Music-Powered Brands

The sun is not up yet in Singapore and I just called David Rogers (Associate Director of our Center on Global Brand Leadership) in New York. Rogers is also a composer, and he just had a piece played in Carnegie Hall at a sold-out concert last night. The orchestra was “Alarm Will Sound” an innovative young ensemble that champions “today’s music."

Brand managers could learn something from that ethos. I’ve noticed that lately all my favorite advertisements -- the ones that really suck you into a world of experience -- have original music. None of that "paying the Rolling Stones to use a rebellious sex song from 30 years ago" to sell your PC software. Or worse, using classical music to evoke a "sophisticated" feeling. Great brands require new music. Something totally fresh, perhaps a little silly (like the Whopperettes theme song that I featured recently here). Or a really new take on an old song (“I Love Paris” for Carls Jr.). Whatever it is, new music has the power to bring new life to brands.