What was the first song to be used in an advert?
An artist is always playing with fire when they try to sell their songs to use in adverts. There might be a lot of money involved with putting a major company behind your biggest hit, but there’s also the chance that you will look like a sellout when your fans hear it in a commercial. The art of good branding is not anything new in the music industry, and every band has tried their hand at putting their music in adverts from time to time.
Whether or not they had actually endorsed the product they were paid to advertise, there’s actually a lot more to working with companies than just the cold, hard cash. Although it might seem sacrilege for some fans to see their favourite songs in an ad for a truck, hotel, or brand of toothpaste, there’s also a good chance that the ad might give them the exposure they’ve never had before.
This began in 1908 when Johnny Marks came up with the song ‘In My Merry Oldsmobile’. While not the most imaginative song in the world, it was still catchy enough to get the public’s ear, especially when working alongside the actual Oldsmobile company. Within a few weeks, Marks’s hit was being used in promotional material for the car, which is a bit more on the nose than what we’re used to today.
Although the song might not have been anything too flashy, it did its job of catching people’s eyes for the latest products from a company. Then again, what are the mechanics that draw artists to adverts, and why are artists continually using them as a medium rather than the usual touring method?
Why are songs used in adverts?
There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason why a song must be used in an advert. The product already sells itself if it’s working properly, so why the hell do you need a little jingle to catch someone’s ear, especially if it’s from one of the biggest stars in the world? It might not be the most logical marketing move, but it has more to do with what your brain is doing than what your ears are hearing.
Since artists already have a set fanbase, it’s sometimes easier for brands to align themselves with a certain demographic when working on selling their products. It’s never easy to make it just on name recognition, so if there’s a song connected to it, chances are that the melody will get stuck in your head a lot quicker than just a long-running ad or witty slogan ever could. In some respects, the songs feel less like fleshed-out songs and more like really effective slogans.
How has the use of songs in adverts changed?
Although it’s easy to brand anyone a sellout if they rub you the wrong way, adverts have always been the number one reason fans pull back on their love for an artist. They should be against the establishment half the time, so what are they doing partnering with brands to get noticed when the music is all that matters? The music might be all that matters, but it’s also about the business side of things every now and again.
Since artists usually have to make a lot of sacrifices when it comes to seeing pay cuts in the industry, doing an ad is one of the best ways to earn that money right back. Compared to people working the typical 9-5, writing a song to work in an advert and taking a few minutes of your time for promo material helps artists get paid when the touring season dries up, or they are making a new album. And in an age when Spotify is only paying the biggest names in music pennies for streams, getting an advert or two on the side might be the most financially stable decision artists will ever make.
