Getting Inside the Brand and Learning to Get Local

Televisual, the quarterly magazine for the broadcast and production community in the UK, recently asked me about my thoughts on trends in music for commercials and where we’re headed in 2018.

The resulting article, called ‘Music in Motion’ written by Jon Creamer features some of my reflections - as well as those of a selection of other sync specialists. It’s part of the Televisual Commercials 30 Survey - which ranks the top commercials production companies in the UK and asks them about their business and the climate for the production of TV and online ads.  I highly recommend you read the full article in the magazine which you can order here .

Below are my unabridged answers to the questions put to me by Televisual - looking at the industry from our own particular perspective - which is worldwide by the nature of the creative and strategic work Big Sync does with our global clients, their agencies and our music network.

Q> What are the current dominant trends in music for commercials? 

We’ve have seen a push toward more locally relevant music to match the content created by local teams rather than global teams. This has led to us expanding our knowledge and direct access to a network of international composers and rights owners in order to meet the challenge of finding authentic and credible artists and music. This is part of a bigger picture to make local content more engaging and also to tap into cultural references and borrowed equity. 

In addition to this and the rise of more digital-only content, we have had to meet the challenge of ‘local’ budgets as opposed to global teams creating one set of adaptable content for all markets. This has led to an increase in the use of production or library music. Again, we have had to improve our relationship and knowledge of local as well as international library companies and also to have a deep understanding of international licensing nuances and negotiation techniques. 

Q> What trends are on the horizon in terms of musical genres and instrumentation?

Our clients are looking for great quality music and music genres and instrumentation that portray brand quality.  Orchestrated score and contemporary style tracks with strings and beats is popular right now. The electronic percussion and top line synth line gives the ad a modern and relevant feel whilst the underlying strings and brass can give the brand a feeling of high perceived value.

Quite often we will be given certain key words that describe the creative role of music in a new brief or in a brand’s personality. It’s critical to work really closely with the brand and its creative team to understand the musical context of these words, to make sure that a key word such as “Bold” can be associated with the right genre, instrument, tempo, style of play and so on. Music to describe what is happening on screen is not enough - so a deeper understanding of the brand and campaign message will become more valued.

Q> What drives trends in music for commercials?

In an industry where it’s becoming harder for content to cut through and keep the attention of the user, our clients are looking to engage and entertain. For younger audiences this is about borrowed equity - who is the latest big thing? And what is the new sound?  For older audiences, it’s about familiarity, music used as a sonic trigger to a treasured memory or feeling.

However, the route to market is often dictated by budget and cost. We have seen reductions in marketing spend which has a knock-on, negative effect on production budgets so our clients are looking for more value from their licenses. Prices for well-known tracks and artists have risen and often pricing for local markets can be unrealistic. An understanding of local market rates and relationships with rights owners can help unlock the use of big tracks for small budgets - a classic example being our recent TRESemmé ad ‘The Shape Edition’ in India featuring Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”.  Alternatively, finding a more relevant, more appropriate or low cost solution such as a re-record, library track or bespoke composition has become an important part of the Big Sync team’s skill-set.

Q> How do you spot trends and keep ahead of the game?

Simply put, we are busy. We worked on more projects last year than in any previous years and so the demand for great music solutions has forced us to constantly refine and grow our network of musicians, influencers and rights owners.  But we also put demands on ourselves to come up with the best song for a music search or ideas for a brand’s music strategy.

Our Songs of the Week playlist has now become an internal competition for the team to show off their knowledge of the latest trends, tracks and artists - with additional kudos to the music supervisor who places their track first. However, we are working with some of the best creative minds and agencies around the world, many of whom will introduce us to amazing new and emerging talent, so just being part of the creative process really helps us to be ahead of the game.