Metal songs and commercials have actually gone hand-in-hand on occasion. While many may find the songs from the genre that are usually created to be a little “too much” because of their style, they do appear to have worked perfectly well for some brands when advertising the products or services they want to sell.
To highlight just how effective this type of music has been, the following six examples are among the best:
- Led Zeppelin – Cadillac
- Nine Inch Nails – Levis
- Iron Maiden – Lucozade
- Van Halen – Nissan
- Chelsea Wolfe – Jaguar
- Motorhead – KIA
Led Zeppelin – Cadillac
At one point in time, Led Zeppelin was arguably one of the biggest bands in all of music, period. The band used to be able to keep its music library to itself and stop others from using their tracks to advertise for other purposes, but that changed in 2002 when Cadillac managed to convince the band to use their hit “Rock and Roll”.
The car manufacturer allegedly paid a small fortune for the privilege to use the song, but it would ultimately go on to work as they managed to appeal to a new market for their vehicles. It has also been credited with being the commercial to start using metal music alongside cars, and this is perhaps evident with a number of other great examples to have been highlighted.
Nine Inch Nails – Levis
In 1996, Levis would use Nine Inch Nails’ “The Art of Self Destruction, Part One” for their commercial to advertise their world-famous jeans. The track works perfectly well with the narrative shown, with two individuals trying to escape danger and go through relentless pressurized situations, thus emphasizing the quality of the jeans being worn. The track by NIN works well with the black-and-white color themes used, too, as viewers are captivated by each moment that is shown.
Iron Maiden – Lucozade
A British drink, Lucozade is a glucose-based drink that is designed to give drinkers energy. In order to try and emphasize its high-octane abilities, it decided to utilize a number of sound effects that got the viewer’s energy rocketing. Iron Maiden and their track “Phantom of The Opera” was used in the 1980s ad, as the fast-paced opening notes help to evoke the emotions that can be experienced while also giving viewers an insight into how the drink works.
Van Halen – Nissan
With toy-themed movies such as Toy Story and toys such as G.I. Joe and Barbie being a huge part of the 1990s, it was hardly a surprise that Nissan looked to try and capitalize on the themes that were popular. The Japanese automobile manufacturer used Van Halen’s “You Really Got Me” for this ad, and it made sense as it featured a G.I. Joe is looking to steal Barbie from Ken. The metal music would have likely been something the militant would listen to, so it was easy to get behind and believable, something that commercials may no longer really be nowadays.
Chelsea Wolfe – Jaguar
Jaguar are another example of using metal music for their commercials to advertise a car. They decided to use Chelsea Wolfe’s “Carrion Flowers” for its F-Pace in 2018. It is an unlikely pairing given how the automobile brand is seen – classy and luxurious – while the music produced by the artist is haunting and rather gothic. Nonetheless, it was a combination that clearly worked well and one that was remembered well by those who saw it.
Motorhead – KIA
The last of the six examples on this list is another instance of a car manufacturer that has used metal music to try and promote one of their vehicles when advertising on TV. In a rather bizarre but unforgettable video, KIA decides to use Motorhead’s iconic “Ace of Spades” track to add some oomph to the story being told. Set at a hospital, the baby hamster is looking to escape capture by the nurses on the maternity ward. That was 2017 for you.
Expect More Metal Songs To Be Used For Commercials
Given the success that has been experienced in the past by numerous brand companies and the versatility that they have achieved with their usage, it would not be a shock if we were to find more companies looking to adopt the music genre within their future advertisements.
