Volkswagen Financial Services’ first ever ‘Brandthem’ - the story behind the music

Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS) had five new values. Values Woodreed needed to bring to life, launching and embedding them firmly in the hearts and minds of employees. We’d created individual graphics for each value, abstract representations of people, each with its own personality to symbolise the value. Each graphic told its own story, but also came together to create the bigger more powerful story of ‘Living our spirit’.

A storyboard for a full length animation was written to allow each value to tell its own story, each of which would be accompanied by an individual musical soundtrack. We advised our client that rather than use music ‘off the shelf’, a unique set of values deserved a unique score of music from a composer of note. Luckily they agreed!

Choosing the right composer was key. Our target audience was broad so our score needed to feel timeless to give it maximum appeal to all. It was important to get the balance right; not too modern/electronic, not too traditional. We finally settled on Antony Pitts[i], a renowned musical composer, director and sound design artist, who had the ability to play, record and mix - all under one roof. Perfect!

Whilst each track would have its own identity and evoke different emotions, we wanted them to all work together to form a complete sound track that would be bold, ‘anthemic’ and above all memorable.

Antony Pitts picks up the story:

“Dave Wilson, Woodreed’s Creative Director, approached me to compose, score, and record an animation soundtrack. He wanted an ‘inspiring anthem’ and had detailed ideas about what kind of music should go with each of the five values.  He needed music that would build up from five separate directions and also work together as a single track.  As he suggested, we mixed together real and electronic instruments - we used a real piano and trumpet (me), a flute (my wife Karen Pitts), and Dave himself played a sampled drum kit, all held together by an acoustic tambourine rhythm.”

Here’s the detail for each value:

Customer

A simple grand piano tune in which more notes are added as the numbers increase on-screen.

Responsibility
The idea of a folk round-dance led to the collective of flute, fiddle, accordion, and triangle.

Trust

A ‘trusted’ synth bass doubled two octaves above to which was added a simple hi-hat figure.

Courage

The military snare drum is combined with a real bugle, part-electronic horn section and their martial themes are crossed with jazzier outbursts.

Enthusiasm

The Hollywood string section arrives on the scene accompanied by a full percussion department with handclaps and finally faux-lead guitar.

The resulting piece was a two minute ‘brandthem’ that helped put the new values on the pedestal they deserved, launching them with pride, conviction and energy to a delighted crowd. 

Do have a listen and we hope you enjoy it. 

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[i] Antony Pitts (born 1969) is one of several composers in his family; he was an Academic Scholar and Honorary Senior Scholar at New College, Oxford where he founded TONUS PEREGRINUS and in 2004 won a Cannes Classical Award for their #1 debut album Passio.  He joined BBC Radio 3 in 1992 and received the Radio Academy BT Award in 1995; as a Senior Producer he won the Prix Italia in 2004.  He joined the Royal Academy of Music in 2001 where he was Senior Lecturer in Creative Technology until 2009.  Antony’s music has been premiered at London’s Wigmore Hall and Westminster Cathedral, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, and part of his Requiem at private memorials for former Soviet agent Alexander Litvinenko.