U.K. duo Goldfrapp hits the Target

NEW YORK (Billboard) - When Americans watch the snowy, rosy-cheeked visuals of Target's holiday TV campaign, they'll be hearing the music of British electronic duo Goldfrapp, Billboard has learned.

It's the latest in the cult act's long string of licensing coups, which span two albums (2003's "Black Cherry" and this year's "Supernature") and include big names like Verizon, Diet Coke, "Grey's Anatomy" and "The OC." And the train's not showing any sign of slowing down.

"With some pitching and pushing, all of the songs on 'Supernature' have what it takes," says Cynthia Sexton, EMI Music Marketing senior vice president of marketing and licensing. "To the tune of a lot of money."

In today's changing marketplace, Goldfrapp is helping redefine the prototype of success, using licensing wins to drive buzz, sales and radio play, rather than vice versa.

The campaign is Target's "biggest of the year," according to Bruce Kirkland, president of

Tsunami Entertainment, who worked on the deal for the band. It consists of six spots, five featuring the dreamy "Fly Me Away" and one with the funkier "Number One," both off "Supernature."

Goldfrapp -- producer Will Gregory and singer-songwriter (and fashionista) frontwoman Alison Goldfrapp -- worked with the Target marketing department and ad agency PMH to create customized "remixes" for each spot, highlighting different elements of the original or adding wintry touches like bells or chimes.

The commercials, directed by Dutch designer Tord Boontje, are all brisk, bright and typically Target, featuring scenes of moonlit forest banquets, party hosts serving from rotating star-shaped tables and cherubic children chilling out with snow-white owls.

"(With the) commercials, we're meeting the mass market directly, marrying the song with some very attractive visuals," Kirkland says. "Whether we can effectively connect the dots between millions of people hearing the music and the record itself, time will tell. We're going out of our way to make that happen."

Just what about Goldfrapp is making marketers swoon? While everyone has a hypothesis -- "it's European," "modern tunes with classic influences," "the exciting pop sensibility" -- Sexton takes the best stab. "That breathy female vocal," she says, "means a lot in the music world."

Reuters/Billboard