Música Em Um Comercial Deve Ter Um Propósito Segundo Joel Simon

Music In Advertising Must Have Purpose Says Music Man Joel Simon

First of all thanks to Will Burns for this article 

Any marketers responsible for developing TV campaigns understand the importance of having a good director, a good editor, great talent and production people. But what about sound? Do we really appreciate the importance of music in advertising? To that end, I interviewed one of the go-to "music guys" in the advertising business, Joel Simon, president and CEO of JSM Music.

Below I have transcribed much of what we covered, including a behind the scenes look at JSM's most recent compositional work for the creepy House Of Cards season 5 teaser.

Joel Simon, President/CEO of JSM Music (photo credit: JSM Music)

Will Burns: Why is music important in ads and films?

Joel Simon: Did you ever notice that more people listen to TV than actually watch it? When they hear something interesting and compelling, that is when they look up. Beyond that, music sets the tone for any film. It's the emotional connection, and most importantly, it's visceral. Without any dialogue at all we can frame the viewer's experience and the creative idea, emotionally. Every advert is an emotional creation.

Burns: How do you know if it's the right music for the ad?

Simon: At JSM, all of our music has purpose. It can all stand on its own as individual and discrete musical pieces, but in our industry the music we create for our clients has a very specific role and purpose in the creative process. I read your stuff on Forbes and remember you calling it "Channeling the brand.” That is exactly what it's like with music. In order have long standing success in my business, we need to understand the brand completely, the business, the target audience, the message we're trying to communicate, all of it. We need to fully comprehend and create the sound of our client's brand. That sonic branding is more important as a whole than any one ad, or one campaign for that brand. It is the glue. It is the unspoken sonic landscape and foundation of its importance. And then we channel that understanding and knowledge into the music we compose for our clients. If you lose sight of the purpose then what have you done for your client? Jesus, even Mozart was a commissionable composer.

Burns: What are the 'rookie mistakes' that agencies and clients make when it comes to music in advertising?

Simon: Time. Creating music from nothing require a bit of time. Our clients can take months with strategy, a month on creative development, and then give us two days to do the music. We can do it, we always do, but it would be far more efficient if we could really immerse ourselves in the project and the brand. It is so important to bring in your music partner early on in the creative and marketing process.

Another mistake is sharing a placeholder track when presenting an edit, animatic or board and then ultimately suffering "demo love," where it's impossible to replicate the attraction to that piece no matter what we do because it was the first piece associated and reviewed with the idea. Say the agency has a Justin Timberlake song as the reference track, but then they find out it's impossible to get the song for financial or contractual reasons. They may come to us and ask us to try and replicate it and we can try, but we'll never be able to really replicate it, though that's what they really want. Once, after toiling with tracks that approached a famous artist's track, I spent the time with my musicians to completely rip it off, played it to the client and said, "Like that? Well, you can't have it. We're getting too close." They got my point.

The last rookie mistake is that clients don't attend music sessions as often as they should. They go to the shoot, the edit and maybe the mix, but they don't tend to go to the music sessions and I think that's a mistake. First, it’s the fucking music session. Who wouldn’t want to hang out in a studio with a bunch of musicians recording? It's an incredible life experience to witness something coming out of nothing, as does our music. But more importantly the music is better when the clients are there to witness it and really feel it and be a part of the creation. There are things that happen musically in the room, one time performances, that are so important and that the clients can respond to. But only if they attend.

Burns: Tell us about how you approached this haunting new TV spot for Netflix's 'House Of Cards' teaser?

Simon: Well, first of all the timing is perfect for that ad - it launched on Donald Trump's inauguration day - a perfect parallel with the mood that's going on in the country right now. The concept is great. We pull back on an otherwise normal looking American flag to discover it's upside down - a distressed flag, indicating there's trouble in the government. We wanted the sound to help with this reveal. We did all kinds of reads from the kids of "The Pledge" - some more sinister than others. But together with the agency, Doner/LA and its CCO, Jason Gaboriau, we ended up with a straight read from the kids like they're in any classroom in the country on any given day. That helped mask the reveal. Then as the camera pulls back and we actually see that the flag is upside down and the clouds are getting darker and more ominous, we sneak in the eery subtle sound design underneath that build to a sort of controlled manic crescendo as the kids continue "The Pledge." We only had a few days on that one and I'm really thrilled with how it came out. Something's not right in Frank Underwood's government, I can tell you that.

Burns: Big thanks to Joel. A little more about JSM Music:

JSM Music is the preeminent global commercial music production and sound design leader for the world’s most influential and compelling brands across all digital, broadcast, film, television, live experiential and mobile mediums. For over 25 years, JSM continues to evolve and always chooses to take the creative roads less traveled. JSM remains ahead of the curve by exclusively securing the finest global musical talent, unparalleled business practices and service, while always nurturing and expanding its unique original vibe, philosophy and creative vision. Located in its spectacular 10,000 Sq. Ft. NoHo penthouse studios in downtown NYC, JSM is one of the world’s most comprehensive recording and creative resources.