Music and emotions
The use of music in advertising has good reasons, even scientifically based. Scientists have shown that humans use the same parts of the brain to process music as they do for memory and emotion. It is natural for the human brain to associate certain types of music with an object, place, or person.
Music as such evokes emotions very easily. It can express happiness, sadness, tension, and fear. In advertising, it can be more important than the image because it adds rhythm to the spot in combination with the editing of the video. Advertisers use music in their advertising campaigns to create a connection between the emotion-inducing piece of music and their brand. It then only takes a few seconds, a few tones, for the viewer to recall the advertiser’s brand or product.
That’s why brands often choose songs with lyrics or tempo that match what’s happening on screen.
McDonald’s burgers stuffed with Mozart’s Lacrimosa
Mozart would probably have been surprised if he had known that his work would still be used more than 200 years later not only to lift the human spirit in concert halls but also to increase sales of various products. Like burgers. One of the brands that has bet big on the Lacrimosa part of Mozart’s famous Requiem is McDonald’s:
Video: Mozart Lacrimosa McDonald’s
Mozart’s Lacrimosa has also appeared in a Nike spot, for example. It fits wonderfully with the slow-motion shots:
Video: Nike - Mozart
Amazon went for the Queen of the Night
It is not only Lacrimosa that is in demand from Mozart’s work. The Queen of the Night aria from The Magic Flute also found its place in advertising. However, the Queen of the Night in the Amazon Alexa advert ends rather surprisingly:
Video: Amazon - Alexa
Beethoven travels to Croatia
Summer holidays in Croatia are nothing but an annual ode to joy! This was the motto chosen by the Croatian National Tourist Board for its promotional campaign in 2012. It even won a prestigious award for this campaign at the International Tourism Film Festival. Beethoven’s inspiring work Ode to Joy, performed by Croatian cellist Ana Rucner and accompanied by an orchestra, forms a beautiful backdrop to the spot, which highlights Croatia’s rich cultural, historical, and natural heritage.
Video: Croatia - Ode to Joy
Red Bull gave Richard Wagner wings
Classical music can also be used in advertising in a humorous way. This is proven by the Red Bull ad inspired by the Ride of the Valkyries from the Valkyrie written by the famous composer Richard Wagner. In the animated ad, a grieving widow learns from the last will that her husband has left all his money, property, and other valuables to a beautiful young woman, probably his mistress. The widow, however, is not about to accept this. She pulls an energy drink from her handbag and, to the sound of classical music, snatches the will, flies up to the sky, and gives the deceased ungrateful husband looking curiously down from a cloud a good chase.
Red Bull - Valkyrie
Apple engaged Villiam Tell
There is an obvious connection between Apple and the character of William Tell. Legend has it that William Tell was forced by his enemies to shoot an apple off his son’s head with a crossbow. Since he was a perfect crossbowman, he saved his son’s life and his own. Perhaps this connection was one of the reasons why the soundtrack for the Apple MacBook ad is based on the overture to the opera William Tell by Gioacchino Rossini. Interestingly, the ad’s soundtrack is in a higher key than Rossini wrote his piece in.
Video: Apple MacBook
BMW is a car suitable for the four seasons (but discounted in summer)
The automotive giant took inspiration from Vivaldi’s summer sonata, part of The Four Seasons, for its 2018 BMW X2 summer campaign. But instead of a violin, an electric rock guitar sets the exciting rhythm for the spot. The exciting atmosphere is underscored by shots of Ferris wheels, roller coasters, and surfers riding the waves – the aim is only one thing: to show the speed of the car and the ultimate thrill that driving it brings to drivers.
Video: BMW - Vivaldi (2018)
The only way to survive baby changing is with Strauss music
The symphonic poem Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss is a popular work. It was used, for example, in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, based on the novel of the same name by Arthur C. Clark. It was also used in the popular sitcom The Simpsons and featured in the Czech TV show Česká soda.
In advertising, the Pampers brand took inspiration from this monumental work. Saatchi & Saatchi NY, the agency behind the ad, decided not to obscure the “unloveliness” of the little angels’ physical processes and came up with an original idea. The spot, underscored by Strauss’s music, captures the babies’ faces just before a diaper change.
Video: Pampers Pooface
Sometimes even a few tones are enough
Music is a fundamental and ancient element of human socialisation, and listening to it is closely linked to strong emotional feelings. Without music, our lives would simply be boring and monotonous. The right song can give us chills, help us out of a bad mood, or take us back in time to when we first heard it.
It was proven that emotion is a powerful modulator of memory encoding. Music activates the entire limbic system, which is involved in the processing of emotion and memory management. There is no doubt that by using music in advertising, brands can multiply the impact of their campaigns and ensure the long-term memorability of the products they promote. This is true. Indeed, a few well-chosen notes can be what contributes to better brand performance.
