No Emotion, No Sale

My friend and creative partner Daryl Stevenette and I were recently talking about advertising, and what makes some ads effective and others flops.

We naturally came back to the topic of music. Songs are usually written to tell a story, a story filled with hopes, dreams, love, romance or adventure. And this is why songs and music are such a large part of our culture.

People love messages contained in songs, accentuated by the music and the beat, as they elicit feeling, emotion or memory. They can make us feel sad, happy, reflective, hopeful or energized, and they can bring us to another place or time.

And why do we turn off those “yell-sell” screamer ads? To begin with, they are insulting, abrasive, and intrusive. But they also lack everything we like about a good ad. They lack creativity, class, cleverness, wit, and the element of surprise. And they lack the rhythmic melody of a good music bed or jingle.

Good advertising sticks in the mind in a positive way. And good advertising includes those mechanisms that allow it to stick:

• Emotional appeal or connection
• An element of surprise, cleverness or a unique twist
• A catchy and memorable tagline or slogan
• Enough frequency, longevity and continuity to break through the clutter
• Usually a good jingle, music bed or stinger to help carry the message into the subconscious mind like a power line carries electricity

Think about bringing back creativity and jingles to make good advertising and branding work again. Because I believe that good music works on the senses and creates permanent brand recall.

I was at a concert recently, and after watching the crowd being emotionally moved, motivated to dance, sway, clap, scream and sing, all charged by song, video screens and lights alone. Going to a concert is actually a lesson in the power of music to persuade.

The theme of the tour, the set and the video screens were Caribbean beaches and tropical destinations. In fact I have coined a new term for Chesney’s music style; I call it “Caribbean Country.” And people seem to love it. Which is yet another testament to my theory that people seek and appreciate mental escapism and good music as an easy ticket for a cheap mental trip.

The Power of Sound in Advertising

I have been conducting seminars and writing about the power of sound/echoic impact in advertising for years. Especially when combined with rhyme, rhythm and melody found in music. There is little in advertising that’s more memorable, impactful or emotional than a good song.

An example of emotion in music…Amazing Grace on the bag pipes at funerals gets me every time. And just look at young women screaming and balling their eyes out at concerts. The emotion of music is more important than we often think as logical businesspeople.

But where has the good music and jingles in advertising gone? It’s almost a lost art. When I conduct my seminars on “The Power of Sound in Advertising” I quiz the audience on a series of 20 different slogans that were embedded in jingles and stingers of famous brands for years, but grace the airwaves no more. In fact one of them went off the air on December 31st, 1971. And yet, everyone in the audience over 45 remembers the jingle, and can finish the song.

That my friends is the power of sound and repetition that creates permanent brand recall. And brand recall leads to brand preference, which leads to brand confidence, which leads to sales, and so on and so on.

And how do you suppose we have learned to recite the alphabet from age 6? We learned the ABCs by singing them. In fact we learned the states, the capitols, and religion through rhyme, rhythm and melody. Religion you say? In the early days most people could not read, so songs or hymns were written to teach the congregations the principles and concepts of the church through music, knowing that words, concepts and emotions sung to music are remembered and recalled easily. Not to mention that words written to music carry far more emotional weight than words alone.

So I was driving home just today, and this old Uncle Cracker song comes on called “Drift Away” and the lyrics just nailed it. I have bolded the lyrics that I feel have particular meaning and connection with people right now, with so much uncertainty and financial crisis. The lyrics first pinpoint the near universal state of mind, and then the real genius; they nail exactly what people are looking for: Escapism, freedom, security, someone to save them and someone to lean-on.

I stress that people seek and pursue freedom and escapism on a regular basis, and they are willing to pay for it. Think vacations, theme parks, cruise ships, movies, books, games, TV, music, sports, the Internet, drugs, alcohol, parties, walks on the beach, you name it, we want to surround ourselves with escapism. And this song is loaded with powerful advertising messages of hope, escapism, freedom, someone or something to believe in, and someone to lean-on. That's advertising.

"Day after day I'm more confused
So I look for the light in the pouring rain
You know that's a game that I hate to lose
I'm feelin' the strain, ain't it a shame

Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away

Beginning to think that I'm wastin' time
I don't understand the things I do
The world outside looks so unkind
I'm countin' on you to carry me through

And when my mind is free
You know a melody can move me
And when I'm feelin' blue
The guitar's comin' through to soothe me
Thanks for the joy that you've given me
I want you to know I believe in your song
Rhythm and rhyme and harmony
You help me along makin' me strong