Music is something we typically associate with as a form of entertainment. Whether at a concert, the ballet, musical theatre, or opera, music is there for us. It creates a variety of emotions from the sadness and desperation of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio” to the joy in hearing Pharrell William’s “Happy”. Creating an emotion with music help us to more likely recall a message.
It’s no small wonder that marketing with music is utilized in most videos for TV, radio, film, and social media. Don’t think of this as merely a catchy jingle. It targets the audience you want to reach and it aligns your message with your business. In some cases, no words are used. When only music is heard it draws your attention and curiosity. Here is one of the highest-ranking commercials of the season.
Marketing with music is an important part of telling your story so here are some tips to guide you:
- Who do you want to reach? If you’re targeting teens/tweens, think in the style of BTS
- When targeting Millennials, look to Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Taylor Swift
- Want Boomers as customers? Think along the lines of James Taylor, The Doors, and Rod Stewart.
- For seniors, get encouraged by the sounds of Tony Bennett, Paul Anka, Johnny Mathis, and Frank Sinatra.
- What emotion do you want to elicit and grab attention? Fast strings create excitement; percussion indicates drama; electronics are used to shock; and acoustic guitars create a mellow mood.
- Here are a few websites with free original music to check out: Ben Sound or MixIt or Free Stock.
- Take your time making decisions; experiment with several pieces of music. You will “feel” it in your gut when you hear it.
- Most popular music is protected with copyrights so check to ensure you are not infringing on legal rights.
By itself, music is based on an intricate science; as a marketing tool, it becomes even more complex. Recent research shows that customers are more willing to make purchases when classical music is playing. Grocery stores schedule their music by time of day based on research of demographics and their time of day to shop. Picking the wrong music can hurt your brand: for example, don’t play hip hop if you’re catering to seniors and likewise, don’t play Mozart if you’re selling sneakers to athletes. You get the idea.
From Mozart to Madonna to Metallica to Miles Davis, the choices of music in marketing are endless. If you want expert assistance with your social media videos, we will start you on the road to strategic branding.
Like us on Facebook here.