During my time in baseball, I was responsible for the audio in the park. I was the guy who played all the music before and during the game, all the sound effects and cheers in between. A common practice was labeling certain events with audio. While with the Padres, the at-bat song for a player was all the rage; it was a brand builder for a player. In 1998 we introduced “Hells Bells” as the music when closer Trevor Hoffman entered the game. Within a matter of months, it became one of the most recognizable sports/audio branding moments. It led to a slew of other closers utilizing a song to come into a game, including Joe Nathan, closer for the Minnesota Twins, using “Stand Up and Shout” from the film Rock Star.
Yep. I had music too. The theme song to "Barney"
I made sure that every single time the Padres (and in later years the River Cats) hit a home run, the exact same song was played as the batter rounded the bases: Land Of 1,000 Dances by Wilson Pickett.
At a point during the season there would be a discussion about changing the music to add variety to the experience. The theory would be to use different music for a home run, or a player, or an event. The music would be based on the theme of the night. For example, if it was Fiesta Saturdays, where everything in the park had a Hispanic theme, we would use Hispanic themed music for everything. I did not agree to changing the music.
The simple reason is that a home run is a brand.
There are certain moments in our lives that have a very specific soundtrack. Like a visual brand, the audio identifies the event. Every time you hear that song, or that sound effect, nostalgia hits you like a kick in the shin, reminding you of everything about that event.
1982. My First Dance. "Open Arms" By Journey. I kissed a girl for the first time. Then I got kicked in the shin the first time. Every time I hear "Open Arms," my shin hurts.
In some cases, brands have simple notes that emote the brand. Think about Apple’s computer startup, or AOL, or NBC. Every time you hear those sounds, you know exactly what is happening.
A brand’s foundation is consistency, whether it’s a logo, a color, or an audio signature. When creating an experience for a customer or viewer, the factors that create a successful experience contribute to the branding of that experience. These factors should be taken seriously, and developed. When you try and alter what is a recognizable feature of a brand, you alter the customer’s perception of the brand, and you risk ruining the brand.
The point: Altering core brand identifiers is not a good strategy.
The ballpark was no different. There are several parts of a game that have a soundtrack: foul balls, cheers, player intros. . .and home runs. The reason a home run has a single audio identifier is to associate the audio with something great. This has two benefits to it. First, the crowd associates the song with the event. So whether you’re in the stands, at the concession, or in the restroom, when you hear the song, you know exactly what has happened. Second, the song becomes nostalgic outside the sporting event. To this day, I cannot hear Land of 1,000 Dances or Hell’s Bells without mentally drifting back to warm summer nights at the ballpark.
I make sure I have something cold on those warm summer nights. Then I drift. . .
To this day, eight years since I have worked a Padres baseball game, I can still recount the events of a game based on audio alone:
Picking up the Padres game in the bottom of the eighth inning:
Megadeth: Symphony of Destruction (Phil Nevin coming up to bat)
John Fogerty’s Centerfield (Nevin ahead in the count)
Land of 1,000 Dances (Nevin home run)
No Audio (Tony Gwynn batting. He never wanted an at-bat song. He didn’t like them.)
Gwynn third out
end of 8th/top of 9th
Hell’s Bells (Trevor Hoffman enters the game)
One Bell (First out)
Two Bells (Second out)
Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It (Final Out, Padres Win)
In contrast to bad audio spoiling an experience, especially in a noisy environment, good audio has the ability to tell the story and brand the event when visuals cannot.
The ultimate challenge for any experiential advertiser or marketer is to know how to use audio and how the audience will accept it. That is not easy to accomplish, but the effective audio branding can have as much impact on the experience as effective video.
Or you can have the all-time saves leader come into the game to "Hell's Bells." How's that for impact?
