Southern, Masaharu Fukuyama, Ado, and others… We now know the hottest songs that “keep viewers hooked” on the latest commercial songs.

The trend is for current artists to sing nostalgic songs

The recent trend in commercial songs is for current artists to sing nostalgic songs. This is because it is expected to appeal not only to middle-aged and older people who used to listen to the original songs in real time, but also to younger people who are familiar with them from the Internet.

Mr. Taichi Aoyagi, in charge of customer success at REVISIO (hereinafter referred to as “R”), a TV viewing data analysis company, said, “R” has been working on this project since January this year, starting from the first episode in November.

R Company used its own analysis to score the amount of attention paid to commercials featuring background music with lyrics that were first aired between January and November of this year. The table above ranks the top 30 commercials that drew the most attention (see [Measurement Methods] at the bottom for specific analysis), with an average of 100. (Please see [Measurement Method] at the bottom for the specific analysis method).

Let’s take a look at the actual ranking. The commercial song that symbolizes the trend introduced at the beginning of this article is “Nantete Idol” (No. 6), sung by actress Yumi Kawai (23), as explained by Sori Yasutake, PR/marketing manager at R Corp.

The song is a Suntory coffee commercial in which Tommy Lee Jones, playing the role of an alien, is inspired by a uniquely Japanese custom. Mr. Kawai, dressed as an idol, sings the same song sung by Kyoko Koizumi in the 1980s in front of many fans. The impact of the song is so strong that it seems to have little effect on the product itself, but that is not a problem. In the past, it was necessary to explain as many product characteristics as possible in a short time frame of 15 to 30 seconds. Now, it is important to get attention. If viewers wonder what the commercial is about, they can search for it on the Internet, and if the strong impact is spread on social networking sites, the advertising effect is doubled.

Aina the End’s (29) “Like a Stream on the River” (No. 9) is another commercial song that has caught on. Mr. Yasutake continues.

The Suntory draft beer in question is a relatively new product and stars Mone Kamishiraishi (Mone Kamishiraishi) and others. Aina the End” sings Hibari Misora’s quiet song in a vigorous rock style to match the image of the product. The fact that they took a song by a Showa-era diva and arranged it with a young audience in mind was probably a factor in keeping viewers hooked.

It would be the best background music.”

Another important factor is whether or not the song matches the worldview of the commercial and the message it is trying to convey. The song “This is why young people are the best these days” (No. 1) from “Ogenoran nay yo” is a good example of how well the song matches the commercial.

The song is a perfect complement to the ACOM commercial, which has a strong impact right from the start with the comedy duo “Kamaitachi” and Nobuyuki Suzuki dressed as samurai. Masaharu Fukuyama’s “Sakurazaka” (No. 2) also backs up U-NEXT’s message well, as the company advertises the breadth of its business development in the commercial. Mr. Fukuyama’s “Sakurazaka” is a familiar song that easily catches the ear and is probably the best background music that does not interfere with the company’s claims. The fact that Mr. Fukuyama himself appears in the song is one of the reasons it has attracted so much attention.

Ado’s (22) “DIGNITY” (No. 7) is another song that fits perfectly with the world view of the commercial and product. Mr. Aoyagi, mentioned above, said.

Ado has an image of singing radical songs such as “Woosh wa,” but in this commercial, she attracts the audience with a magnificent ballad. In addition to matching the world view, Ms. Ado’s unexpectedness is attracting more attention. Southern All Stars’ “Melody” (No. 16) and “YOU” (No. 17) are not the kind of songs that would be exciting at a live performance, but songs that are full of tenderness. They express well the feel and warmth that UNIQLO seeks in its clothes.

Broadcast columnist Fuyuhiko Takabori explains the past hit commercial songs.

The symbolic presence that highlighted the importance of the song is the Renown commercial that aired from 1961. Sylvie Bartin, who was a world-famous idol, sang “Wansaka Musume,” a song written by Asei Kobayashi, and it became an explosive hit. Thereafter, tie-up songs and songs by famous singers became common as commercial songs.”

Mr. Takabori is surprised at the small number of this year’s new songs in the top 30 ranking announced this time.

I guess it proves that it is hard to find a national song that is popular among a wide range of people,” he said. It’s understandable that they are using classic, nostalgic songs. Takeyoshi Sato’s “I Feel Coke ’87” (No. 22) was a refreshing song from the late 1980s that symbolized the bubble era. McDonald’s must have intended to use this upbeat song of the time to encourage a positive consumer mindset.

A great song is indispensable for a hit commercial, and it seems that commercial songs also reflect the state of the world.

CM Song Attention Score” Measurement Method

With the cooperation of about 2,000 households (about 4,800 people) in the Kanto region and 600 households (about 1,500 people) in the Kansai region, Company R measured how much viewers gazed at the TV screen. The number of seconds that the viewer’s eyes were on the screen was scored using a proprietary method, with 100 being the average, and the higher the number, the greater the degree of attention. The higher the number, the higher the degree of attention. CMs that were first aired between January 1 and November 26, 2012 were excluded, as were those with no lyrics, background music, or singing songs. CMs that were limited in duration and difficult to measure were also omitted. On the other hand, commercials in which the lyrics of the original song were covered by another singer (e.g., “What an Idol”) were included in the ranking.

From the December 27, 2024 issue of FRIDAY