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Advertising Agency and
Process Structure
Developing Commercials for Television
The creative people (referred to as the ‘‘creatives’’) at advertising agencies
hire composers to write music for commercials. Clients hire agencies to
plan, design, place, and supervise their advertisements or advertising cam-
paigns. Not all agencies perform all functions; some agencies only buy the
media placement, while others only create and execute print, television,
and radio commercials. Major agencies are generally full-service agencies.
Most global agencies provide ancillary services related to advertising.
These services include public relations, direct marketing, sales promotion,
and media buying. In order to be competitive, large agencies must be full-
service providers.
Since large agencies usually service international accounts, they must
consider the local or regional culture of their consumers. This affects both
the advertising and the music. Global agencies are concerned with obtain-
ing international accounts since they can be lucrative and also aid in
attracting additional local clients. To remain competitive, they strive to
maintain both types of accounts.
For example, when analyzing the global music charts, the top 10 sin-
gles are rarely the same in each country or territory. If an agency decides
to create original advertising music to be used globally and the assignment
is to reflect the current, popular, worldwide musical culture, the agency
creatives and the composer should research international hits and incorpo-
rate the feel and structure of the music in the newly composed music.
Since cultures vary, agencies might use the same music on various
commercials that have been specifically designed for local or regional cul-
tures. Sometimes, the agencies will use different music on each commer-
cial because they want the music to reflect local or regional musical tastes.
Agencies are concerned about building a brand for their clients. The
advertising must either help to achieve product sales or to successfully
build a brand or company image (also called institutional advertising). The
music serves as a significant contribution to the creative process.
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