Everybody dance now: why the art became an advertising trope

Creating a metaphorical 'song and dance' might be second nature to many people who work in advertising so perhaps it's little wonder that so many ads feature both in the literal sense.

Whether your idea of dancing is a healthy activity or the physical manifestation of inner convictions probably depends on how and why you're doing it. But for advertisers, it's long been an effective and memorable way to shift product or raise awareness.

Recently McDonald's and Leo Burnett evoked memories of a 1980s birthday party in one of its stores, complete with dancing kids, to mark its 50th anniversary in the UK. Burnett used social media to share tutorials for the hero dancer’s moves, hoping that it might catch on.

This was something that sister Publicis agency BBH also tried back in 2011 with the Yeo Valley farmers when it launched its ad in the centre break of ITV's X Factor (which was then still in its heyday) and produced a tutorial film to teach viewers the dancers' moves.

And within months of the relaunch, according to Nielsen research, Yeo Valley saw an increase in sales with 500,000 British households buying the brand.

Around the same time another Publicis creative agency, this time Saatchi & Saatchi launched 'Dance', a three-minute guerrilla-style flash mob ad, filmed using hidden TV cameras within Liverpool Street station.

The ad captured the spontaneous reactions of commuters as they watched a 350-strong dance troupe suddenly break into dance. It won the top prize at the British Arrows awards in 2009.

Lysa Hardy, head of brand and communications at T-Mobile, said at the time of the spot's launch: "'Dance' brings to life the fact that there are often unexpected, wonderful, exciting things that happen that you want to be able to share with your friends and family."

As a communal and shared act of spontaneity and enjoyment, dance therefore proved to be a useful creative route, and it's one that WeBuyAnyCar uses to show the pleasure that people can apparently get when they find out how much their used car is worth from the car buying service.

This dance, along with an earworm of a jingle, according to System1 is a 'fluent device' writ large - and not very subtly - indeed.

But dancing also has other uses. Originally inspired by the Irish agency Arks as a bridge between Guinness' 'Pure Genius' campaign and it's 'Black & White ' positioning, the 'Anticipation' spot achieved far greater cultural resonance and picked up awards that WeBuyAnyCar can only dream of.

The spot features a man in a bar ordering a pint of Guinness stout and, while waiting for the pint to be poured, carrying out a series of quirky dancing movements with the settling pint in the foreground.

It ends with the patron taking his first sip of the freshly poured pint overlaid by the Guinness advertising slogan "No time like Guinness Time".

Set to Guaglione by Pérez Prado (who would later compose more music for the Guinness canon), the ad makes heavy use of jump-cutting from a static camera to allow the dancer to create a series of movements that could not be achieved in reality.

It was such a success in Ireland that it transferred to the UK in 1995 - where it won at the British Arrows - and was aired again in 2009 to mark the brewery's 250th anniversary. It has also been much parodied.

These are examples of effective use of dancing in ads - but too often it becomes a go-to for agencies that are lacking an idea, argues Matt Gay, creative director at adam&eveDDB. And this is why we see so many of them - and many are quick to roll their eyes when they see a dance in an ad.

"Perhaps brands take the dancing shortcut hoping their work will appeal to Gen Z, entertain or be more memorable. But the result is more often than not, incredibly forgettable or incredibly irritating," he says.

"That said, there are plenty of examples of commercials with dancing that are both entertaining and memorable. The elegant 'Dance' by Orange (2006), the playful 'Tiny Dancer' by John Lewis Insurance (2016) and more recently, the wonderfully quirky 'Dance Do Less' by Uber Eats (2023) to name a few," he adds.

"Three dancing ads from the past 20 years are all completely different in tone and execution. And all are brilliant because at the heart of each one is a simple, yet strong, thought. The dancing enhances the idea," says Gay.

Other examples that confound the notion that dances are just an excuse for the lack of an idea come from this moving spot 'I Only Have Eyes For You' for Amazon Alexa created by Droga5 London.

Telling the story of the enduring love between a couple. It also hints at how music and dancing can be a powerful connector to our past, particularly for older people who are suffering from memory loss issues.

And even inanimate objects have been getting in on the act when Argos' toy brand mascots Connie and Trevor cut loose for its Christmas campaign with an impressive routine to the disco classic Le Freak by Chic.

Developed by T&Pm, the spot would also see the plastic pair showcase what was on sale during the winter season, as well as Connie's best moves.

Burberry famously produced a modern take on Gene Kelly’s classic Singin’ in the Rain routine for its Christmas campaign.

The ad featured a group dance-off but with an urban edginess, with falling ice blocks added throughout the dance piece. This was interpreted as both a nod to global warming and Burberry's heritage as the manufacturer of weatherproof clothing used by arctic explorers (as opposed to footballers' wives).

Despite the inclement weather, the dancers are not afraid to head outside despite the warning from the shopkeeper about an incoming storm.

By contemporising a classic dance routine with modern themes, this was a reflection on how Burberry was trying to feel relevant to a younger audience - while also acknowledging and highlighting its heritage.

In that regards, the dance is true to Gay's final point about dancing in ads. He says: "For me there isn’t a problem with work that has dancing. There’s a problem with work that lacks an idea." It was ever thus.