Music has been recognized as a powerful stimulus affecting people’s mood and even health since times immemorial. Realizing the potential of using the music elements in advertizing for affecting the consumers’ perception and purchasing behavior, marketers use music in supermarkets and as a background feature in commercials.
The findings of the latest empirical studies have revealed a positive relationship between the use of music elements, concentration of attention and proper perception and interpretation of commercial messages by consumers. The music in the supermarkets helps to create the consumers’ favorable mood and encourages them to make purchases.
Taking into account the findings of the previous researches, this study will conduct semi-structured interviews and test the hypothesis whether there is a positive relationship between the use of music elements in advertisements and their brand preferences and purchasing decisions.
Literature review
Modern marketers view music as an important background feature which can be effectively used for enhancing the viewers’ arousal and effects produced by advertisements.
Even though most consumers denied the impact of music upon their brand preferences, the findings of empirical studies have shown that there are significant differences in the brand attitudes, purchase decisions and emotional responses of viewers to the advertisements of music and non-music groups (1).
The results of experiments conducted by Gorn have shown that pleasant music, humor and attractive colors are important background features which can influence the consumers’ perceptions and attitudes (1).
Even though Gorn’s experiments were criticized by other scholars, the conclusions regarding appeal of music upon viewers remained unchanged. Kellaris and Cox who replicated Gorn’s experiments admitted that his findings could have been influenced by demand artifacts (2).
However, Gorn’s premise regarding the positive relationship between product choice and music appeal was not disclaimed. Additionally, Kellaris and Cox measured the strength of different unconditioned stimuli by using different sets of classical and popular music but did not receive any significant differences in results (2).
A more in-depth investigation of music characteristics and their impact upon the consumer’s emotional responses, brand awareness and purchasing decisions was conducted by Park and Young (3). Assuming that music can activate the brain and affect the mood of listeners, the researchers attempted to develop a complex taxonomy of music elements, including tempo, pitch, texture and duration and their impact upon individuals’ emotional reactions.
The findings of empirical research have demonstrated that there is a positive relationship between the music tempo and its emotional appeal to listeners (3). Particularly, music with low pitch can arouse the emotions of sadness in listeners, whereas the music with high pitch can be associated with happiness.
Louder music is interpreted as a mood of happiness, and soft music is attributed to the seriousness of the message. Therefore, consumers view the content of the commercial message through the lens of the overall mood of the advertisement that depends upon the tempo and volume of the background music. The maximum effect can be achieved if pleasant music is used as a background melody (3).
Success of a commercial in creating brand awareness and influencing the consumers’ purchasing decisions depends upon a wide array of factors, including the visual elements, major message, music, humor and others.
However, as it can be seen from the findings of the recent studies, the use of music can be effective for concentrating the consumers’ attention and creating a positive image of the advertized brand. Berger and Mitchell concluded that auditory persuasion in the form of pleasant background music plays an important role in communicating the key message of the commercial to the target audience (4).
It is possible to use popular hits to draw the consumers’ attention or unknown melodies created specially for the commercial which can become recognizable and associated with a particular brand in the course of the repetition of the advertisement in the media. Consumers tend to recall more details from advertisements using background music as compared to those without music (1).
Research method
A semi-structured interview was conducted with eight college students for the purpose of establishing a relationship between the use of music background and their mood and brand preferences if any. The structure of the interview was flexible, and the questions were open-ended and enabled the participants to express their personal opinions and attitudes.
The main objectives of this study included the investigation of the influence of music upon he consumers’ purchasing decision and brand attitudes and individuals’ acceptance of this influence. The participants were asked a series of questions regarding their attitudes towards commercials in general, their favorite advertisement and least preferred advertisement.
A convenient sampling was used for selecting the participants for this research. The interviews were conducted in the form of a friendly conversation, but the participants were informed on the purpose of study and gave their consent for participation.
Semi-structured interviews usually have a quite flexible structure which can vary according to the answers of the participants. However, it is necessary to work out the interview guide which helps the researcher to conduct the interview effectively. To make the required investigation and conduct the interview, the interview guide including general and concrete open-ended questions was developed. According to the participants’ answers to general questions, concrete questions could be different.
The group of general questions requested for such information as the participants’ attitude to using background music in advertisements and its influence on their intentions and decisions to buy this or that product or on their mood.
Thus, at the first stage of the interview the students were asked the questions from the first group, “Do you pay much attention to the background music used in advertisements?”, “Do you prefer advertisements with background music or without any music?”, “Can the music used in advertisements influence your mood?”, “Can the music in advertisements influence your decision to buy the product which is presented in it?”.
According to the answers of the participants to the questions from the first group, they were offered to answer more concrete questions which were specially developed in relation to the answers for the general questions. If the answer to the question from the first group was negative, the series of more concrete questions was not offered to the participants of the interview.
When the participants answered to such a question as “Do you pay much attention to the background music used in advertisements?” positively, they were offered to answer some more questions on this subject, “What kind of music can attract your attention?”, “Do you pay attention to the fact to what genre this music belong?”, “Do you remember music from those advertisements which have drawn your attention?”.
When the participants gave the positive answers to such a question as “Do you prefer advertisements with background music or without any music?”, they were asked to concentrate on the emotions which advertisements with or without music can arouse.
Moreover, they could develop the problem of the effectiveness of using music in advertisements as the factor of the impact on the consumers’ purchasing behavior when answered such a question as “Can the music in advertisements influence your decision to buy the product which is presented in it?”. The participants’ answers helped to complete the picture of the situation in marketing and proved the fact that today consumers pay more attention to the quality of the goods than to the peculiarities of their advertisements.
The participants of the interview also paid much attention to the series of questions connected with such a question as “Can the music used in advertisements influence your mood?”.
To develop the issue of the music’s impact on consumers’ mood and behaviour, the participants were asked about the tempo, pitch, and loudness of the music which can be presented in the advertisements which they consider as successful or unpleasant for them.
Thus, the participants accentuate their attention on music which can irritate them or on that music which can give them pleasant emotions and increase their mood. However, according to the students’ answers to the questions about their mood and emotions, pleasant music can be perceived by them with less emotion than unpleasant melodies which can influence their mood negatively.
Research findings
Most of the interviewees denied the influence of the background features upon their brand preferences and purchasing behavior. Seven of eight participants claimed that they try to overcome the influence of marketing measures and make informed choices.
When asked directly, the participants admitted that the background features such as pleasant music and humor in the commercial cannot influence their attitudes to a particular brand, not to mention their purchasing behavior.
Describing their favorite commercials, six of the interviewees attempted to reproduce the songs or background melodies used in the advertisement.
The remaining two participants could not say for sure if there was music in their favorite advertisement. When checked, it was cleared out that the favorite commercials of the participants, who hesitated whether there was music in the advertisement or not, contained background music.
The interviewees could recall a lot of details contained in these commercials and demonstrated a profound understanding of the key message of the advertisement.
Moreover, the attitude of the interviewees to the advertized brands was positive. However, the interviewees emphasized the importance of the quality of products upon their attitudes and denied the effect produced by the background features. Eight interviewees admitted that modern commercials using pleasant music and humor do not irritate them and can have a positive impact upon their mood.
Discussing the least preferred commercial, the interviewees pointed out at the main features irritating them. Among the traits having a negative impact upon the consumers’ perception was shameless self-promotion of certain brands and banality of the commercial message.
Therefore, most of the least preferred commercials were based on the mere statements of the advantages offered by particular brands and belonged to a non-music group. The participants could not recall specific details of the advertisements not using music as a background feature. Additionally, four participants admitted that they were irritated with songs used in one of the commercials, saying that it was getting on their nerve every time they heard it.
Discussion
Analyzing the research findings, it can be stated that the participants deny the impact of background music upon their perception of the commercial message, not to mention their brand preferences and purchasing decisions. These answers clearly demonstrate that present day sophisticated consumers are aware of the marketers’ efforts to influence their perceptions and make attempts to resist this influence.
However, taking into account the fact that all of the most preferred commercials mentioned by the respondents contained music elements and interviewees could recall the slightest details of those commercials, it can be stated that there is a positive relationship between the use of background music in the commercial and the viewers’ emotional responses to the commercial and understanding of the main message of the advertisement.
Music became an integral element of the commercials because even not been asked to, most of the interviewees made attempts to reproduce the melodies and songs used in their favorite commercials. There is a strong association between a particular brand and music used in the advertisement.
As a background feature, music affects the listeners’ mood and concentrates their attention because all of the interviewees could recall specific details of the advertisements belonging to the music group.
Regarding those participants who were not certain about the use of background music in their favorite advertisements, this peculiarity can be explained with the specifics of their individual perception of information and the preferred mode of communication.
Additionally, even though these respondents did not notice the presence of background music, they were able to reproduce the rest of details of the plot and the main message of the commercials. Therefore, the music elements can remain unnoticed but still have impact upon the consumers’ perceptions and attitudes.
Regarding the least preferred commercials, it can be stated that most of them belonged to non-music group. Though the music elements are widely used in modern marketing, the instances of non-music commercials can still be found in the media. Though the interviewees pointed out at shameless self-promotion and banality of the message as the main features they disliked about the least preferred commercials, there is a relationship between the lack of the music background and the consumers’ negative attitude towards it.
Additionally, some of the least preferred commercials contained music elements which however irritated the listeners causing their dissatisfaction.
Therefore, music elements can become a powerful tool in producing an impression which can be either positive or negative. In that regard, bearing in mind the potential influence of this choice, marketers should be careful in selecting the most appropriate tunes for their commercials and deciding between well-known and unfamiliar songs (4).
Analyzing the brand preferences of the interviewees in their relation to the commercials and the use of background music in them, it can be stated that there is a positive relationship between the use of music as a background feature in advertisements and the consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Event though the vast majority of the participants of the study emphasized their objectivity in making purchasing decisions and denied the impact of particular advertisements and their elements upon their attitudes and behaviors, most of them agreed that they appreciate the quality of the products produced by the brands advertized in their preferred commercials.
Thus, the consumers’ purchasing decisions depend upon a wide range of influential factors, and music used in advertizing can have a significant impact upon their mood and perception of the main message of the commercial and contribute to their awareness and positive attitude towards the advertized brands and their products.
Conclusion
Analyzing the results of the semi-structured interviews in their relation to the findings of the previous studies, it can be concluded that there is a positive relationship between the use of music as a background feature in advertisements and the consumers’ brand preferences and purchasing decisions.
Regardless of the fact that most of the participants denied the impact of music in commercials upon their attitudes and brand preferences, it can be stated that music is a powerful tool affecting the consumers’ mood, perception and impression from particular commercials and advertized brands and products. Taking into account the potential impact of music elements, marketers should be careful in selecting the tunes and songs for particular commercials.
References
1. Berger IE, Mitchell AA. The effect of advertising on attitude accessibility, attitude confidence, and the attitude behavior relationship. Journal of Consumer Research. 1989 Dec;16(3):269-279.
2. Gorn GJ. The effects of music in advertising on choice behavior: a classical conditioning approach. The Journal of Marketing. 1982 winter;46(1):94-101.
3. Kellaris JJ, Cox AD. The effects of background music in advertising: a reassessment. Journal of Consumer Research. 1989 Jun;16(1):113-18.
4. Park CW, Young SM. Consumer response to television commercials: the impact of involvement and background music on brand attitude formation. Journal of Marketing Research. 1986 Feb; 23(1):11-24.