Songs That Made Commercials!

The key to part of a successful advert (you would think) is the choice of song. Does the song on the advert relate and go with what you are trying to sell?

The wrong song choice can make or break an advert! If I mentioned the Dairy Milk Gorilla you know exactly what song I am talking about (I can feel it coming in the air also Phil)

We have thrown together a list of all the songs that made an advert what it is today. Just to point out, it isn’t just the song that makes the advert, you do have to have a catchy concept as well.

1)  As mentioned above….I can feel it by Phil Collins – Cadbury (2007)

One of the most recognisable adverts EVER, Cadbury’s commercial featured a gorilla playing the famous drum sequence from Phil Collins “I Can Feel It".

When the commercial starts it is hard to tell what the Gorilla is doing due to the close up angle shots...meaning that when the big reveal comes and the Gorilla starts thrashing the Hi Hat (Drummer Lingo) it has a very big impact on the viewer!

2) Heartbeats by Jose Gonzales - Sony Bravia (2005)

You might not instantly recognise what the song is when you see the name, but I guarantee once you click play and listen to it, you will know exactly what I am talking about. Supposedly it took over 4 days to collect all the 250,000 balls dropped!

Feel good advert and a very clever way of showing the colours that a Sony Bravia can bring to your screen!

3) Loving it by Justin Timberlake - Mcdonalds (2003)

Ba ba ba ba banging video Justin! See what I did there? Apologies.

This has become such a success that even over 15 years on, I still here people singing it when speaking about the Golden Arches! Me being one of them.

Just shows how a single little bit of wording put across in the right way can have a massive impact on what prospects think of when they see your business. Granted, Mcdonalds don't really need to worry about advertising anymore, but they still make sure that there adverts are up there with the best!

4) Here comes the girls by Ernie K Doe - Boots (2007)

HERE COMES THE GIRLSSS...now tell me you didn't sing that out loud. The power of a song. This one ties in superbly with Boots, as they are reaching out to their main target audience of women, and any woman who sees this advert would hopefully feel empowered and would want to shop at Boots.

The law of Exclusivity can be a powerful seller. Just look at 'Yorkie: It's not for girls': Many men would have picked up a Yorkie just because it is appealing to them exclusively, and they think only Men can have them...but, there is a fine line between appealing to one Gender and putting the other gender off your product completely.

They wouldn't be able to get away with it today. I think now the advert would have to be called: Here comes the...non binary, TGNC, Meterosexual, Panesexual, 2 gendered people with which gender cannot be named for legal reasons.

5) Bohemian Like You by Dandy Warhols - Vodafone (2003)

When times were simpler. When you would stick £10 credit on your phone and would use it all on waiting for 1 page of the internet to load up. Who remembers the old Internet Dial Up Tone? Who remembers the colour screen coming in for the first time? Who remembers taking a picture on a 2 megapixel phone and it looks like it has been took on a potato!

Got carried away with myself there, enough of the reminiscing. Let's get back to the advert! A consistent thing with some of these adverts is the feel good factor, and the music always helps with this! From start to finish, it gets you moving and the concept of everyone being closer together with the scenes of people running close really works and their end tagline of 'The people you need are only a touch away'

6) Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz - Peugeot 206 (2003)

Judging by our list, it seems like 2003 was a popular year for top quality adverts and songs. Don't get me reminiscing again!

Everyone loves a bit of Lenny Kravitz and the song choice goes well with the advert as it is saying that driving a Peugeot you can practically fly away in it! Also it is putting in the audiences mind that if you drive one of these, people will be turning their heads to have a peek at it.

The dreaming scenes is trying to put across that this really is a car of your dreams!

We have included another Peugeot 206 advert in here and this is because it is too good to leave out. It is called 'The Sculptor' and won a whole host of Advertising awards.

Let me know which one you prefer? I prefer 'The Sculptor' as I just think this is such a clever way of showing the lengths you should go to, to get this car!

7) Mas Que Nada by Serge Mendes - Nike Joga Bonito (2006)

Joga Bonito simply means 'play beautifully', and that is exactly what this team of Brazilians did. With some very famous world class footballers in the video. How do you think the other team felt watching their opponents literally filming an advert before they are due to play them!

Anyway enough about my love for that Brazil team, let me get to the actual point of this article! Eric Cantona says that we only know how to make beautiful music if we know how to play in an orchestra. This is why it shows them playing the tambourine et cetera at the start of the video. It is incorporating the fact that to be part of something special you have to play in a team, not as an individual. Great way to tie it in to football!

This was a fun filled advert that got everyone who heard it dancing and has made this song instantly recognisable. You may not know exactly what advert it is off but 100% you know it is from Nike!

8) Half the world away by Oasis (Aurora performed this one) - John Lewis (2015)

This advert was known for being a real tearjerker when it came out in 2015. John Lewis has been renowned for their Xmas Adverts, and well...this one is a cracker.

It is showing the power of what one gift can bring to a person at Christmas. Let's be honest it is a bit of an extreme version of this but it gets to the point and it also started an Annual event of what the next John Lewis Christmas Advert is going to be...no pressure John!

The song Half the World Away is a fitting song to go with the advert as they are literally a world away from each other, and it shows that the power of caring for other people will always touch someone no matter how far away!

9) The One That I Want by Angus & Julia Stone - Sky (2012)

Relatively unknown artists for this one, but they took an original song and really made it their own! The scenes shown really go well with the song lyrics and timing.

This was one of those songs that when you first hear it, you instantly have to find out who the singers are!

Sky never takes half measures when it comes to their Adverts, but with the amount of money they put into their advertising each year you should really expect nothing less!

10) Flat Beat by Mr Oizo - Levis (1997)

Last but not least, how can you forget Flat Eric! Flat Eric was called this because in one of the adverts planned, it was going to get run over making it Flat Eric...but don't think Levis liked that idea.

Anyway, they will be glad they stuck with the Flat Eric concept as this became a real hit of an advert. The original song also went on to Number 1 in UK, Austria, Finland, Germany and Italy! We can see why!!!

This advert is a great example of how a Cuddly, Little Sidekick can make the audience intrigued and also....it makes people want to buy not only the Levis, but they will want to get their hands on Flat Eric toys. One modern example of this is Compare the Market. People will specifically use CompareTheMarket just to get a Meerkat!

Is there any that I have missed? What songs stand out for you?

Let me know in the comments.