"Lance Jensen, president of the advertising agency Modernista, is the creative mind behind the Hummer campaign, and has seen firsthand what prime-time, 30-second spots can do for unheard artists.

Six years ago, he used cult-folk hero Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" in a Volkswagen commercial, which triggered a Drake renaissance and probably led to what we now call "yup-rock" (polite indie rock for the upwardly mobile).

Jensen insisted that he and the rest of the marketing brains at Modernista have no strict M.O. when it comes to the music they pursue. "We just pick music that we like as people," said Jensen, a former DJ at Boston College's WZBC radio station. "Being a music lover, there's so much interesting work out there, I wonder -- why not let people hear it? ... I guess I just want artists to make money. I don't want them to be poor."

Jensen's Modernista has produced some of the most innovative car commercials ever. They avoid pitchmen and focus on visual spectacle. And a big part of attracting eyeballs is giving people a sound that will turn their heads."