Is there any style of music that has universal appeal? Is there any genre at all that will have everyone in the car singing along or begging you to turn it up louder?
If you’re a fan of rap, you might like hip-hop. But if you’re a fan of hip-hop you might not like rap. If you like rap or hip-hop it’s a safe bet you don’t like pop or country. From Ska to Hanna Montana, Reggae to the Jonas Brothers, every concert, every performance, of nearly every musical style, has a loyal following.
So is there any music out there that won’t have someone in the back seat yelling, “That Sucks! Change the channel!”
Music preferences are personal…and can be polarizing. A good chunk of America swells with pride when hearing, “Proud to be an American.” Another chunk thinks it’s jingoistic or corny.
So, knowing how powerful and persuasive music can be in advertising, how can you select what will motivate your audience?
If your audience happens to be the female head-of-household, I suggest you err on the side of “hopeful”. Looking at the movies that attract the strongest female audiences, the music is usually upbeat and lively (Flashdance) or inspirational (Up where we belong….Wind beneath my wings).
For guys, I’d choose the Blues. There’s a little something for everyone. The hot guitar of B.B. King that the hard-core, hard-metal fan has to appreciate. The sad, sad story of “waking up one morning” and the rest of the day goes to hell… that brings in the country aspect. Plus, there’s a timeless factor– something written today sound almost exactly as a 1950 original from the Mississippi delta. Or, consider “Jock-Rock.” Guys looove sports and it get them rocking.
Now, if you have the funds to select a wide variety of audiences you could tailor your music to a wider group by producing individual productions with more “flavor” for the varied groups. Understand that, still, not everyone will like it. But not everyone likes Rocky Road ice cream. Does the alternative always have to be Vanilla?????
So, if you’re driving now with a group of men and John Lee Hooker is wailing, some salsa fan in the back seat will still yell out, “That Sucks! Change the channel!”
I guess that’s why God invented iPods.
Tags: advertising, consumer preference, Music, musical generes
March 4, 2009 at 7:50 pm |
You know what song/movie combo perfectly embodies that “hopeful” tone, at least for me? Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run” on the Working Girl soundtrack. In fact, I think I’m going to buy it on iTunes right now, I could use some uplifting music.
Also:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the radio stations I cannot change;
courage to change the station when
Insane Clown Posse comes on;
and wisdom to know when the driver is
a Juggalo and it’s just not worth it.
April 7, 2009 at 8:07 pm |
I see what you are saying, but music, like you said, is so subjective that you could never tie one piece of music to a spot and have it work for everyone. Much less for even an entire age group. For instance. I have friends, who as females have very different tastes in music, though they are the same age, and would out-worldly appear as if they would be in the exact same demographic. One loves singer/songwriters, a bit of country, an indie band now and again. The other, though the same age, race, social makeup likes very upbeat Brit Rock, Ska, touches of Punk. I guess the deciding factor has to be experiences?
For me personally, very often what I hear in advertising is a lot of ads who cull their music from the indie/alternative crop of musical acts that if they are not household names, they are definitely those who are about to be “discovered” by the greater masses. TV shows are the same way. I would say that a very large portion of TV shows geared towards those 18-34 have some sort of indie/alt music inserted in either in the credits, or during those moments when emotion is the driving factor in episode. A great example of irony are the UPS ads that use the band, “Postal Service” for all of their background music. Get it, UPS using Postal Service. But the band features the singer of Death Cab For Cutie whom boys and girls seem to love equally. In fact, they were probably more of a Male fan base band long before they reached the mass female audience.
None of these feel very gender specific to me. Yes as a male, I might have been taught to feel that way, but when I see an iPod ad, i dont feel the music was chosen to promote the product to one sex over the other. It could be that I dont even notice it, then again. It could be that it was chosen because those who had the opportunity to do so, sold the idea that that particular song would drive it home. And a lot of those people have tastes in music that range all over the place. I think its dangerous to assume that anything geared towards a female audience should have music that feels uplifting.