This is a commercial that Sportsnet aired to build hype for the 2011 Toronto Blue Jays season.  The music featured is “Coming Home”, by Diddy, which perfectly sets the mood for the advertisement.  This commercial is memorable to Blue Jays fans thanks to how well it pumped everyone up for the start of the season.  I think that this ad illustrates how selecting the appropriate music for any commercial is so vital in determining whether it’s a success or not.

“Coming Home” was a hit at the time, so immediately the tune would catch the attention of anyone near a TV when the commercial came on.  But further analysis of the ad shows how well the Sportsnet producers tied in the lyrics with what was shown visually.

Firstly, “Coming Home” is perfect for the team which heads north from Spring Training in Florida at the end of March each year.  Fans of every team, of every sport are always excited for the season to begin.  The first half of the commercial is set to the slower tempo portion of the song.  It features slow motion effects; shows a sweaty and exhausted Aaron Hill to the lyrics “all the pain from yesterday” and also a night time aerial view of the Rogers Centre (home stadium) to the lyrics “my kingdom awaits”.

The music then shifts to the faster paced, joyful portion of the song which is teamed with joyful images of the players playing and fans cheering.  It’s pretty amazing how the music changes the mood dramatically, the producers of this ad did a fantastic job because they knew that the “high” experienced by viewers towards the end of the ad would be felt more if it were preceded with a “low”.

If you want to attract viewers, then this is how it’s done!