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Jingles, Bells, Covers, and Nostalgia: What Do We Want from Christmas Ad Music?

02/12/2024
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天美棋牌 learns from the industry鈥檚 music supervisors and composers what makes the 鈥榩erfect鈥 festive ad music, the distinction between familiarity and clich茅, and why marketers need to take music seriously in the holidays
Christmas creeps into culture earlier and earlier every year, but nothing conjures the festive spirit quite as rapidly as hearing the opening chords of 鈥楢ll I Want For Christmas Is You鈥 or 鈥楯ingle Bells鈥. There鈥檚 no denying that getting the music right in an ad is essential, and the stakes rise even higher for Christmas spots. 

Which direction to go? There鈥檚 the straightforward nostalgia of a Christmas classic; a cover that takes the classic to a new dimension; a saccharine cover of a well-loved pop or rock track鈥 The options are seemingly endless 鈥 is there a right answer? 

鈥淭he amount of variety between familiar and clich茅 is super broad with what we see every year and it seems like both worlds and the worlds in between will probably always have their place. The genres associated with Christmas are super varied too.. orchestral, choral, jazz and big band, blues, R&B, hip hop, contemporary/ pop.. To me, I think a big part of what separates something clich茅 from something familiar is the intention behind the use of music, the amount of holiday-leaning instrumentation (if any at all), and the context that the music's operating within,鈥 says Houston Fry, head of music curation at Barking Owl.

Shai Caleb Hirschson, co-founder and creative director at IMAGINE, a creative studio powered by music, says that 鈥渇or brands, crafting the perfect musical backdrop for holiday commercials means going beyond the expected and into the truly resonant. Holiday music for advertising isn鈥檛 just background ambiance; it鈥檚 an essential storytelling device that shapes how audiences connect with a brand. It鈥檚 the invisible thread tying a brand鈥檚 values to the audience鈥檚 emotions.鈥 This year, IMAGINE collaborated with CoSK and director Mario Clement to bring OTTO鈥檚 holiday campaign, 鈥淲as schenkst du?鈥 (鈥淲hat will you be giving?鈥), to life. 鈥淥ur approach? To transcend clich茅s and create an emotional landscape that captures the true spirit of giving in all its complexity,鈥 says Shai. 

鈥淲e wanted to go beyond the classic sleigh bells and holiday jingles. Our goal was to find a track that had a message far broader than Christmas itself鈥攁 track that could bring meaning to OTTO鈥檚 holiday campaign without restricting it to just one season. That鈥檚 why we chose 'Gimme Some Lovin鈥 by The Spencer Davis Group. While the song鈥檚 lyrics don鈥檛 mention Christmas, its energy and message of love, excitement, and generosity underline the spirit of giving in a more universal way, creating a deeper and more lasting connection.

鈥淭o further elevate the track, we created a unique Motown-inspired version of 'Gimme Some Lovin鈥 that captures the original鈥檚 driving energy but with a touch of holiday magic. The new version blends Motown鈥檚 signature groove and soulfulness with a lively, playful sound, adding a festive yet timeless quality. This rendition maintains the track鈥檚 classic appeal, but its subtle holiday spirit and quirky vibe bring a fun, joyful twist that makes it feel fresh for the season while honouring its roots,鈥 Shai explains. 

For Jacob Plasse, composer at Barking Owl, it鈥檚 what you do with a song that matters most, not what the song is to begin with. 鈥淎s both Dead Prez and Bob Marley remind us, 鈥淥ne thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain.鈥 For us as composers, our job is to make sure the music hits鈥攖o create that powerful, visceral connection,鈥 he quips, adding: 鈥淚f you can breathe fresh life into something like 鈥楯ingle Bells鈥, making it feel new and beautiful again, it holds a unique power. It might even tap into that pure, unfiltered joy we felt as kids at Christmas-time. Some might dismiss the idea, thinking that 鈥楯ingle Bells鈥 is just 鈥楯ingle Bells鈥. But to me, that transformation is what makes all the difference.鈥

It seems like some familiarity is welcome, while sticking to a well-worn formula is out. Familiarity, however, can be achieved through sound as well as music, giving everyone a bigger playground in which to play. 鈥淔or better or for worse, December just wouldn鈥檛 feel the same without the sound of sleigh bells jingling and children singing Christmas carols,鈥 says Clio Leeuwenburgh, sync licensing manager at MassiveMusic. Those are effects that can be added to an existing song, taking something 鈥榰ntraditional鈥 and flourishing it with festive touches to create a sense of freshness and familiarity at once. Houston elaborates further: 鈥淐hoice moments for a vocal ensemble of some sort, warm melodic brass or woodwinds, glistening chimes, metallic mallet instruments, harp flourishes, a triumphant horn section, a subtle sleighbell keeping the pace鈥 quality and quantity seem to be the things that make the difference. Sometimes, the visuals and voiceover or dialogue and environmental sounds set enough of a holiday tone and music acts as a cohesive/narrative glue to fully realize the tone of the intended messaging. Finding the right balance is a fun process.鈥

A former choir-kid Justin Morris, senior music producer at Sonic Union, has a 鈥渟oft spot for music with rich vocal harmonies reminiscent of carolling. Layering in glossy strings, jazzy piano lines, and the occasional glockenspiel can add just the right touch鈥 to give a song that festive spirit. 

A word of caution comes from BUTTER Music and Sound ECD, Dan Zank, who advocates for a degree of restraint. 鈥淯nless specifically requested, go easy on the sleigh bells, and instead find harmonic approaches that help dial in that warmth and familiarity that we know and love from the more timeless holiday classics created in the mid-late 20th century. Chordal changes and harmony will do a lot of the heavy lifting here, so consider what made the classics 'classic', regardless of the genre or how contemporary the style, and don鈥檛 be afraid to channel your inner Vince Guaraldi!"

Above: Disney's 'The Boy & The Octopus'

Clio points to two recent 鈥 and very good 鈥 Christmas spots with great use of music that avoid clich茅. 鈥淒isney鈥檚 2024 holiday short 'The Boy and The Octopus', which reimagined an orchestral version of The Little Mermaid鈥檚 鈥楶art of Your World,鈥 is a perfect example of how a reworked classic can capture hearts in a new yet familiar context, all while steering clear of predictable tropes. Then there鈥檚 Target鈥檚 2014 Alice in Marshmallowland commercial, an enduring classic, which featured a reimagined version of the 鈥60s hit 鈥楢 Marshmallow World鈥 鈥 originally by Darlene Love 鈥 covered by Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The quirky, playful spin added just the right amount of fun and creativity to the holiday season,鈥 says Clio. 

At BBH, music supervisor Daniel Olaifa says the team 鈥渋mmerses ourselves creatively in the classic, traditional, and less conventional sides of Christmas music. However, what matters most to me is how the track complements the story. It鈥檚 in that harmony where perfection is found.鈥 For Daniel, 鈥渢he 鈥榩erfect festive ad music鈥 happens when the music is interwoven into the campaign. Like a finely crafted scarf, enhancing every element around it, whether it鈥檚 something familiar or unexpected.鈥

Understanding what the client is trying to achieve with a particular campaign is essential as it鈥檚 not always as straightforward as 鈥榟oliday cheer鈥. We鈥檝e all seen over the last few years how abstract Christmas ads can get with many even depicting emotions like grief and loneliness. Justin echoes this: 鈥淚t all begins with a creative call. This is where we align with our client鈥檚 vision: What sounds do they imagine? What instruments will shape the palette? Understanding their likes and dislikes ensures the final piece resonates with their brand and audience.鈥 Yet sometimes the creative call is straightforward, and fun to boot. 鈥淟ast week, a client introduced me to a fun word: holidazzle. They asked, 'Can Sonic Union holidazzle a track for the holiday season?' A perfect term for festive creativity鈥擨 knew exactly what they meant. Yes, we can absolutely elevate a track鈥檚 holiday cheer!,鈥 adds Justin. 

鈥淲e all know what might be in the top ten Christmas songs鈥攖hey 鈥榳ork鈥 because they embody the essence of the season. However, there鈥檚 something about discovering a song that isn鈥檛 originally tied to this time of year, and placing it鈥 that Daniel really likes. It鈥檚 also an approach that Dan Pritikin, creative director and partner at South Music and Sound tends to favour 鈥 it鈥檚 almost a personal mission against the sameness of the sounds of Christmas, especially since the 鈥榝estivities鈥 for adland tend to 鈥榮tart鈥 in July; 鈥渂y the time the general public is sick of hearing holiday music, it doesn't come close to our 鈥榝atigue鈥,鈥 she notes. 

SOUTH's Dan鈥檚 approach is 鈥渢o identify genres of music that, while not explicitly holiday-themed, tend to still be associated with the holidays, especially when paired with holiday visuals. Jazz and Big Band stuff are nice places to start, since so much 鈥榞olden era鈥 holiday music comes from the 40s and 50s. (Think Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra). You can also push a little further into the 60s and nod to early rock and roll, like Elvis Presley. My favorite era/genre to play with is that 60's girl group stuff, made famous by Phil Spector. 鈥楤aby Please Come Home鈥 by Darlene Love is so well known that creating anything original in that genre tends to give off 鈥榟oliday-adjacent鈥 vibes. Throw something like that on a film depicting a festive holiday gathering and you've solved it all while keeping the sleighbells locked away in a drawer somewhere. I'd call that a win.鈥

Evoking a sense of nostalgia, from mild and subtle to strong and unavoidable, is about where most festive advertising lands now. Jack Whitney, head of music at Forever Audio, concurs: 鈥淭he power of nostalgia through music is a great way for brands to authentically achieve an emotional response from their audience.鈥 This explains why we鈥檝e heard quite so many covers of well-known tracks in recent years. 鈥淢ore and more brands nowadays are leaning into covers of well known songs, but reimagined to portray that magical feeling of Christmas time (very much led by the annual supermarket commercials). The surprise factor of music is often something that our brains can find really enticing, we are naturally attuned to predicting the next part of a song, and when it comes to an unexpected arrangement of a well known track, that surprise element can create new memorable experiences.鈥 

For Jack, it works really well. 鈥淭his combination of nostalgia, the element of surprise and 鈥榝eel good Christmas vibes鈥 creates, in my opinion, the perfect blend for festive ad music.鈥

鈥淎t the most basic level, the perfect holiday ad music finds a way to blend an element of nostalgia along with very subtle or creative use of traditional holiday instrumentation, all while staying focused on the mood, tone, and scoring needed to support the visual,鈥 adds Dan.

There鈥檚 no one 鈥榩erfect鈥 festive song or holiday sound, and with brands trying to stand out in a sea of ads, getting the music right and forgoing old formulas presents the best opportunity to get noticed at Christmas. What this doesn鈥檛 mean is forgoing nostalgia 鈥 the industry鈥檚 preferred festive modus operandi; for now, at least 鈥 just thinking more creatively about how to evoke it. SOUTH's Dan says that 鈥渢here are so many great unearthed holiday songs, both covers and originals, that the opportunities for a fresh look are endless.鈥 And wouldn鈥檛 we all feel that little more holiday cheer if we were to be pleasantly surprised with a festive ad soundtracked by something genuinely fun and good?

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