The top 5 music campaigns you need to know about right now

Music has inspired advertisers for decades, from sonic branding to brand jingles to placements in music videos and more. After all, music moves people, and sound has the power to influence and excite as much as a compelling visual. There were all kinds of sonic applications to brand campaigns, from whistling to jingles and music scavenger hunts, over the past few weeks. Ad Age is expanding its “Creativity Top 5” series to show off some of the best. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs 5. Colgate: My Smile is My Superpower Agency: VML Gaps between teeth are not typically celebrated in toothpaste advertising, but Colgate did just that with its “My Smile is My Superpower” campaign launched last month. The brand created a 90-second music video, shot by music video director Alfred Marroquin, that shows young people with tooth gaps whistling to Katy Perry’s “Roar.” The idea came from the fact that people with gaps say their smiles help them whistle better. The campaign was a different (and honestly, refreshing) approach for Colgate, which tends to focus on the scientific specs of its products. The song choice is a nice touch to communicate to people they shouldn’t be afraid to smile. 4. Epidemic Sound: A Sound for Every Feeling Agency: Rethink It’s difficult to envision how a global royalty-free soundtrack company might encourage everyday people to listen to music in its library, but alas, here we are. Epidemic Sound got people to check out its royalty-free music by placing hundreds of contextual out-of-home ads in New York, Los Angeles and London with phrases that described very specific feelings and a QR code that led to a playlist to match. The campaign featured ads on posters, traffic cones, trash bags and more, with outlandish scenarios like “questioning your identity and the very notion of selfhood as you walk into a casting call with 100 other yous.” The playlists were, admittedly, very accurate and captured the “soundtrack to your life” feeling well. 3. McDonald’s: Menu Song Remix Agency: DDB Sydney and Cosette The only (non-official) McDonald’s jingle I’m familiar with is the viral Big Mac Rap, but last week McDonald’s breathed new life into some of its official archival jingles. In Australia, the brand revived the classic Big Mac song (not to be confused with the Big Mac Rap) created in the 1970s with a retro TV spot that captures people from different decades struggling to recite the song until they get the hang of it. People get tongue-tied with the famous lyrics—“Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun”—asking the person behind the camera to repeat it over and over again, until they get it right. Elsewhere, in Canada, McDonald’s brought back another jingle, the 1989 “McDonald’s Menu Song” in which a guy sing-orders the entire McDonald’s menu, with a remix from music artist and former McDonald’s employee Lil Yachty. I’ll admit, after a couple of listens, both are catchy and will likely commit to my memory in the same way the Big Mac Rap did 14 years ago. 2. SiriusXM: A Life in Sound Agency: Uncommon Music is deeply and emotionally impactful in this visually minimalistic campaign from Sirius XM. Directed by Kim Gehrig, “A Life in Sound” shows how a young woman grows and changes through time as she dances to a medley of songs appropriate for each stage of life. A three-minute short film captures a young girl’s transition to adolescence, then young adulthood and to seniority as she skillfully navigates each song’s vibe. The campaign, which was executed in three weeks, required strategic song choices and many hours of careful audio editing to achieve the effect of a passage through time. The playlist also impressively includes songs you wouldn’t otherwise hear in an ad, such as heavy metal through the song “Roots Bloody Roots” from Sepultura. Striking out-of-home ads also visually portray listeners getting closer to new music genres, sports and culture. 1. Levi’s: The Floor is Yours Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day Its first ad campaign under new chief marketing officer Kenny Mitchell, Levi’s “The Floor is Yours” created an elaborate platform for dancers and music lovers to show off their skills (in Levi jeans, of course). In a 60-video, a group of friends watching dances on TV are inspired to make dance moves of their own, suddenly freestyling to an unreleased song from music producer and rapper Kaytranada featuring Channel Tres as the furniture around them starts to move. The spot introduced the #LevisOpenCall casting call on social media, which asked dancers to submit dance auditions on TikTok, Instagram or via Levi’s online portal for the chance to be featured in Kaytranada’s music video. Choreographer Sherrie Silver supported the casting call, by creating videos with part of the ad’s choreography and inviting dancers to add their own spin. It was a clever blend of fashion and dance, especially as jeans are core to hip hop dance culture. The casting call was a nice touch to get customers to engage in ways that are native to the social platforms. The smartest play, however, is the long-form content Levi’s will gain from featuring winning dancers in Kaytranada’s music video, cementing its place in music.

The top 5 music campaigns you need to know about right now

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