How to choose the right music and make a killer advert!

Emotions: courtesy of Stuart Duncan

Music can make or break an advert. It can toy with our emotions and if done right, make us remember the advert and its product. This guide will show you how to choose the right music for your advert. Whether you are making an advert for fun or for your business, following these guidelines will really benefit you.

Will the music be the main focus?

If you choose to have heavy narrating throughout the advert then you do not want a song that is going to distract. So do not choose a song that is extremely popular, catchy or loud. 

Sometimes it is wise not to include music at all or only to have it fade in near the end.
For example, the advertisement for Make Poverty History includes no music so not to distract from the sound of the clicking fingers which is the main aspect of the advert. 

Here is the advertisement below:

Can you see how music would take away the effect of this advertisement?

Budget

Every song has copyright and to use a song you must pay a fee. However, if a song is over 70 years old then the copyright will have expired and the song is free to use, share and sample. Yet this should be checked before you use the song. For more information check out this BBC article.

Also there is lots of royalty free music on the internet. For instance, the site Royalty Free Tunes specialises in creating music that they say is "not only of the highest quality but also that customers can use in their productions. Our productions are created by songwriters who have experience and regular contact with film makers, producers, directors and companies so that our music is tailored to the needs of our client base." Therefore you could find some great music on there for only a small, one-time fee.

The mood

This is the most important factor when choosing a song. Figure out what kind of mood your advert is going to create visually as the music needs to be fitting. You want to capture the emotion of what you are advertising. A great example of this is charity advertisements. They are trying to evoke sympathy from audiences to provoke them to donate. Therefore, the music used is usually slow and sad, fitting with the suffering images of people or animals.

Here is an example of an NSPCC advert. Think about how the music makes you feel when you watch it.

Never choose a song simply because it is popular or because you personally like it as it may not fit with the feel of the advert.

Leave a comment below if you need more help

Good luck!