“Audiences Don’t Need to Be Familiar With It - If It’s Good Music They’ll Like It”
From triggering recall to enhancing storytelling, music and sound play an important role in media and marketing, becoming an essential asset to brands. Both in the advertising and the branding worlds, music is the common denominator if you want to convey emotions.
To explore the future and power of music in advertising, MassiveMusic London spearheads ‘Sonic Iconic’, a new series on LBB, inviting boundary-pushing British creatives to explore the theme.
In this interview, VCCP’s producer Frankie Burwell-Wright discusses provoking emotion, her favourite use of music in ads and why brands need to move faster.
LBB> Outside of work, what music do you listen to, where do you listen to it and why?
Frankie> Weekday mornings I’m all about Charlie Bone's radio show on Do You Radio. It's an absolute joy. At home I listen to a lot of vinyl. Mostly hip hop, jazz, Afrobeat and indie bands from the mid-Noughties. Spotify is great for when I'm out and about. I've been introduced to so many artists through the Discover Weekly playlists.
LBB> Sound is more important than ever right now, with so many new touchpoints available for a brand to live in. Do you think brands are being creative enough with sound?
Frankie> I think it depends on the brand. But generally speaking, probably not. TikTok is setting a lot of music trends so by the time brands have jumped on the track for TV, the moment has passed.
LBB> Tell us about a recent project in which music was instrumental to the campaign’s success?
Frankie> I loved the music for Meta's Tiger and the Buffalo ad, Way in My Brain and Under My Sleng Teng. Two stone-cold bangers.
LBB> What is your approach to setting a music brief for a campaign?
Frankie> Finding good music that both works within budget, and is liked by creatives and clients can often be the most challenging part of the production process, as it's completely subjective. Having a clear idea on what emotion you want the viewer to feel, combined with as many musical references as possible, never hurts.
LBB> Music is scientifically proven to evoke emotion. Do you often think about or measure the effectiveness of music? How do you approach this?
Frankie> For me, Macmilllain’s Tender and Tough ad is a perfect example of this. It’s so moving and Max Richter’s remaster of Vivaldi’s Spring evokes a very visceral emotional feeling. The music is optimistic but with an undercurrent of sadness. It signifies our fears but lets us believe that there is hope.
LBB>In advertising the need to quickly engage consumers has never been more important. What are your tips for using music to quickly grab people’s attention?
Frankie> Play Metallica.
LBB> What would you like to happen with music for advertising in the next couple of years?
Frankie> It would be nice to hear more world music on ads. Audiences don’t need to be familiar with a particular genre. If it’s good they’ll like it.
