Does the music make the ad or the ad make the music?

Apple iPod ads always used trendy, cool music in there TV ads but does the product enhance the songs status or does the uber cool music make the product sell?

 I am a student from Glasgow about to start my final years dissertation about this and and feedback, thought or opinions on the subject would be appreciated :)

Ali

Why don't you look at the relationship betweens movie ticket sales and its respective soundtrack sales. You might find an interesting relationship.

Joel

agency:2 The social media agency

Interesting question. I created a new post about my favourite ad just before I saw this. It's what got me interested in advertising and the music has never left my head in the 39 years since I first saw it. Does IT make the ad? In this case I think it's 50-50 - although it's so fecking good. Sound is one of the most powerful senses in the brand canon. Hear it. 'See it'. 'Feel it'. But sometimes, someone, achieves a perfect-fit and measuring the respective contributions of sound, image and words is near-on impossible. It just works. I think that my favourite ad is an example of that rare synergy. See it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMqAN0748zQ

The comments on this ad will, I think, provide you with some interesting leads and ideas.

I don't work in the advertising industry at this time so i'm speaking from a consumer point of view. If you look at the recent advert for Adidas a company that have a strong link between brand and music. During the early eighties they were stongly linked with Run DMC (they released a track my adidas if you were unaware) at the time Hip Hop was just starting to become mainstream, the product placement within Run Dmc video's inspired many of my friends to go out and buy Adidas to be like thier idols may be you should look at Addidas's place in the market during that time. I would suggest that Adidas were the leading brand at the time because of the popular culture and the association with Run DMC who were percieved as cool. I Dj in clubs, music in adverts affects peoples mindset and create an association with a brand as an example, again Addidas's latest campaign used a remix of a track called  Beggin by Frankie Valli and the Four seasons (the pillooski reedit to be precise) that track had been out for at least a year before Adidas used it, although lots of underground DJ's on that scene played it, it was a little known track. When it was used for the advert I was always being asked for the track from the Adidas advert not Beggin. I would expect everytime I played it most people would say thats the track from the Adidas advert or subliminally they would be making that connection. You may want to look at the diffrence in the use of music in England and the USA. A famous DJ once said to me British People will dance to music they can sing along to wheras Americans will go with a groove I have used this to great affect and its true.

I hope this helps

 "British People will dance to music they can sing along to wheras Americans will go with a groove I have used this to great affect and its true"

WoT ?!

I guess it depends what kinda British people ur talking about and what kind of American people.

Perhaps a one brush statement defining how British and American people respectively enjoy music is utterly useless.

- as for the OP - there is no one answer.

Also - I'm not aware that the music sync in any Apple commercials are particularly memorable, creative or cool.

The main change RE: the strength of music within a marketing message - I've seen over the last decade is this, and it's something for you to think about in you dissertation perhaps.

 The Ad' industry now faces new challenges and has been in decline for a short while. However the music industry has been facing much tougher challenges for much longer. Over the last decade music rights holders have been willing to license published, well known, famous music for much (much) less - this has the effect of allowing creative teams to get a bit lazy .. with the famous track often way outshining the spot .. (and often detracting from the message) ..

All in all there can be no set % of the responsibility of the eyes & ears .. more the two should work appropriately & in harmony .. one should not steal or detract from the other ..