Ads Seek to Strike Chord With Baby Boomers

Advertiser: Windham Hill Records

Agency: McCann-Erickson, Los Angeles

Challenge: Develop a brand identity for the record label.

The Ads: Two TV spots display pastoral scenes as gentle recordings from popular Windham Hill artists play in the background. One ad features instrumental music from George Winston, while the second spot uses an instrumental selection from Will Ackerman. Each ad ends with the Windham Hill logo and the slogan “The music inside you.”

Comment: When BMG Entertainment, a unit of Bertelsmann, assumed control of Windham Hill Records two years ago, it found that the label stirred warm feelings among people who had discovered it 10 to 15 years ago. But research also showed that many of these baby boomers were unfamiliar with Windham Hill’s current artists. The ads are intended to remind consumers of Windham Hill’s heritage, so that consumers trust the label enough to sample its new artists. These ads aren’t dazzling, but they capture a mood and probably speak to the adult music listeners Windham Hill wants to reach. $$$