For Kansas City Chiefs fans, the loudest sounds of Super Bowl LVII were probably their post-game celebrations, and Rihanna fans might still be humming “Umbrella” after her halftime performance.

Super Bowl advertisers got in on the noise too, whether through jingles, sonic logos, artist partnerships, or iconic songs from the past.

As brands seem to increasingly prioritize sound as part of their marketing strategies, a few themes emerged during this year’s game, where several brands used sonic logos in their commercials.

Jingle all the way

Sonic logos are essentially signature sound bites for brands, but there’s no strict definition, making them somewhat hard to define.

Case in point: Sonic branding agency amp counted 17 brands using them, and CX platform Disqo recorded seven. Measurement and analytics company EDO found nine brands using sonic branding in general, including T-Mobile, Kia, Disney, and Tubi, all of which amp and Disqo also reported used sonic logos in their ads.

• Last year, 12% of Super Bowl ads used sonic logos, according to amp. This year, the number was up to about 19%.
• “Lots of brands that are investing in space during the Super Bowl are really making sure to use their audio logo…because they know it’s a space that’s going to get a lot of eyes and ears,” Dexter Garcia, co-founder and chief of strategy at audio branding agency Audio UX, told us. “They want to maximize that to the highest potential.”

Throw it back

Other brands opted to leverage artists in their ads instead of sonic branding, Garcia noted, like Doritos, which featured Jack Harlow, Elton John, and more singers in its spot.

Throwback tunes were prevalent in commercials:

• Michelob Ultra used “I’m Alright” (aka the Caddyshack theme song)
• TurboTax used “The Safety Dance,” Kia used the theme song from the Rocky franchise
• Busch Light teamed with Sarah McLachlan to poke fun at her song “Angel”
• T-Mobile took us back to Grease with John Travolta

Breakdown: Of the 62 Super Bowl ads analyzed by amp, the largest share (about 47%) used licensed music. About 39% used custom music, about 10% used stock music, and about 5% used no music at all.

“Very little contemporary music played backdrop to so many of the ads, which left many feeling safe and not edgy or contemporary as seen in previous years,” Jason Cieslak, president, Pacific Rim, at global brand experience firm Siegel+Gale, told us.

Read the full story here.—AM

A CFO has a constantly evolving list of responsibilities, ranging from the traditional forecasting and scenario planning to more recent additions, including building a relationship with the company’s CIO and building their own personal brands.

Today’s CFOs are expected to be strategic partners in sharing the company’s financial story, both internally and externally, including with investors, Tom Hood, EVP of business engagement and growth of the American Institute for Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA), told CFO Brew.

The role also requires being open to new technologies, which Hood says creates a challenge for many finance professionals, who take their fiduciary and legal duties seriously and don’t want to run afoul of securities regulations by posting the wrong thing on social media.

“Most CPAs and CFOs look at social media like a snake,” Hood previously told CFO Brew. “They like to look at it, but don’t want to touch it.”

But there are many potential rewards to building an online presence, Hood said. That’s even for reluctant CFOs who might prefer to remain in the background with their Excel spreadsheets rather than in the public eye. Read the full story on CFO Brew here.—LR

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Enhance your marketing superpowers: Is CMO on your radar? Attend the Georgetown Master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications sample class, “What Does It Take To Be Good at Digital Marketing?” on Tuesday, March 7. Learn more.*

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