The Value of Music in Advertising
Creating a memorable advertisement has become a difficult task in our present media environment, where more and more ads compete for a prospect's attention. Using music in advertisements can help get a message across and make it more memorable. Music can act as an attention-getter and also as an enhancer of the message. If the message of the song is parallel to the one you are trying to convey, it becomes twice as clear for the audience. It is also believed that music creates a mood or feeling in the consumer that transfers to the product in the ad. If consumers view the song favorably, they may view the message favorably as well.
Advertising relies on widespread social and cultural understanding in order to sell products. Rather than just imparting the beneficial aspects of a product, one needs to associate the product with aspects of our culture to help give it significance. Music can act as a social and cultural messenger for an advertising message. There are also several other uses of music in advertising.
Different Uses of Music
One of the earliest ways music was used was simply to entertain. When the ad was made entertaining, it was viewed less as an unwanted trespasser and more as a welcomed guest. Music is still used to entertain, but it is not quite that simple. It needs to have a purpose and must coincide with the message being portrayed. Music can be used to create a sense of continuity by tying together all the elements of an ad. It can also be used to emphasize parts of the ad that necessitate extra attention.
One significant thing about music is that it has the ability to linger in a listener’s mind. When a message is put to music, it is more memorable and can even keep circulating in people’s heads. Over the years, jingles have been a popular mechanism for improving recall. A jingle is an advertising slogan put to a catchy melody. In the past few decades, the use of jingles has declined, partially because of cost and partially because purchasing existing music is typically quicker and easier. But it is still viewed as an excellent method in attracting a prospect's attention.
By combining spoken word and song, an advertiser is able to provide logical and emotional appeals to the audience. The announcer provides the facts, and the music provides the mood. Music is also a great way to target a very specific audience. Because different styles and artists appeal to different audiences, you can increase the likehood of reaching the intended demographic through the music chosen.
Research
A number of studies have been done on the effect of music on advertising messages. In one study, music was reported to assist the verbal comprehension of ad messages. Music can make advertisements easier to understand. Another study discovered that jingles in ads increased brand name recall. All in all, most studies show that when the music genre and advertising message match one another, the audience views the brand more positively. However, the opposite can be true as well. Music and message incongruity can be used to convey humor, and this encourages consumers to decode the message to understand the comedy. If an audience is persuaded to decode the message, they will probably remember it later on. One research study found that an incongruent but still relevant stimulus increases the identification of the message of an ad.
Music definitely has the ability to enhance an advertising message. Multiple studies have shown that it increases the likelihood a message will be noticed, understood, and then viewed positively. Whether it is used to invoke a mood or to be the primary carrier of the message, music is an efficient and reputable method in gaining audience cooperation.
|
