The BEAT GOES On As Advertisers inCREASE Efforts To TAG Products With HIP SOUND IMAGES

Brandweek, May 22, 2000 by Davin Seay

If there is such a thing as musical overdrive, then the business of selling songs across a wide creative and commercial spectrum has most definitely kicked into fifth gear. In the midst of unprecedented change in the way music is marketed and merchandised, the millennial byword is undoubtedly "synergy." Massive and ongoing consolidation put the multilayered processes of song placement into fewer and fewer shops, with the result being a vertical integration that brings the power of music to bear on every conceivable aspect of contemporary life. In short, the soundtrack of our world is becoming ever more ubiquitous.

Television and film are, of course, the primary tributaries to this enormous new revenue stream, and song placement in movies, TV series and commercials has seen dramatic jumps lately, not only in the sheer quantity of songs being used but in the perception of value that the right music can bring to any project. Witness the astonishing importance that soundtrack CDs have assumed in the success of any given film--from art projects like Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia," which has been largely credited for reviving the career of acclaimed singer/songwriter Aimee Mann, to such big-ticket popcorn epics as "End Of Days," which has done more to keep the head-banging genre vital than any number of releases from individual bands.

COMMERCIAL AS ART

The trend, however, is clear. While the cost of song placement in film has remained relatively stable, the going price for commercial usage has skyrocketed, with a much higher upside potential for all involved. Commercial music has become an art form unto itself. Product identification can be so closely tied to a particular song as to become virtually inseparable in consumer consciousness. Witness the droll brilliance of William Shatner's coffeehouse reading of "Free Bird" in the eye-and-ear-catching Priceline.com spot. And, in a too-hip-for-the-room Mitsubishi pitch, the relative merits of Dragnet's Joe Friday are contrasted and compared to black superdick Shaft, while, in the background, '70s-vintage wah-wah guitars replicate the Isaac Hayes hit, complete with its "Shut your mouth!" choral refrain. So enamoured was superstar Sting with the new edition Jaguar, that he sought out the auto maker's ad agency to volunteer his musical services. Burger King's ongoing series of wry musical in-jokes continues to se t new standards for commercial musical melds, while the Gap's khaki love fest, set to the tune of Donovan's "Mellow Yellow," unites Baby Boomers and GenXers in a nirvana of perceived coolness.

But the relentless quest to place products within the enhancing aura of popular music hardly stops there. Rapidly expanding and, in some cases, entirely new avenues of commercial exploration have opened up in recent years with salutary effects on the bottom line of music publishers and record company special-products divisions alike. Whether branded premiums, Internet innovations or in-store enticements, music wields increasing clout in the frenzied boom times of the new century.

"Song placement in film, television and ads runs a constant 30% of our overall business," asserts Bill Bishop, senior director of A&R for L.A-based Warner Special Products. "And there's no question that the market sector that has shown the most impressive growth for us has been in commercials, particularly advertising for the so-called dot.coms. Obviously, Internet start-ups have a vested interest in reaching a young and savvy consumer, and there's simply no better way to do that than through music. Take a look at the cream of the crop--the dot.com ads during the Super Bowl--and you'll see a clear indication of where the future of this business is going."

Bishop points to the recent and inventive use of the Doobie Brothers' perennial "China Grove" for a Webstreet.com commercial as an example of the depth to which current catalogs are being exploited to meet this voracious new demand. "They came to us looking for something that would really pop. They wanted to make a splash, and the song they picked was the single most important decision they would make. Fortunately, they had the budget to realize their ambitions," he says.

SKYROCKETING COSTS

The cost of a coveted song, according to Warner Special Products A&R manager Cyndi Goretski, continues to play a key role in placement, especially with the new breed of dot.com start-ups. "Often, their ears are bigger than their budgets," Goretski explains. "These are new companies, and they can't always afford top-of-the-line material. In those cases, our job is to come up with something that will work for them, creatively and price-wise. We take a look at the campaign and come up with alternatives. A lot of times, that helps not only the client, but the lesser-known artists whose music may fit the needs of a particular client who can't afford the better-known tracks."

More and more often, Goretski notes, advertisers and agencies adopt a mix-and-match approach to long-range product-positioning strategies, using a variety of music to reach a variety of demographics. 'We've placed four very different songs with the Mitsubishi campaign," she points out. "Curtis Mayfield, the Smiths, Average White Band and Gus Gus-it doesn't get much more diverse than that."