Recording and Advertising Executive Extraordinaire.
He was one of the key architects in the development of the soul music we so love today!
The second stage of his creative career
made him a very important figure in the advertising industry around the globe. On
the strength of the gold record “Rescue Me” and other major hit records on Chess, Billy caught the attention of the McCann-Erickson
advertising agency in New York.
They made him an offer he could not refuse and so in 1969 the agency hired him
as jingles songwriter. Davis
first major assignment at the agency was to help Coca-Cola develop an
international brand across all the markets where the company was trading, based
on the old advertising campaign slogan “It’s the Real Thing”.
Davis was assigned to create several songs
with songwriter Roger Cook and creative director Billy Backer, who was responsible
for The Coca-Cola Company account. The actual recording session occurred in London, England,
with the New Seekers, a British recording group. Out of the studio session a
song was born that would impact people around the global for generations and
established Coca-Cola as a major leader in the soft drink market for a long
period. The song was titled “I’d Like to Buy The World a Coke and Keep it Company”.
With his creative skills, he was able plant
into people’s subconscious minds a song that was easy to remember and enjoyable
to listen to, with a special appeal to young people, which helped to increase
sales levels for Coca-Cola international. The basic message of the ad was that
Coca-Cola had a strong bond helping people to connect to each other regardless
of race or colour.
The advertising
campaign became so successful that it appeared in a variety of languages to
match the ever-increasing global demand. Davis rewrote the song as “I'd
Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)”, as recorded by the
Hillside Singers and the New Seekers. The single version performed by the New
Seekers entered the American Pop chart in the top ten listing and achieved
platinum level sales for over two million plus copies sold. According to many
surveys conducted in the United States,
this commercial was the best of all time and the sheet music continues to sell
thirty years after it was originally recorded and written.
Other
successful jingles followed: “It's The Real Thing”, “Have a Coke and a Smile”, “Coke
Is It” and “Things Go Better with Coke”. Other ads were created for Nescafé,
Miller Beers, Sony and Nabisco. The Miller Beers’ popular jingle was; “If
You’ve Got the Time”, which was also a successful advertising campaign in North America.
Before Davis retired from the advertising industry, he
achieved the position of senior vice-president and musical director at
McCann-Erickson and became one of the most successful black executives in the
world of advertising. Davis’s
song writing approach to jingles, completely revolutionized the
advertising industry and brought products into our subconscious minds, creating
brand images that spread globally regardless of race and culture. Billy Davis
stated in an interview published in the Detroit Free Press on 24th
April 1983:
“Using
music in a commercial is a great aid to recall. It will help you remember the
commercial and the product. Music allows you to add emotional content.”
Researched and compiled by
Mr K Tomlin Music Historian
©RCM Music/Signaturesoundsonline 2013
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