As the film and music worlds "hunker down for awards season, there is another battleground getting underway" leading up to NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4 as ad agencies, their brand-clients, music publishers and supervisors "scramble to create the most memorable Super Bowl commercial," according to Roy Trakin of VARIETY. BMG Senior VP/Marketing, Commercials, Film & TV Alex Flores said, “The Super Bowl is a very big deal for us.” Flores "placed several song synchs in last year’s game, including Johnny Cash’s 'Ain’t No Grave' in a memorable spot for Disney’s 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and the year before, Aerosmith’s 'Dream On' in a buzzy Skittles commercial starring Steven Tyler." SONGS Music Publishing Senior VP/Creative Licensing, Ads Keith D’Arcy said, “There’s definitely a ‘wow’ factor getting one of your songs in a Super Bowl commercial.” For music publishers, the "first step in securing a Super Bowl placement is getting inquiries from the agency creatives, a process that often doesn’t take place until the home stretch." Grey Townhouse WPP Dir of Music Josh Rabinowitz said, “Everything comes together at the eleventh hour. It’s always a negotiation. If the publisher knows the music is for a Super Bowl spot, the price goes up accordingly.” D'Arcy added, “A music placement could happen within days of the game. Usually, I have to pitch without seeing any pictures, because the creative is all so proprietary. So I tend to work in a bit of a vacuum” (VARIETY.com, 1/4).
