Find Your Sound

As I watch the 2011-2012 NCAA College Bowl Season I am inspired by Nelly's "The Champ", the soundtrack to this year's season.  This anthem will forever mark these events for these young athletes and forever be a reminder of their joys and triumphs.  I'm sure many of us upon hearing a song or a sound are reminded of events long past.  For instance, for me "Eternal Flame" is a reminder of my 6th grade Spring Dance in my school's gymnasium and Extreme's "More than Words" also reminds me of my Middle School Days.



Music and sound sparks a strong response from most people. It's why football teams travel with their marching bands and so much is put into the sound effects and scores for movies and television shows.  As marketers we have an opportunity to include a music bed behind most electronic media.  Put care into making these decisions.  Make sure the sound matches your message, evokes the desired emotion and compliments the products/services.  A great example of one brand doing this is Corona in the "Find Your Beach" series. The beach sounds transport the viewer to...the beach.


So think about your sound choices and don't wast a great opportunity to identify with your consumer and make an impact.

Pajama Jeans

For Rebecca.

Pajama jeans are real...no energizer bunny is going to come crashing through the ad. You may be asking yourself "How can they afford to air these ads?"
This is a per inqury (PI) ad which means that the host network/cable company gets paid a set amount for every call or order placed from the ad, not for the air time. Depending on the product, these can do well. I would be curious to see the stats on this one. Are any of my cable ad managers out there airing this ad? If so, how is it doing?

Bud Light: Real Men of Genius

Bud Light's series of radio ads that started in 1999 should go down in history as one of the best ad campaigns ever. They are memorable because they are funny and they are funny because they are true. Each spot takes a look at everyday characters in our lives such as Mr. Multi-color Sweater Wearer Guy and Mr. Beach Medal Detector Guy.

These were the type of ads you stopped on while flipping through stations trying to find music and looked forward to every break. Great use of audio, imagery and music....you're the real men of genius, Anheuser Busch ad guys.

There are well over 80 spots in this series and the complete list can be found at http://budlight.whipnet.com/ .

That's a Good Car Paw Paw

From time to time on this blog I will focus on local commercials. This one is actually from my childhood but I still remember it today. It is hokey, the video and audio quality are poor but it is part of one of the most memorable series of commercials that I've come across. Even after *mumble mumble* years, I still remember it. Check it out below.

Volkswagen The Force

Volkswagen's The Force ad debuted during the 2011 Super Bowl and was definetly a crowd pleaser. The Star Wars theme resonated with it's core audience and will certainly be remembered. But will we remember the brand or the product? The fact that the ad was for Volkwagen will probably be recalled, but recalling the model featured was a Passat, well I'm doubtful. Overall, the concept was good but I feel this ad falls a little short on both branding and product recall. If the ad had not premiered during the Super Bowl, would the message have been lost?

Luvs Blow Out

This is perhaps one of the most memorable diaper commercials I have seen in a long time. The "blow out" has happened to all mothers and can be as horrifying as it is hilarious if it happens in public. This ad instills confidence that Luvs can stand up to the test of the most powerfull blow outs even though it is done via animation. We've seen many ads of happy babies crawling around to show how well they move with your baby and control leaks and they can be very boring. This Luvs ad is entertaining, sends a clear message and is one that will stick with you.