What is your favorite song that was used in a commercial? 

Maybe it’s The New Seekers’ hit “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing?” Or is that “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke?” The story gets a little murky. But it’s one of the great tales of how you can use something catchy and clever to send a brand into the stratosphere. And if you’re managing a small professional services firm, you should pay close attention to this little ditty from Power Pair Marketing that more than anything else is about finding clever ways to build your brand. 

In 1971, a singer named Susan Shirley recorded a song called “True Love and Apple Pie.” It wasn’t a hit, but it ended up being reworked by the songwriters as “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” which was recorded by the British vocal group The New Seekers that same year. Zoom! The song took off. 

But that’s not all. In a world where art imitates life imitates art, the powers that be figured the song was good enough to get traction on the pop charts. The New Seekers re-recorded the song with non-commercial lyrics as “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” and had a pop hit. It rose to number-seven in the U.S., number-three in Canada, and number-one in the U.K. and Japan, as well as getting a cornucopia of chart action around the world. Here are the lyrics for the hit song and the Coke ad: 

We’re not stopping with this song. How about “Wessonality,” which was sung by Florence Henderson, best known for playing “Carol Brady,” in spots for Wesson in 1978? This song, originally “Personality,” was originally sung by Dorothy Lamour in the 1945 Bob Hope-Bing Crosby picture The Road to Utopia. It was re-recorded in 1946 by Johnny Mercer and also Dinah Shore. Mercer had the bigger hit, but Shore’s version certainly influenced the later “Wessonality” version.

Not only is the song a big deal, but in this case “Wessonality” became a running tagline for the vegetable oil brand for quite a time and gave Henderson a lucrative gig. 

When it comes to promoting a small professional services firm, sometimes grabbing onto an engine that can give you a boost is a great idea. It might be sponsoring a Little League team, or hosting a fundraiser for a local charity, or perhaps joining a local chamber of commerce or networking group to give your brand a nice boost. There are also digital opportunities and ways to boost your business through a website that can incorporate many great concepts.

At Power Pair Marketing, we look for these opportunities for clients who have the right type of business and a more high-concept mindset. This isn’t right for everyone – we certainly wouldn’t suggest that a funeral home put its brand on a Little League team uniform – but if done correctly it can be a big winner. We’re not saying your story will be the next “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” but with the right mindset your brand could experience big success. 

Click the link below to connect with Power Pair Marketing to see how we can help you teach the world to sing.