Writing Music for Television and Radio Commercials (and more): A Manual for Composers and Students

8 !!Chapter 1

3. Loose lips sink ships (Public Service)


4. M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand (M&M candies)


5. We bring good things to life (General Electric)

Musical logosare identifiable short melodies usually played at the end of
commercials or used as a symbol for products or companies. Arguably,
the most recognizable musical logo is for NBC Television; just three notes
created a network identity that has lasted for many years.

!!Most television net-

works and individual sta-

tions hire advertising agen-

cies to create the

promotions for their shows

(television, print, and radio)

and to help create images

for individual stations and

networks. A musical exam-

ple is the use of the John

Williams’s theme for all

NBC News events. When

audiences hear the NBC

News theme—arranged in

multiple variations—there is

an automatic subliminal re-

action that informs them

that they are going to view

a program or special an-

nouncement associated

with NBC News. (Under-

scoringis the background

music used behind dia-

logue, voice-overs, film, or

video. This musical form

can provide the ambience

for a commercial. Some

commercials have no dia-

logue and use only pictures

and music.)

When an agency makes a ‘‘pitch’’ to a
client for a campaign or individual com-
mercial(s), a creative strategy is presented,
and within that strategy is a reference to
music. The agency might suggest that the
music be fun, authoritative, serious, or
warm and that it evoke an emotion that
supports the message of the advertising.
Sometimes, musical examples are played
at strategy meetings. A composer might
be asked to record a demo in a certain
style, or music from a commercially
released CD might be presented as an
example.There are no rules!

The Music

Producer’s Role

Because of the important role that music
plays in commercials, agencies scrutinize
the content and the production of the
music. Some agencies (mainly major com-
panies) have staff music producers whose
job is to produce advertising music.
Music production in advertising is
similar to producing records or producing
music for motion pictures. The best anal-
ogy is to compare it to the process of film
direction. The film director is responsible
for the creative quality of the final film,
and the music supervisor is responsible
for the production and quality of the music. In advertising, the music pro-
ducer is responsible for the final music presentation. The job requires the
music producer to make sure that the following is achieved.