While St Patrick’s Day may have come and gone already this year, I for one, believe that it’s always a good time of year for a Guinness.
Although my opinion may not be shared by others, there has been a growing market of consumers who are preferring their drinks to have less, if not no alcohol at all. According to CNBC and Nielsen, the global non-alcoholic beer market grew to $22 billion, with projections “that it could reach $40 billion by 2032”.
While its 0% option has been available to select markets since 2020, Saint James Brewers wanted to remind consumers that Guinness can be their ‘hero’ to help “make it a St. Patrick’s Day to remember.” To me, what this spot does wonderfully is demonstrate how impactful the music choice can be when planning a campaign. Even further, I think it shows how a good ear-worm can make it hard for anyone to forget your spot (I’ve had Bonnie Tyler on repeat in my head for the entire time I’ve been writing this piece and have absolutely zero complaints).
But how and why does music have the ability to connect a viewer to imagery in a way that they will remember it? Save the Music has a very interesting article that dives deeper into the subject, however the short story here is that music can invoke emotion that is deeply tied to memory. There have also been studies – like one conducted at Texas A&M – where participants’ brainwaves were monitored while they watched versions of an advertisement with and without an accompanying track. What this study showed was that versions with the accompanying track produced an increased activity in the frontal lobe of the viewer, which processes emotion.
The long story short here is – when planning your campaign, don’t discount your budget in terms of music! The choice between one track and another can absolutely have an effect on how your spot interacts it’s target audience. Your BA Manager can help you navigate the process of licensing music; make sure you keep them in the loop from early on in planning and keep yourself away from potential headaches down the line!