Typology of advertising music components and consumers’ responses to the brand

Abstract

The present research aims to explore the effects of advertising music components (MCs) on brand perception, attitude, and purchase intentions using the cross-fertilization between research in marketing and musicology. Previous research has shown that the MCs (e.g. tempo, mode, and timbre) of advertising music can influence brand perception. However, few MCs have been studied and without controlling the influence of all MCs. In addition, existing categorizations of MCs are not applied to advertising music and mainly focus on classical music. A preliminary study analyzing 125 advertising music pieces with musicologists provides a typology of advertising MCs and of induced brand perceptions. Four experiments then explore the effects of advertising MCs in different contexts (music in the foreground, music in the background with a neutral message, music in the background with a non-neutral message, and replication with a real, well-known brand). The research indicates the influence of each advertising MC on brand perception while controlling for all MCs. In particular, some MCs induce the same brand perception. Their perceptual influence remains the same when they are in the background or when they are incongruent. They can even change the perception of a well-known brand, as well as influence brand attitude and purchase intentions. Conceptual and methodological implications for research on music and brand management as well as managerial implications are discussed.