how that music will be placed to send a message to consumers about what the brand stands for and product value/features.
Sketchers is an American lifestyle and performance footwear company, which is now the third largest athletic footwear brand in the U.S. Sketcher’s “D’Lites” ad endorsed by EXO, a famous boy group from Korea SM Entertainment was a good example of a brand’s use of music. With simple dance movements (rather active or stilled), they enhance the slogan “Flow Rider” both in their video and print ads.
It was a smart move when Converse partnered with Guitar Center. You could buy a pair of Chuck T’s at the same time as a Les Paul. At the time, Guitar Center was a pretty reputable music retail outlet — and could still be considered as such to many.
They definitely are targeting music lovers. They’er all about helping emerging artists.
We can’t not mention Rihanna’s Puma partnership. What’s smart is that not only can Rihanna align herself as an artist with Puma, but also her brand Fenty. Now, you have a brand + brand + artist collab., a trifecta.
Okay, so enough about fashion, which is always one of the more popular to match with music being that they’re both lifestyle industries. Fenty definitely mixes the two world’s nicely:
Another brand that utilizes music to its benefit is Starbucks. From the choice of music to enhance the atmosphere to their download cards (which with streaming may no longer be as big a deal), they definitely try to incorporate it.
Another popular industry that utilizes music a lot in ads is automotive.
How about this Audi commercial with The Carpenters – Close to You cover.
Or, VW and it’s choice of Pink Moon that brought Nick Drake to the masses:
From fashion to food to automotive, the placement of music is key to telling a story and building that emotional connection with the product.
What other brands do you think have built strong connections by utilizing music? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
