Leading media trade magazine Music Week is among those endorsing adbreakanthems’ in-depth report into the sync sector, the first of its kind ever undertaken in the UK.
Adbreakanthems studied nearly 500 commercials featuring music soundtracks screened on UK primetime TV between April 2012 and March 2013.
Each was broken down not just by company – record label, publisher, music supervisors and advertising agency – but also by brand, market sector, artist, musical genre and age.
AMV BBDO emerged as the ad agency licensing the most music for TV campaigns,by racking up 45 spots, representing just under 10% of the films surveyed. Rivals BBH, RKCR Y&R and Wieden + Kennedy tied in second place with just over 5% from 25 spots each.
Universal topped the table of record labels licensing music for TV commercials during the period, scoring some 6.66% of the surveyed market more than its nearest rival Sony Music. Meanwhile its publishing arm had to settle for third place behind both EMI and its new parent Sony/ATV.
Among independent music supervisors Platinum Rye and Leland Music dominated the market, their joint 15.5% totaling more than the rest of the top 10 put together.
Further results showed that Motoring and Food brands used more music than any other market sectors, contemporary music underpinned Fashion spots while campaigns for Holiday & Travel and Food Retail brands favoured songs over 25 years old.
At the same time, veteran rockers Queen, the Rolling Stones and Blondie were the most popular in TV adverts screened during the period. But newcomers like Labrinth and cult West Country soul rockers The Heavy also figured prominently.
Commenting on the research Paul Williams, head of Business Analysis at trade magazine Music Week, said it demonstrates “that the feel a campaign needs does not necessarily match (the music styles) dominating radio or retail at the time.”
Meanwhile at digitalmusicnews.com Helienne Lindvall said that the adbreakanthems figures “illustrate that advertisers tend to believe that the audience's capacity to connect with the music through its familiarity is more likely to boost sales.”
See our adbreakanalysis page for more details.
