Synch Focus: Public Enemy’s “Harder Than You Think” for the 2012 London Paralympics

Who’s In Focus: http://www.reachmusic.com

We Are: Reach Music Publishing, Inc. — a music publisher based in Burbank, CA.

The Project: Paralympics – “Meet the Superhumans” :90 commercial for Channel 4 (UK), produced in-house

Check it out: The video is directly below —

Creative Brief: 90-second spot, promoting the 2012 London Paralympics (which was held after the regular Olympics) from Aug 29 through Sept 9.  It was directed by Tom Tagholm and produced in-house by Channel 4.

The concept of the advertisement was to show the Paralympians using high-level sporting events as redemption to overcome their lifelong challenges and disabilities. The tagline is: “Meet the Superhumans.”

Magic Track: The director wanted a song that builds with a powerful crescendo, with impactful vocals to signify the struggle, drive and superhuman accomplishments of the Paralympians.

Public Enemy’s “Harder Than You Think,” with Chuck D leading on vocals provided the ideal accompaniment, which was personally chosen by Tagholm, a lifelong Public Enemy fan.

Synchro Nicety: Goosebumps! It was incredible to witness how impactful a song could be to drive home a message to an audience and to show the Paralympians as driven athletes, not deterred by disasters or disabilities.

The Payoff: The song synched with the commercial, which was repeated continually during the Paralympics, helped raise the visibility of the Paralympics within the UK, leading to sold-out nights in the Olympic arena and continual press coverage within the UK. Most importantly, it showed the Paralympians as triumphant heroes, not limited by circumstances. This is why the campaign was a success.

On a business level, “Harder Than You Think” immediately started selling during the Paralympics, rising to #3 on the UK iTunes download charts, #4 on the UK national sales charts and #1 on the UK independent singles and urban download music charts. It became the highest charting single ever by Public Enemy in its 25-year career. Additionally, the promo was recently awarded six PROMAX Awards in the UK, which reward the very best in creative TV marketing.

— Michael Closter, President, Reach Music

Public Enemy was more than on board with this usage of “Harder Than You Think.” (Photo by Robert Downs)

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