We rushed this item out on the local grapevine in advance of the other news we hoped to cover. But here's a story referencing our main infatuation: Horslips!
Fine-tuning the ad man's message: it's a jingle out there
IN the old days, life was so much simpler for marketers: Guinness was 'good for you', Bank of Ireland was 'a friend for life', Smithwicks was 'going for a pint', Irish Permanent was 'the sure, safe way' to invest, Carroll's was a cool relaxing smoke and Silvikrin needed only to ask 'are you the girl with the shining hair?' Procter & Gamble could run 'fighting brands' against each other on the basis that one was 'biological', while the other 'washes whiter'.
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It's the nature of music that it's associated with memories and emotions of the time you first heard it or listened to it most frequently. This makes it hard to listen to old music with a fresh ear but can trigger a more youthful and naive mood among older, more cynical consumers. Matrons might be targeted with Abba or Bay City Rollers if you want to appeal to their teenage naivety, or Fleetwood Mac if you want to appeal to their pre-maternal freedom.
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Hardened retail procurement officers are lads again when they hear Thin Lizzy or Horslips. If you are targeting a specific age group, you can be highly focused: Van Morrison has enjoyed a cult following since the 1960s but each vintage appeals to different age groups; his 1968 'Astral Weeks' is remembered by golden years consumers who were young when it was released...
More at link, which does require registration. But that happens to be free.
For the record, no Horslips tunes were licensed for use in advertising. There was a Mirinda ad, but the tune in question was not a Horslips tune. There's also the history of Horslips members who worked for an advertising agency, which can be glimpsed over at Mark Cunningham's history of the band. However, there were public domain jingles that were created to mimic the Horslips sound. This does happen to many artists.
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