Friday, July 15, 2005
Commercial Tunes
We had a discussion at work the other day about popular songs in commercials. We were debating whether or not they were appropriate and/or effective. I went home and watched some TV and thought about it some more. I came to the following conclusions/observations:
5, 6, 7, 8's "Woo Hoo" product: Vonage VOIP service
Cool song, also on Kill Bill soundtrack, no direct connection to product, but the footage looks like a cross between "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "Jackass"
Five for Fighting "100 Years" product: Chase Bank credit cards
Nice song, excerpted lyrics and instrumental parts fit the video footage, idea of marking the milestones of your life by applying for credit cards is stupid
U2 "Vertigo" product: Apple iPod
They're selling a music player for cripes sake, so it's hard to screw this one up-commercial was minimalist and yet really featured the product
Bobby Darin "Beyond the Sea" product: Carnival Cruise Lines
A classic tune from a crooner, a classy product, it works; however...
Iggy Pop "Lust for Life" product: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Ok the song sounds cool, but the lyrics talk about drinking, using drugs and (possibly) bizarre sexual practices-not what I remember happening on the Love Boat, and similarly...
Sixpence None the Richer "There She Goes" product: Orthro-Evra
The song describes the experience of shooting up heroin-in an ad for birth control!?!?!?
Robert Palmer "Simply Irresistible" product: Applebee's "Irresist-a-bowls"
This is just a bad pun and a sad footnote to his career-he obviously had no say in this, but you still feel embarrassed for him
Applebee's deserves a special award of shame. They also twisted "Take This Job and Shove It" into "Take this steak and top it".
Lynyrd Skynyrd "Sweet Home Alabama" product: Kentucky Fried Chicken
Huh? Am I missing something?
5, 6, 7, 8's "Woo Hoo" product: Vonage VOIP service
Cool song, also on Kill Bill soundtrack, no direct connection to product, but the footage looks like a cross between "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "Jackass"
Five for Fighting "100 Years" product: Chase Bank credit cards
Nice song, excerpted lyrics and instrumental parts fit the video footage, idea of marking the milestones of your life by applying for credit cards is stupid
U2 "Vertigo" product: Apple iPod
They're selling a music player for cripes sake, so it's hard to screw this one up-commercial was minimalist and yet really featured the product
Bobby Darin "Beyond the Sea" product: Carnival Cruise Lines
A classic tune from a crooner, a classy product, it works; however...
Iggy Pop "Lust for Life" product: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Ok the song sounds cool, but the lyrics talk about drinking, using drugs and (possibly) bizarre sexual practices-not what I remember happening on the Love Boat, and similarly...
Sixpence None the Richer "There She Goes" product: Orthro-Evra
The song describes the experience of shooting up heroin-in an ad for birth control!?!?!?
Robert Palmer "Simply Irresistible" product: Applebee's "Irresist-a-bowls"
This is just a bad pun and a sad footnote to his career-he obviously had no say in this, but you still feel embarrassed for him
Applebee's deserves a special award of shame. They also twisted "Take This Job and Shove It" into "Take this steak and top it".
Lynyrd Skynyrd "Sweet Home Alabama" product: Kentucky Fried Chicken
Huh? Am I missing something?
# posted by PapaGoose @ 3:12 PM 
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Yeah, the Sweet Home thing struck me as odd also.
My number one worst use/abuse of a song was when Tommy Hilfiger used CCR's Fortunate Son. The ad showed true-blue Americans in pick-ups with flags waving as they played the openning riff and the first two lines:
Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
ooh, they're red, white and blue.
Then they cut back to the openning riff again, conveniently omitting the following line:
And when the band plays "Hail To The Chief",
oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
My number one worst use/abuse of a song was when Tommy Hilfiger used CCR's Fortunate Son. The ad showed true-blue Americans in pick-ups with flags waving as they played the openning riff and the first two lines:
Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
ooh, they're red, white and blue.
Then they cut back to the openning riff again, conveniently omitting the following line:
And when the band plays "Hail To The Chief",
oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
Allen - see my post here:
http://www.usdin.net/blog/2005/07/unpopular-to-popular-in-5-seconds-flat.html
About non-popular songs used in commercials...you got me thinking...
--*Rob
http://www.usdin.net/blog/2005/07/unpopular-to-popular-in-5-seconds-flat.html
About non-popular songs used in commercials...you got me thinking...
--*Rob
I guess it isn't the worst abuse of a song in a commercial, but Led Zeppelin is being used to peddle Cadilacs.
Probably the last thing I would have ever thought to associate with overpriced luxury cars is Led Zeppelin. I lost a tiny piece of my soul on that one.
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Probably the last thing I would have ever thought to associate with overpriced luxury cars is Led Zeppelin. I lost a tiny piece of my soul on that one.
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