The power of music advertising

Light And Day by The Polyphonic Spree has just been announced as the most performed song in advertising having appeared in Sainsbury’s Try Something New campaign.

The survey, which was carried out by PRS, revealed the most frequently used songs in adverts over the last five years. Nina Simone's I Got Life from the Muller yogurt commercials came in a close second to the classical piece Eliza's Aria by Elena Kats-Chernin, from the Lloyds TSB's advert in third.

It still truly amazes me how a song can have such strong ties and connotations to a specific brand and become so synonymous to the products they are used to sell. For instance I now find it impossible to listen to Take That’s Shine without thinking of dear Richard Hammond traipsing through the British countryside with his Morrison’s shopping trolley! Likewise, the image of bouncing balls and Sony Brava inevitably come into my head as soon as I hear Heartbeats by José Gonzalez.

Having done some research online I found an interview with Roger Greenaway, who co-wrote I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, the tune used in the now iconic Coca-Cola campaign. He explains: "Music makes an emotional impact upon people and a well-crafted song can lock in the listeners' mind for life, making it the most powerful marketing tool in existence."

The fact that songs like Roger’s and Etta James, I Just Wanna Make Love To You (used in a similar Diet Coke Advert) stay in our minds many years after the adverts first aired, just goes to show that these songs will forever resonate the brands they represent. The power of music really is huge and can in no way be underestimated in terms of its selling capabilities.


Top 10 Most Performed Songs in Advertising
1 Light And Day by The Polyphonic Spree - Sainsbury's Try Something New Today
2 Ain't Go No/I Got Life by Nina Simone - Muller
3 Eliza's Aria by Elena Kats-Chernin - Lloyds TSB's For The Journey
4 Shine by Take That - Morrisons
5 Left Bank Two by The Noveltones - Waitrose Essentials
6 All Possibilities by Badly Drawn Boy - Comet
7 Knickknack by Bobby McFerrin - Bupa
8 Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield - Pantene Pro-V
9 Send It On by Sean Paul - Vauxhall Corsa
10 Epoca by Gotan Project - Finish Dishwasher Tablets
Source: PRS for Music


Katie