Thriller: A Sonic Branding Masterclass
It’s December 2, 1983. You finish dinner early, throw the dishes into the sink, and race to secure your spot on the couch, perhaps fending off a sibling or two in the process. Shortly, MTV will air the world premiere of Michael Jackson’s highly anticipated music video, Thriller. The music world will never be the same.
This was a fairly common occurrence in the early days of MTV. The build up to a new music video was a big deal, but with Michael Jackson, it was more like the release of a major motion picture. With FOMO in overdrive, you weren’t going to miss it. This was so much more than entertainment, it was sonic branding artistry, and for today’s brands, there is a lot that can be learned from The King of Pop.
The Michael Jackson Brand
Love him or not, Michael Jackson had, and continues to have, a recognizable brand in popular culture. From his soulful funk/pop sound, to his signature dance moves like the moonwalk and anti-gravity lean, to his chart-topping videos, to his infamous red jacket and sequined glove, his work set an impossibly high bar for pop stardom. Perhaps one of the most defining moments of his career was the release of the Thriller music video.
The Thriller album was released one year prior in the Fall of 1982 and sold over 32 million copies worldwide in the first year. How do you top those already astronomical numbers and keep audiences engaged? Outside of touring nonstop, you create one of the biggest music industry spectacles of all time — a 13-minute music video/short film packed with drama, suspense, and an electrifying dance routine, that’s how. Bring in acclaimed filmmaker John Landis fresh off of An American Werewolf in London and the distinctively sinister voice of Vincent Price, and you’ve got a recipe for something big, something really big!
Although ‘sonic branding’ was not a term folks threw around in the 80’s, the success of the Thriller video is a strong example of how well it can work.
Sonic Branding Success
When it comes to sonic branding the aim is to create an emotional connection with a piece of music while equally representing the values and messaging of the brand. Over time, the audio becomes symbiotic with the brand, similar to how visual branding works. Combining the auditory with the visual creates an even more powerful relationship. This is where Thriller makes its mark.
It starts with the music. Among Michael Jackson’s countless hits like Beat It, Bad, and Smooth Criminal, the song Thriller is highly representative of his musical style — catchy, danceable pop with hints of 70’s soul/funk and a sprinkle of 80’s electricity. Listen to the hook of any of these tracks and it’s unmistakably Michael.
Next, the music has to be memorable, and in a sea of pop songs, that means it also has to be unique. In the case of Thriller, its cinematic qualities are what set it apart. While most other artists were focused on squeezing a hit song into 3.5 minutes, Michael often opted for longer tracks with storytelling components to bring the listener into his world. At nearly 6 minutes, Thriller does just that, conjuring haunting images of dark streets, mist-filled graveyards, zombies and ghouls. It was destined to be a movie. But it takes more than a great song to make a great sonic brand.
Powerful sonic branding must also enhance other brand assets, creating an exponential impact. Bringing Thriller to life in a music video with major Hollywood influence, enabled audiences to experience the song in a whole new way. Although it cost more than 10 times the average music video of the day, the visual stimuli built perfectly on the track’s horror-flick vibe, and coupled with the innovative visual effects and Michael’s signature moves, made an even deeper connection with audiences.
Creating Brands That Pop
Thriller is a great example of how music can influence the perception of a brand — in this case, Michael Jackson’s pop star image. Music can be equally powerful when it comes to corporate brands. Consider the amount of visual content and audience engagements that take place on a daily basis. What do the music and sounds used say about a brand?
As with everything in marketing, consistency is key. Without a sonic strategy or audio style guide, you are missing opportunities to influence emotion, perception, and recall. To be sure, it’s not about using the same piece of music for everything, rather it’s about creating a consistent musical vibe that can adapt to your content and still convey the brand’s personality.
This vibe can be based on anything like a musical genre, a rhythm, an instrument, a chord progression, and so much more. With it, you create a distinct, ownable sound for the brand, in the same way Michael Jackson’s sound is distinct to his pop image. The more you use it, the more audiences associate it with you, in the same way they do your visual messaging. This creates a deeper emotional impact, and, similar to Thriller, an exponentially stronger connection with audiences.
Thriller has been named one of the greatest music videos of all time, solidifying Michael Jackson’s legacy and helping to propel Thriller album sales to over 100 million worldwide. Additionally, the ‘Making-Of” video sold over 1 million copies. It remains a staple of the Halloween season and a classic for music lovers everywhere. Within 2 seconds of hearing the opening synth bass line, listeners know without a doubt that it’s Michael Jackson and they can picture the video’s signature zombie dance routine. Now that’s some serious sonic branding.
Russell Boiarsky is Director/Brand Strategy at Stephen Arnold Music, The World Leader in Sonic Branding®, which has created audio branding for leading companies worldwide including CNN, Sony Interactive, Airbnb, The Weather Channel, ESPN and more.