Music tends to resist attempts to define it. But Spotify tries to do so anyway in its first-ever advertising campaign—a dark, atmospheric effort for the streaming-music service from Droga5 in New York.
The centerpiece is an anthem spot, "For Music," which debuts Monday night on NBC's The Voice. Cut into 30-, 60- and 90-second versions, it shows a guy taking the crowd-surf of his life over a seething mass of thousands of faceless humans, as a male voiceover tries to describe what music is, and what it can accomplish. (Talk about a difficult task.)
"It's been said that the best songs don't give answers but instead ask questions," says the voice. "So, why? Why does music stop us in our tracks? Dictate if we pump a fist or swing it? Why can a song change the world? Because music is a force. For good. For change. For whatever. It's a magnifying glass. A bullhorn. A stick in the gears and the tools to fix it. Because music is a need. An urge to be vindicated. It's bigger than us. It lives inside us. Because we were all conceived to a 4:4 beat. Because music can't be stopped. Can't be contained. It's never finished. Because music makes us scream 'Coo coo ca choo' and mean it. Because music is worth fighting for. Why? Because it's music."
If that copy seems somewhat random, no wonder. Music is ineffable. Particular songs can be roughly described in words, more or less. But trying to capture what music is and what it does forces you to use any number of metaphors, many of which are strung together here. It's a problem endemic to many anthem spots—see Wieden + Kennedy's recent work for Facebook and Levi's. Attempting to ascribe great meaning to a product's effect on humanity is challenging in the best of times, and perhaps impossible when the product is as vast, unwieldy and deeply personal as music.
Notably, the spot also doesn't really have any music in it. It has echoing tones throughout, but nothing that would rouse anyone to a state of ecstasy or political purpose. It's an almost completely visual and textual way of characterizing something that is neither. This may be unavoidable, too—you wouldn't use particular tracks, or even several, if the goal is to communicate universality. Still, talking about the power of music without demonstrating it feels cerebral rather than emotional—like telling, not showing.
That said, the spot is beautifully filmed by Seb Edwards of Park Pictures (whom we spotlighted last year for his lovely Hovis ad). The sea of hands, the swells that move through the crowd, the haunting lighting—it's a grand and impressive production that suits the message well. Whatever detractors it has, the spot will have its fervent admirers as well.
The campaign will also include other 15- and 30-second TV spots (see two below) that depict specific moments where music changes everything—a chance meeting, a moment of nostalgia, an impromptu party. There are digital and social executions, too.
CREDITS
Client: Spotify
Vp, Global Marketing & Partnerships Erin Clift
Director Of Business Marketing Hayeon Kim
Creative Director Rich Frankel
Head of Video Johannes Ring
Agency Droga5, New York
Creative Chairman David Droga
Group Creative Director Neil Heymann
Creative Director Graham Douglas
Lead Copywriter Spencer Lavallee
Creative Mutant Kenny Kim
Head of Integrated Production Sally-Ann Dale
Head of Broadcast Production Ben Davies
Head of Digital Strategy Chet Gulland
Senior Digital Strategist Dan Neumann
Brand Strategist Matthew Gardner
Communications Strategy Director Colleen Leddy
Group Account Director Tenny Pearson
Account Director Matthew Hennell
Executive Interactive Producer Lindsey Slaby
Digital Producer Justin Durazzo
UX Designer Eileen Tang
Creative Technical Lead Fran Devinney
Designer Ryan Hoelting
Senior Art Producer Julia Menassa
Print Production Manager Kim Williams
Retoucher Travis Commeau
Broadcast Production Company Park Pictures
Director Seb Edwards
DOP Hoyte Van Hoytema
Partner / Executive Producer Jackie Kelman
Executive Producer Justin Pollock
Producer Caroline Kousidonis
Broadcast Editorial Trim Edit / Cosmo Street Editorial
Editor Tom Lindsay
Assistant Editor Mark Potter
Executive Producer Maura Woodward
Producer Heather Richardson
Broadcast Post Production The Mill New York
Head Of Production Sean Costelloe
Producer Lily Tilton
Colorist Fergus Mccall
Lead Flame Artists Westley Sarokin / Nathan Kane
CG Lead Wyatt Savarese / Vince Baertsoen
Broadcast Music Tonic Music Ltd
'For Music' Peter Broderick
'Her Song' / 'Getting Weird' Guy Wood / Jo Wills
Music Producer Susan Stone
Broadcast Lead Sound Studio & Wave Studios London
Sound Design
'For Music'
Sound Designer & Mixer Jack Sedgwick
'Her Song' / 'Getting Weird'
Sound Designer & Mixer Joe Mount
Broadcast V/O Sound Studio Sonic Union
Sound Engineer Steve Rosen / David Papa
Photography
'Kiss' Marcus Haney
'Getting Weird' / 'Subway' RJ Shaunessy
Interactive Production Companies My My Star, Squarewave
Print Production Company Portfolio One
Stylist Imogene Barron
Set Design Abraham Latham
