A few days ago Marks & Spencer launched their TV marketing campaign with a glossy TV advertisement featuring the classic swing number 'Fly me to the Moon'. Catchy musical soundtracks are the the backbone of this type of TV blockbuster. But whereas in the past the advertisers wanted to get people humming the tunes, now the key it to encourage them to share the whole thing via social media. 3 days since the launch and M&S have had 2.5 million viewings.
So, how does this work as an advertisement and as a piece of music?
The music works
alongside the visuals quite expertly, as if the advert was directed
to the music. As the advertisement starts, the pizzicato strings
instantly create a happy, playful and exciting feel which is also
added to by the upbeat tempo & drums. The increased intensity of
the music at 0.14 creates a sense that something exciting is going to
happen which is peaked by an upward piano glissando which is depicted
in the visuals by the fairies taking flight. It is only at this point
that the vocals enter as they begin “flying to the moon”.
Each section ends with
a bar of music based in minor (at 0.25, 0.40 and 0.55). At each of
these points something sad/ bad is happening within the advert which
is then fixed by the fairies and their magic. These points are also
resolved musically by returning to the root (major) chord, giving a
feeling of relief. The lyrics in the final of these sections (0.55)
also coincides with the visuals in the line "I love you"
(1.31).
A possible suggestion
for the overall meaning of the advert could be how Christmas used to
be such a magical time but that has somewhat changed in recent years
and we need a reminder that it still can be just that. This is also
replicated in the music, a re-mastered/ re-recorded version of the
original song, slightly changing it, but it is still the same classic
piece of music.
The creative elements are crucial within this advertisement.
OK, so if this works for fashion, food and lifestyle stuff, how can we make sense of the same music being used to promote a car? Ford featured the same music on their ads for the Probe back in 2007 in the US, having already used it in the UK.
This advert links back
to the theory of cognitive dissonance, where the actual meaning of a
song is lost in the context it is presented. In this advert it is
somewhat implied that the meaning of the song is directed towards the
car - that the car can take you to places you've never been before.
Similarly to the M&S advert, the upbeat tempo is replicated in
the fast car. It is also worth noting that the light-hearted, upbeat
and popular song changes the meaning of what would otherwise be quite
a dark themed advertisement about aliens, abduction etc. (As does the
joke at 0.13 as the "probe" drives into Area 51...)
It was also used by FAW Benteng to promote their car. Their version, though, featured Frank Sinatra's slightly slower tempo recording of the song.
