When you hear the line "double your pleasure, double your fun" in the new Chris Brown single 'Forever', you could be forgiven for thinking the R&B hit maker swings both ways.
But in fact, the hit song is actually just an extended version of the new 30-second jingle for Wrigley's Double Mint gum.
Lost your appetite? Maybe that's why Chris decided to reveal the Wrigley's funding after the song charted.
He recorded the jingle and then extended the song with producer Polow Da Don during Wrigley-purchased studio time. The song was then released as a single, then included on the deluxe 'Exclusive' album edition.
But Chris isn't the only hit-maker star joining the Wrigley's Sell Out Club. Ne-Yo will take on Big Red's "Kiss A Little Longer" jingle while Dancing With the Stars' Julianne Hough countrified the Juicy Fruit song.
It's true that artists have been selling fans everything from phones to kicks to the kitchen sink for the past ten years; just look at any slick music video from the states for all the product placement you can handle. But listening to a catchy top ten single from a respected mainstream artist, unawares that you are being sold confectionary, is another matter. And it leaves a bad Double Minty taste in our mouths.
Artists and their labels have always been entrepreneurial in finding alternate ways to make a buck via merchandising and endorsements, but does corporate-sponsored singles suggest the music industry has finally admitted defeat in the war against free digital downloads?
The move was a very clever one on Wrigley's part. The song was released a while ago, but by the time listeners made the link that 'Forever' was actually a covert advertisement for Double Mint Gum, the Wrigley's slogan was firmly engrained into the psyche of every Chris Brown fan the world over. And that's what's we call 'synergy' in the marketing biz, kids.
God forbid any one of these artists pass up a cheque on the grounds of artistic integrity, so realistically, it was only a matter of time before corporate sponsors wheedled their way in.
It makes sense; using a proven vehicle that target markets respond to (the artist) the jingle that everyone recognizes and remembers (the chorus) all packaged in a slick 'commercial' (the music video). The company gets their ad, the muso gets their pay cheque, and we are sold a product. What multinational wouldn't want super stars vouching for their product via a top ten hit? Still, it's a sad day for music when advertisers start subconsciously selling products (especially confectionary) to the unawares-public via catchy singles.
How music fans will digest this news is still to be seen. We may be wrong, but confectionary-funded top ten hits may be a little hard to swallow. But who knows, maybe gum will be the savior of the music industry. Chew on that.
By Penny Newton
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