On the gambling floor at the Cosmopolitan with PMOL Directors Adam Routh and Patrick Wilson
Paul Gulmans – Music Director, The Netherlands
Noelle Alanis with FOX KVVU On-Air Promotion’s Sergio Rodriguez and Tai Howard
Little Elvis at The Palms
We came, we saw, we ruled the Roulette table. NAB 2013 was quite an experience…. from DTS’s 11.1 Surround Sound Headphones to the American Idol judges that seemed to be at every session. But alas we were not there to purchase the latest technologies or try our hand in a singing competition but rather for a chance to meet clients, colleagues and eat pricey dinners on the company credit card!
Special thanks to all our sub-publishers for sitting down with us – particularly Fred and the lovely Lynn Woods at Red Igloo, Jean at Music for Productions and Paul Gulmans at Music Director who still does NOT eat fish despite us taking him to a seafood restaurant…
Also, station owners Carole and Peter Kozloski from WAGM for a fantastic breakfast, Adam Routh and Patrick Wilson of PMOL for their lovely bottle of scotch that still hasn’t made it onto the boss’s desk, and of course the On-Air Promotion boys at Las Vegas’s KVVU-TV for showing us around town Tuesday night and introducing us to Corona martinis (very fancy)!
Finally what a great creole meal at Emeril’s with Fox Business’s Ray Lambiase and CNN design guru Jonathan Kemp.
And, of course we met Elvis – he’s much shorter in person!
It’s not just music they’re playing on those Super Bowl ads – the smart sponsors are applying Sonic Branding.
Sonic Branding done right reinforces memory recall and the message, and connects products and services with emotions. Combine story, visuals, and sound in an appealing alchemy – especially during the Super Bowl – and you’ve got a spot that everyone will be talking about at the water cooler for weeks. Later on, they’re revisiting it on YouTube.
It’s the reason that the aural jigsaw puzzle of three frogs croaking “Bud…Weis…Er” still stands out years later, as does “Have a Coke and a Smile” and Mean Joe Greene 33 years removed from its first airing, as well as the use of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” by Budweiser in the latest Super Bowl.
Stephen Arnold Music has assembled an all-time list of the Super Bowl spots that best used music and sound to their advantage, over the years. Ladies and gentlemen, drum roll please — we present the Super Sonics:
1) Coca Cola — Super Bowl XIII, 1979
Mean Joe Greene accepts a cool bottle from a kid, “Have a Coke and a Smile” kicks in, and Super Bowl sonic branding history was made forever. The positive associations from this ad endured for generations, as evidenced by the 2009 Super Bowl XLIII remake for Coke Zero featuring Troy Polamalu.
2) Chrysler — Super Bowl XLV, 2011
The darkly tense hip hop track captured the soul of the city, and perfectly reflected the spot’s visual imagery. This emotion-stirring “Imported from Detroit” commercial starring local artist Eminem inspired people to talk about Detroit — and Chrysler by extension.
3) Budweiser – Super Bowl, XXIV, 1995
Talk about a watercooler classic – the three frogs croaking “Bud…” “Weis…” “Er” strongly associated an innovative sound design with this iconic American brand. It was funny, and gave the world something they could gladly croak along to.
4) Volkswagen — Super Bowl XLV, 2011
A pint-sized Darth Vader used the Force when he discovered the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat in the driveway. The essential use of John Williams’ classic motif from the Star Wars franchise is a huge part of why this ad remains strong in people’s minds, two years later.
5) Budweiser – Super Bowl XLVII, 2013
The mega-brewer returns with “Brotherhood”, the tale of a trainer reunited with a beloved Clydesdale. Fleetwood Mac’s emotional “Landslide” was the perfect backing track – it’s oft-covered status makes it a song choice that spans time. Will people think of Budweiser now when they hear it on the air? We’re betting yes.
6) Coke – Super Bowl XXIV, 1990
Not surprising that brand messaging masters like Coke make these Super Bowl ad lists multiple times. Here, the famed “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke” theme is in full swing in a follow-up to the original commercial, called “Hilltop Reunion”, aired during coverage of Super Bowl XXIV featuring the singers and their children, and culminating in a medley of this song and the then-current “Can’t Beat the Real Thing” jingle. “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” has had a lasting connection with the viewing public. Advertising surveys consistently identify it as one of the best commercials of all time, and the sheet music continues to sell more than thirty years after the song was written.
7) Pepsi – Super Bowl XXIX, 1995
This spot, starring a kid sucking on a straw who launches himself straight into a Pepsi bottle, captures honors for its adventurous use of sound. In our humble opinions, the bold sound design is the true star here.
8) Old Milwaukee — Super Bowl XLVI, 2012
Already larger than life, Will Farrell expands still more into our universe with this grand vision. His heroic stroll through a field of hops takes on magnificent grandeur courtesy of the classical symphonic score that accompanies it. Intentionally jarring sound at the end provides an interesting counterpoint to everything that preceded it – part of a sound (and video) combo that makes this spot memorable.
9) Budweiser – Super Bowl XXXVI, 2002 Budweiser 9/11
Here is the famous commercial Budweiser produced after 9/11. They aired it only once — during Super Bowl XXXVI in February 2002. This one-minute spot features the beer company’s trademarked team of Clydesdale horses trudging across snow-covered ground into New York City where they stop to gaze upon the Statue of Liberty and the city’s skyline before lowering their heads on bended knees in a gesture of respect. Music and images drive the whole commercial – everything is very emotive, thanks to the simplicity of this moving tribute and the music.
10) Noxzema – Super Bowl VII, 1973
Joe Namath — and a jingle for the ages — stars here. “Let Noxzema cream your face, so the razor don’t!” is belted out by an unknown session singer, with massive levels of mucho gusto. We dare you to forget this jingle anytime soon. No, wait, we DOUBLE DOG DARE you. Some rockin’ funk makes this the grooviest shaving cream commercial in broadcast history. Meanwhile, onscreen, don’t miss the Most Obvious Lip Synch Ever Seen.
We continue to scrutinize the archives. Stay tuned, because we’ll add some more Super Sonics soon!
New from The Vault! Straight off his chart topping success with ‘Declaration of Independence’ (US Country #1, US Rap #2, Billboard #5) Colt Ford lends his signature Country-Rap vocals to the new Georgia Bulldogs anthem – ‘Dawg Bite’ recorded by David Richt. Co-written by our very own Vault artist Greg Barnhill, this is the perfect track for Gameday!
Kraig Kirchem of Kirchem Productions, winner of Fender Road Worn Guitar, with Stephen Arnold Music’s Michael Finnegan and Whitney Arnold.
The Grapevine Convention Center just off Historic Grapevine Town Center was host to the Texas Production Roundup on Thursday, presented by the Dallas Producers’ Association
Of course we couldn’t miss a chance to meet our local clients and make new friends. Local Film and TV producers and directors were there to see the latest offerings in mobile production, cameras, post-production, and great custom and library music.
These days, hyper-local is the new buzz word – just check out our latest image campaign ‘This Is The Place” – and this was our chance to see all that North Texas and Dallas, the 5th largest media market in the country, had in the pipeline.
We had a blast and even gave away a Fender ‘Road Worn’ guitar! Congratulations to Kraig Kirchem of Kirchem Productions and ABC affiliate WFAA.
Partnership to Significantly Expand The Vault’s Catalog of Ready-to-License Music
DALLAS, TX March 26 – The Vault, the licensed music collection from sonic branding experts Stephen Arnold Music, have expanded the size and scope of their catalog through a partnership with the elite UK collection Production Music Online (PMOL). The development adds hundreds of titles across multiple genres to The Vault – the extremely selective “anti-library” of ready-to-license music for broadcast and cable TV use.
Visitors to The Vault can now access PMOL’s Latin, Orchestral, Metal, Rock, Africa, China/Far East, and Science/Tech collections. Throughout 2012, The Vault will add more than 25 new PMOL volumes, comprising hundreds of highest-quality tracks.
PMOL has distinguished itself by working with many of the UK’s most in-demand film and TV composers, including Patrick Wilson (“Desperate Housewives,” “Dateline NBC,” “Today,” “The Tonight Show,” Dumb and Dumber) David Lowe (BBC News Theme, Abu Dhabi TV, TV2 Norway), Daniel Hewson (Groove Armada), and Dominic Miller (Sting).
“Every volume that goes into The Vault needs to have the ‘Wow factor’ from start to finish, and the music of PMOL more than qualifies,” says Stephen Arnold, President of Stephen Arnold Music. “Our partnership with PMOL makes The Vault a better tool than ever to quickly locate and license outstanding music.”
In addition to PMOL, The Vault also offers The Stephen Arnold Music Collection, high-end compositions from their custom music division; The Artist Collection, selected tracks from established hit songwriters like Greg Barnhill, Tom Freund and Diana Krall; and H2U, a top European collective that excels in electronica, techno, rock and beyond.
About The Vault:
Featuring a fast-moving web interface, an extremely selective catalog, and exclusive representation, The Vault is staffed by Stephen Arnold Music’s highly experienced team of full-time composers, providing content creators with a full-speed path to 100% licensable music, handpicked for maximum impact in TV, film and streaming media.
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