Music Makes Who Smarter?
'They say music makes the brain smarter...'
That's one of the blurbs from a Kingston radio station that I keep hearing all the time.
Is this true? Maybe...But not in the world of advertising.
I thought we had seen the last of those retro-music ads from Burger King until they
decided to besmirch the likes of 'Wild Thing' in a recent campaign. Or how about the
auto industry jumping on the bandwagon and using Edgar Winter's 'Frankenstein' in a
campaign with, of all people, Tiger Woods. And when will Chevy get a new ad executive
and get rid of 'Like a Rock'. I believe it was Dennis Miller who said the Chevy
commercials have lasted longer than Bob Seger's career. At this point I'm inclined to
believe him.
And do we really need a cola war with Britney and Christina. Hey, Coke and Pepsi,
check out the Sprite and 7Up ads. You might learn something.
I'm not saying that music doesn't have it's place in ads. One of the best commercials
I've seen has the Queen classic 'Another One Bites the Dust'. I'm sure you've seen it
at one time or another...This guy is driving down the road rocking out to the tune
while other cars are passing him. He smiles and waves at everybody and just keeps on
rocking. The payoff is he's driving a hearse and the ad is for AIWA sound systems.
Just a little question for the ad execs to ponder...How about some offbeat ads that
will be memorable down the road? Trojan Condoms could have Prince's 'Cream' or George
Michaels' 'I Want Your Sex' playing in the background for a few spots. Viagara could
use Aerosmith's 'Back In the Saddle' to promote their wonder drug. How about Chapstik
having Faith Hill singing 'This Kiss' or Claritin using sections of her song 'Breathe'
for a new twist?
If all else fails, guys, you could always try to be original and actually think up new
and clever ideas to hook the customer without using music. Isn't that what you get paid
to do? Or is it like the old adage - 'Everything old is new again'.
Music does make your brain smarter...as long as you aren't employed in the advertising
market.
- Richard Blaine
* Richard Blaine's views and opinions do not necessarily
reflect the views and opinions of the staff at Twin-Music.