While Snoop Dogg busies himself with taking over the Indian music market (perhaps you heard the American music industry smells less like teen spirit than teen funk?), a fun new trend is taking over the U.S. recording industry: marketing as music.

This is different from music as marketing in this way: Previously, musicians record labels would sign over songs, that they already recorded, to be used in commercials when marketers found them to be perfect for their 30-second spot.

Then came grey-area additions, like Fergie's "Labels Or Love," a track commissioned specifically for the Sex and the City movie.

And now there's Chris Brown's "Forever," which isn't so much a Top 10 hit as it is a commercial for Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. that just happened to sneak its way onto the radio. And only now is Wrigley going to own up to it.

"Forever" is an extended version of a new Doublemint jingle written by Mr. Brown and scheduled to begin airing next month in 30-second spots for Wrigley's green-packaged chewing gum.

Mr. Brown is one of a trio of pop stars enlisted by ad agency Translation Advertising, a unit of Interpublic Group of Cos., to update the images of three of Wrigley's best-known brands.

The campaign includes spots featuring R&B singer Ne-Yo doing his own take on Big Red's "kiss a little longer" jingle. And "Dancing With the Stars" regular-turned-country-singer Julianne Hough recorded a twangy version of Juicy Fruit's "The taste is gonna move ya."

But Mr. Brown's "Forever" is the most ambitious part of the campaign. Mr. Brown was commissioned to write and sing both the pop song and a new version of the Doublemint jingle, introduced in 1960.

Brown's song was actually released in April, and never identified as a Wrigley's track. This is different from, say, Justin Timberlake's adver-song "I'm Lovin' It," which was commissioned by McDonald's and recorded by Timberlake, but never released on one of his albums. Brown's "Forever" is actually on 2007's Exclusive, which was re-released in June. From the very beginning, it was set up as an in-album commercial.

Now why did Wrigley go after Brown for its Doublemint initiative?

Wrigley chose Mr. Brown to develop the new Doublemint song, in part because the company's consumer research showed that African-American consumers prefer Doublemint to other gum brands. [Wrigley's vice president for North American gum marketing Paul] Chibe calls the move "the future of the brand."

Mr. Chibe added that the mildly suggestive lyrics have never given the company pause. "Everything he's done with 'Forever' represents the brand and it fits our brand personality for Doublemint," Mr. Chibe added.

Blaxploitation certainly doubles our pleasure. Just like Big Tobacco's menthol push.

[WSJ]