Traditionally it’s been holiday and travel companies which have made the biggest splash in the commercial breaks during the weeks immediately following Christmas. And in that respect 2013 has been no different, with thesyncsurvey identifying 8 spots – representing just under 23 % of those researched over the first four weeks of the New Year – which variously invite the great British public to start thinking about how they will spend their summer vacations.

The use of original recordings and specially commissioned works was split equally across this sector. Historic chart material by Georgie Fame, The Wonder Stuff and Martha and The Muffins (controlled by Universal and the historic EMI-Virgin records and publishing catalogues) soundtracked spots for budget airline Flybe and family package specialists Haven Holidays and Hoseasons. Meanwhile market leader Butlins opted for a Soviet-era novelty song by baritone Eduard Khil as the soundbed to a charming US-made cartoon campaign.

Meanwhile agency Souk Advertising licensed an unreleased title by BMG Chrysalis’ singer/songwriter Nerina Pallot for a Jersey tourist-board styled ad, M&C Saatchi turned to South Coast production music specialists Chicks With Hits for a Virgin Holidays film, while RKCR/Y&R’s Dan Neale commissioned Music Sales’ leading small screen composer Guy Farley to add grandeur to the latest in Virgin Atlantic’s ongoing series of showstoppers made by Partizan Films, directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet.

Otherwise the month’s leading film company was Gorgeous Enterprises, responsible for a pair of AMV BBDO Cancer UK clips, as well as two high concept offerings from Guinness and Range Rover respectively. The first featured an Austen Corbin reinterpretation of a piece of 19th century Czech classical music while Soundtree sourced Matt Monro’s theme to the original 1969 version of The Italian Job for the second – as written by Quincy Jones and Don Black and published by Sony/ATV.

This was the only one of the month’s four car commercials to use a licensed recording. Of the others, Vauxhall’s raunchy Mokka ad was powered by a specially commissioned piece of post-Jack White rock from German production company iV 2, Seat looked to an accapella performance of a Fleetwood Mac hit while adbreakanthems Sync Of The Month was underpinned by a very amusing low-cost, low-fi rap created by Krow Communications for Fiat’s latest 500L model.

The food and retail sectors ranked third equal in January with three spots (8.5%) each according to thesyncsurvey research.

Unsurprisingly record company control of the period’s synced tracks was dominated by Sony Music labels which collected 5 spots (including TV trailers) to command a 12.5% share of the market with EMI and Universal’s tallies of 10% each aggregating a predominant 20% from eight commercials. Warner Music were placed third while independent labels enjoying adbreak airtime included Ministry of Sound, XL, and reissue specialist Ace.

Among publishers Universal led the field with wholly or part-controlled titles in nine spots (22.5%) tracked by thesyncsurvey and so narrowly beat the combined efforts of EMI with five and Sony/ATV with three into second place.
In total 45 publishers boasted an involvement in January’s ad break output of which Warner Chappell, Peermusic, Global Talent, Imagem and Music Sales can claim a couple each.

Characteristically market leading ad agency AMV BBDO kept the music supervision role in-house for four of the seven spots for which they were responsible during January 2013. Otherwise they involved the services of Austen Corbin on the aforementioned Guinness commercial and helped boost Soundtree Music’s score to three for the month thanks a pair of EDF clips. This ranked Soundtree alongside Leland Music (Tesco, John Lewis and P&O Cruises) and Platinum Rye ( Ikea, Seat and William Hill Bingo).

Finally three agencies RKCR/Y&R, Saatchi & Saatchi and Souk Advertising,
vied for second place in this month’s adbreakanalysis with three spots each.