Campaign magic: The best uses of music in marketing

In visual ads, celebrities boost performance by 2.84x the average attention, whilst established sonic branding cues take their ad to 8.53 times above the average… combine the two, and your audio branding could hit new heights.

In celebration of the sound of music returning in the form of concerts and festivals this summer, we’re looking at times when music and marketing have merged for magical results.

Apple – Various Artists

No one does it better. Apple are the undisputed kings of taking existing music, applying it to their advertising, and making memories – but there’s no better example the original iPod advert, featuring Jet’s ‘Do You Wanna Be My Girl?’, which burst its way onto the scene back in 2003.

Intel – Brian Eno

Believe it or not, the Windows 95 start-up sound was written by legendary ambient music maestro Brian Eno. It’s six seconds of bliss, but also a powerful example of how musical talent can help branding thrive. The chime was heard billions of times around the world, and will go down in the annals of tech, and branding, history.

Coca-Cola – Thundercat

A classic 80s jingle given the relaxed, modern treatment. The iconic brand enlisted the help of the Grammy-winner earlier this year for their Diet Coke ‘Just Because’ campaign – combining the ‘unapologetic’ spirit of their customers, and the laidback, funky sound of Thundercat’s music.

This combination between established musicians and celebrated brands has the power to embed itself into an audience’s collective memory almost immediately – producing high-quality, highly profitable marketing tools. If you have the resources, this is an avenue you can’t afford not to explore.