In a new advertising avenue, Mastercard assert: “start something priceless.” At first glance, this simply seems another vapid corporate catchline. Yet, behind this statement lies their concept for a new form of song advertisement. The slightly ridiculous sounding “mogo”, referring to musical logo, is designed to be placed at the end of tracks in order to become the so called aural signature of the track.
Already being used at the end of a recent video advertisement featuring Camila Cabello, the Priceless campaign is well underway. The current “aural signature” consists of six upbeat notes and sounds much like a child haphazardly bashing a xylophone. While the music industry has long been plagued with the expectations of the consumerist market, this modern product placement reaches a new low in music’s merging with capitalism.
Raja Rajamannar, the company’s communications and marketing officer, divulged the reasoning behind the ploy: “In the case of regular ads, it’s a horror story for marketers right now. As a consumer, who likes ads? I don’t like ads. It’s annoying – it’s an interruption of my seamless experience.” Rajamannar speaks some sense here, as indeed services such as Spotify Premium have boomed due to this widespread advertisement hate. However, he misses the point that any advertisement heard over and over becomes jarring. Will there be complaints? Almost definitely, since the “signature” is bound to be as equally annoying as any other advertising campaign when heard on repeat.
The potential implications for music are considerable. Pop music will expectedly be hit first, with the “signature” jangling across the radio waves thousands of times a day if Mastercard’s efforts are successful. Other genres of music will surely follow, leaving nobody’s playlist untouched. It certainly will affect any participating artist’s claim to musical legitimacy, possibly leaving them branded by their willingness to sell their soul to the so called “corporate machine.”
Ultimately, this can only become about money. Will artists who sign onto this scheme be considered to have “sold out.” It is that age-old concept which repeatedly repulses former fans by the dozens. Think of Johnny Rotten and those butter adverts… I couldn’t believe it either.
Additionally, it could become a money pit for emerging musicians scouted out by Mastercard, propelled to the top of the charts whether they are truly talented or not, and thus diluting genres with corporate plants and irreversibly changing the musical landscape. By compromising integrity, Mastercard threatens the future of unfunded artists who could otherwise rise to popularity if based upon talent alone.
It will be difficult, however, for Mastercard to implement the campaign due to rules set by the Advertising Standards Agency which states that adverts must explicitly state their nature and be obvious to consumers. Most people will initially be unaware that they are hearing an advert composed solely of musical notes. It almost harks back to the feverish rumours of subliminal messaging in music, back when Rock n’ Roll was feared as “the devil’s work.” In a slightly terrifying statement, composer and Mastercard collaborator David Arnold revealed the science behind the concept: “Music is the only thing in your auditory cortex that fires off every part of your brain simultaneously… When you hear a branded logo, an audio version, it’s like a word or an object.”
In this era of customised advertising based on our personal internet usage and social media presence, it is truly terrifying that Mastercard is attempting to subconsciously interfere with our listening experience. It is a new and frightening milestone in digital advertising. The Priceless campaign attempts to connect emotion and music through thinly veiled pseudo-neuroscience which is ultimately ingenuine. The idea comes across overall as a bit tacky at best, and invasive at worst. Hopefully, Mastercard doesn’t evolve into some form of musical Skynet.