Sony/ATV Music Publishing has pulled off a hat trick. In a rare move, the publishing company has 100 percent share of all the songs used in the three television ads to tout Volkswagen’s 2018 Tiguan SUV.
While it is not unusual for a publisher to have the full share for a song licensed for commercial, it is highly uncommon for one publishing company to get the full series of synchs for an entire campaign. Making it more gratifying, says Brian Monaco, Sony/ATV president/global chief marketing officer is that Volkswagen’s creative agency, Deutsch, cast a wide net among music publishers looking for material and Sony/ATV still prevailed.
The spots, which have rolled out during August, kicked off with an ad featuring ELO's "Livin' Thing" (Jeff Lynne) followed by the second spot, which used "Love Is All Around" (Sonny Curtis) and the third commercial showcased music from Zorba The Greek (Mikis Theodorakis). A digital only ad highlights the ‘80s hit, "Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora, also a Sony/ATV copyright.
Members of Monaco’s staff pitched the songs based on creative briefs and story boards.
Controlling 100 percent of the placements was aided slightly in that the songs are at least 40 years old. Increasingly, songs are credited to a rising number of songwriters, making it harder for one publisher to own the entire song. "All these catalog songs certainly have less writers than songs today," Monaco says.
Monaco would not divulge how much Volkswagen paid to license any of the titles, but added that Sony/ATV did give Deutsch a volume discount "that worked for everyone, the writers included."
