The Sound of (Custom) Music: Video Marketing Examples #41

^{Obligatory disclaimer: This isn't an ad or sponsored content. We simply wanted to share this analysis with you as a great, recent example of video marketing.}

Making an ad or explainer video? 

You’ll almost certainly need background music. 

And this can be a BIG decision.

For most, it’s a case of heading to a royalty-free music site and choosing a track with the right vibe.

For a tiny handful of companies with incredibly deep pockets, it might be an option to license a chart-topping hit by an established band or artist. 

But there’s a third, much less frequent option that can work for some brands under the right conditions: what if you made, or commissioned, your own song, and made that the soundtrack to your video?

Sounds ridiculous? Cheesy? Check out these examples of brands that did exactly that (click on the images to watch the videos)...

Dumb Ways to Die 

A viral phenomenon, Dumb Ways to Die was a campaign created by Metro Trains Melbourne, to highlight the importance of being careful around railways.  

Their starting point? An insanely catchy song - which, by the way, charted on iTunes in 28 countries and was played for free by radio stations worldwide. The song calls out a variety of ‘dumb ways to die’ - which, of course, includes:

• Standing on the edge of a train station platform 

• Driving around the boom gates at a level crossing 

• Running across the tracks between the platforms

Throw in a beautiful animated video that playfully illustrates the various dumb ways to die, and you’ve got a powerful viral mixture.

As of today it’s been viewed over 220 million times on YouTube. The story was reported by over 750 global news websites and...most importantly...the campaign was credited with a 21% reduction in accidents and deaths!

Language Learning is Hard - Duolingo 

 This one’s less likely to get stuck in your head all day - but still illustrates the point perfectly!

The lyrics used…

...could just as easily have been a voiceover on top of an inoffensive backing track. 

But the song undeniably makes the whole package more fun.

It’s closing in on 8 million YouTube views (in 9 months) and the comments tell you that people actually like it!:

Little Drinks, Big Dreams - Innocent

Innocent is highly-regarded among many marketers in the UK for its innovative (and ever-evolving) brand voice, which - love it or hate it - has really helped redefine the way brands communicate and position themselves.  

An otter with a guitar is, somehow, a classic playbook move for such an offbeat brand! 

It’s another interesting example of what can be done when you put the song first, and follow it up with animation.

Feeling inspired?

Music is a key part of any video, and if you’re looking to really do something different, creating your own song is one really interesting way to do it.  

There are companies and creatives online who can help you with song composition - the website Songlorious, for example, offers an end-to-end service, and while it’s primarily a platform to have music created for loved ones, they do offer a license for music to be used commercially. 

And as for turning that into a completed video: you bring the song, we can definitely make the video!

Click the button below if you’d like to chat and get started...