Music in advertising is something valued by the insiders. But what is it about music that can "make" a TV spot? How do you choose the right artist? What brands are using music in powerful ways, and what brands aren't?

These are the questions I put to the music experts at North Advertising, Mark Ray and Dave Allen. Both are musicians first and advertising executives second. Which makes their brand of advertising special. I was fortunate to get some time with them both.

Note: the musical breaks are from Dave's band, "Gang of Four." The first is from the song, "Outside The Trains Don't Run On Time"; the second is from "Ether." Both are from Gang of Four's "Entertainment" album. Great stuff. They're on Spotify.

SHOW NOTES:

• We begin by talking about North, the agency, and how music has been at the core of the culture there since the beginning.
• We discuss the parallels between composing music and "composing" advertising.
• Mark talks about the importance of execution (production) in creating both music and advertising.
• We talk at length about one of my favorite campaigns, North's the Deschuttes Brewery "River Recordings" campaign. Music was the centerpiece, of course. Great example of "Channeling the Brand." 
• Mark and Dave talk about how music is the "great uniting language" in our culture, and brands should be taking advantage of that fact.
• We talk about great examples of brands using music: VW "Pink Moon," Coke "