Use of Music in Marketing - Essay Example

Use of Music in Marketing by Advertising has become a mundane part of consumers` lives worldwide with the rise of mass media. While the methods of advertising have changed, it still serves as the means of persuading one party to buy a specific product or service. At the beginning of the era advertising was one-on-one sales and a simple customer-seller conversation. Today newspapers, television, magazines, Internet allow targeting big audience, and advertising has become one of the most popular kinds of business. However, the approach to advertising has changed: today companies do not only sell products, they sell emotions with these products. And if earlier this aspect was relevant only for the luxury products today even a can of Pepsi deserves attention. Brands compete in producing the best commercials, attracting the right celebrities, and finding the right music to them as it is music that can push the right button in consumers` emotional response and make them go and buy the product. Marketing specialists have already noticed that if visual images in commercial are supported by right music, products are memorized for a longer period of time, and become more recognizable eventually. Using music in commercials is as necessary as choosing the right colors for packaging. Why? According to the opinion of Alex White, Co-founder and CEO of Next Big Sound Inc., music cannot only create loyalty but build serious advocacy among consumers. People buying certain brand in the XXI century do not need just a brand, they also want emotional connection with it and they want to make sure that this brand will speak of them to other people. And emotional feedback from the act of purchase is possible only when the advertisement has created buzz and excitement in advance. So commercials with the right music can guarantee three important things to consumers: identity with the product, engagement, and currency of the marketing situation. Music can be that last step helping the brand to draw attention of the customers and stick in their memory. Moreover, with the help of music it is possible to provide consumers with the content to examine and share (Olenski, 2014). Whenever there are emotions involved people start speaking about artistic approach. That is how choosing the right music has become a special kind of art in marketing. Music as a universal language can speak to all layers of the audience and be understood without words. Music instantly gives a full of scope of information about the main characteristics of the product: for example, if a company is launching a completely new product they may introduce a fresh band in their commercial to be associated with coolness and innovations. Music appeals to a more profound level of information processing-emotions. It is almost an absolute truth that companies that find the right music during their advertising campaign can enhance perception in the marketplace more effectively (Brown & Olgsten, 2005). What is well-known to everyone who understands the concept of music is that fact that it definitely affects mood. Present research studying demonstrates direct interdependence between the tempo of music and the mood it provokes. Slow music is mostly associated with tranquility, calm, and balance. It also stimulates solemn and sometimes sentimental feelings. While fast melodies are associated with pleasant feelings and happiness. However, there is an assumption that the difference is not as simple as it seems. Listeners to find the tempo which they feel is the most comfortable to them and according to most studies it varies between 70 and 110 beats per minute which is often found the most pleasant. However, scientists suggest that tempo may be not as important as genre. Music rhythm turned out to have impact on the listeners’ mood as well. Firm rhythms were characterized as robust by listeners and evoked feelings of seriousness and solemnity, even sacrality. While softer rhythms were usually described as happy, joyful and creating feelings of lightness and daydreaming. This type of rhythm was also described as animated and cheerful while at the same time uneven rhythm gave an impression of exaltation and officially. The way how musical pattern is shortened or prolonged, which is called music phrasing, also has an impact on emotional state of the audience. Staccato-note-filled music makes listeners more energetic and more agitated. While softer performance of legato music makes listeners feel relaxation and satisfaction (Bruner, 1990). Pitch is another music characteristic changing of which it is possible to stimulate certain emotional response in listeners. Minor mode is always associated with depression, tension, and even mystery while major mode gives a feeling of lightness and happiness. It is probably well understood as well that consonant melodies are perceived as sincere, cheerful, and pleasant while dissonance in music evokes disturbing and sad emotions. Another aspect connected to music pitch is descending or ascending nature. Obviously ascending sounds give listeners positive and serene emotions while descending can drag into a state of agitation and anxiety. Therefore, music pitch is perceived naturally by people and can predictably provoke emotions. The choice of instruments probably matters the most, and the texture of music can have a decisive influence on listeners. According to research of Kinnear the sounds of certain type of instruments were perceived in a similar emotional way regardless of the melody performed. The early studies on the types of melodies produced by various instruments suggest that brass instruments give impression of triumph, grotesque, and solemnity (1960). Melodies produced with the help of woodwind instruments are usually characterized as distressing, whimsical, and weird. Piano sounds are characterized as vivid and harmonious. String instruments are believed to produce sounds characterized as glad. The volume influences listeners directly: the louder it is the brighter feelings it stimulates. Soft and quiet sounds give listeners impression of delicacy and tranquility (Bruner, 1990). So music is an efficient tool when it is necessary to create a sentimental mood and show gradation and increasing of emotional tension with final climax. Adding more instruments to the general and speeding the tempo evokes anxiety and anticipation in listeners. The creators of the P&G commercial used music as the basic tool to convey a universal message in the video dedicated to the Winter Olympic Games. As much as love to parents unites people, emotional response to music becomes a definite lingua franca. In the commercial for the Winter Olympic Games 2014 P&G company decided to play on the most sacred and emotional parts of every person- gratitude to mothers. The video consists of a number of touching images of first babies` steps and first falls. The video starts really delicately and is accompanied by a gentle simple music and as images become more and more emotionally saturated with first tears, traumas, and injuries, the music becomes more and more complicated and the rhythm increases to hit in the climax of the video spotting Olympic victories accompanied by a classical orchestra sound. It is interesting that taking music out of the video would make it trivial and awkward. The audience is left without that gradual augmentation of sounds and subsequent rise of emotional climax. It seems that it is needless to prove that music helps to evoke necessary emotions in the audience that is why advertising companies started using it long ago. One of the first authors who paid attention to connection of music and effective advertisement was David Huron. He managed to distinguish six basic goals which are performed by music in advertising: Entertainment. This word is usually perceived in a wrong way with the meaning of bringing joy while originally it meant “attracting attention”. Music historically meant to make advertisements less irritating and intrusive by mere distracting of attention. In vaudevilles music aimed to serve as a “candy coat” for the main information delivery. So music in commercials grabs listeners` attention and makes them watch anything till the end. Structural roles. Continuity. It is important to connect disjoint images or dramatic episodes in one coherent narrative, and music is the most efficient tool to do it. This function of music was borrowed from films where illogical shots were connected with the help of soundtrack. So music gives any commercial a sense of integrity and natural flow. Another structural role is the accent on dramatic moments and episodes. It is rather difficult to concentrate the attention of the audience on the necessary moment without music. While its unexpected pitch, tone or rhythm change can perform this work successfully especially when some catchy phrases are used as the culmination. Memorability. Music can improve listeners` memorability of the brand`s name as music and rhymes are usually used as mnemonic techniques. As well as nursery rhymes are supposed to be learned by children music and lyrics from ads are supposed to stick in the consumers` memory. Even when the brain is unwilling consciously to perceive this information it remains in the memory on subconscious level. It works later when consumers tend to choose the brands which name is known or at least familiar to them. Jingle can serve as a perfect example of memorability enhancement. In such jingles company usually inform consumers of the name of the product and give contact information in a convenient form, such as telephone numbers with similar figures. Lyrical Language. Though for many consumers the lyrics which sounds in commercials may seem naïve its main purpose is to catch the attention of consumers and stick in their memory. The combination of music and lyrics allows influencing the audience on both levels: emotive and logical. Necessary information is provided with the help of words while music creates relevant emotional attitude to it. A bright example of accurate music and lyrics utilization in marketing is the commercial of Virgin Airlines of 2010. The video uses caver version of Nina Simone`s song “Feeling good” performed by Muse. The melody is modern, bright, emotional, and even provocative. The usage of electro guitar sound in combination with metaphorical lyrics allows creating an image of highly desirable modern service- flights by Virgin Airlines. The tempo changes with the pitch as more and more instruments add to the general sound. Visual image featuring beautiful air hostesses, expensive drinks, and luxurious lifestyle attributes is delicately balanced with jazz melody. Lyrics with its accent on the euphoric sensation of the fly serves as a background of the dramatic episodes of the video. Targeting the right auditory is one of the most complicated aspects of marketing managers` work. However, doing this guarantees a half of success to the product. Musical styles were always associated with various social classes and demographic groups. So in many cases it is not enough to advertise a product with factual information only, especially taking into account competitors` products. That is when brands address to music which would help to localize the audience and find particular emotional feedback. Authority establishment function of music in advertisement is connected to targeting. Moreover, it is possible that establishing right authority allows attracting the target auditory. Marketing specialists need to connect product with some well-understood common values such as family, children, beauty, youth, adventure, status, exclusiveness, and so on. Music plays a role of a mediator as it creates certain atmosphere which appeals to these values. Christmas carols are instantly associated with family evenings, country music appeals to the particular style and values. Thus, the main functions of music in marketing were shaped more than 20 years ago while the number of commercials and the possibilities of specialists have certainly improved recently. Today marketing specialists aim to create an advertisement that will hit the Internet because sharing information has become an essential attribute of modern era. Such web-sites as Youtube, Vimeo, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter made it possible for a video to go viral in an hour after its publication. And the right music or involvement of popular musicians in a commercial is half of success (Wickstrom, 2009). Today companies position themselves as connected to the world of music even if their products are not related to this kind of art because it helps to reach the biggest auditory. Coca-Cola and Pepsi can serve as the brightest examples of such techniques. Their marketing specialists managed to apply the characteristics of rock music to the brands, such as authenticity and non-conformity. While at the same time Coca-Cola and Pepsi stick to such common values as affordability, youth, and family. Pop and young culture and attraction of big quantity of stars to the advertising campaigns, starting from Aretha Franklin and Micheal Jackson, made these products instantly recognizable and desirable all over the world (Klein, 2009) Coca-Cola and Pepsi have become the symbols of American popular culture selling the products that are consumed by presidents as well as children from poor districts, and music here serves as the language that united different social classes. And though Pepsi commercial starring Micheal Jackson in 1984 is sometimes considered infamous, the impact on target auditory of the celebrity appearance on the TV screen was impressive. Moreover, one of the most popular Jackson`s songs was rewritten, and the lyrics was transformed so that to advertise Pepsi. Such step in advertising campaign of Pepsi was well-thought and effective because it connected the audience to the pop culture making Pepsi a symbol of this culture. Or the recent Pepsi commercial starring three celebrities at once, Britney Spears, Pink, and Beyoncé singing one of the most famous “We will rock you” songs on the scene of Coliseum. The product itself appears only on the background of the video leaving all the space to music literally. The combination of pop stars and typical rock music allows reaching the auditory that seemed impossible to unite. According to Klein, “The joining of music culture, through either a licensed track or the appearance of an artist, with a product or service in a commercial brings new connotations to both artist [and also the music] and company while naturalizing the relationship between the two. The value of articulating popular music to a product can be seen as especially important to advertisers competing with products similar, if not identical, in use-value (2009)”. As the product itself will not be purchased unless it has some personal meaning for the customer, usage of music for advertising some products may create this connection and meaning. Pepsi and Coca-Cola managed to create “the style” which claims that music comes first while the product serves as a necessary attribute to the meaning. Marketing of the XXI century inevitably involves emotions. With great variety of products people want to buy something unique, something familiar, and emotionally saturated. So the ability of music to evoke universal emotions has become a necessary feature for marketing specialists. Understanding that such elements as a type of melody, rhythm, instruments, and a genre of the music can all evoke certain emotional response from the audience making them either laugh or cry advertising drew all its attention to music. Music is capable to entertain the audience, structuralize the commercial, provide with necessary verbal information, attract particular audience, and convey special meaning and values. Thus, music usage in commercials is effective and inspiring tool which is slowly transforming advertising in a special kind of art. List of Commercials Virgin Airlines. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlMV2owgS0c P&G Thank you Mom. Winter Olympic Games 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=57e4t-fhXDs Pepsi. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7jkygJ_QNo References Bruner, G. (1990). Music, mood, and marketing. Journal of Marketing, 54, 94-104. Brown, S., & Olgsten, U. (2005). Music and manipulation: on the social uses and the social control of music. Chicago: Berghan Books. Huron, D. (1989). Music in Advertising, The Musical Quarterly, 73 (4), 560–569. Kinnear, J. (1960). The effects of instrumental tone quality upon mood response to music. Unpublished master thesis. Florida State University. Klein, B. (2009). As heard on TV: popular music in advertising. Burlington: Asghate Publishing Company Olenski, S. (2014). Why music plays a big role when it comes to branding. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2014/02/06/why-music-plays-a-big-role-when-it-comes-to-branding/3/# Wickstrom, P. (2009). The music industry: Music in the cloud.Cambridge: Polity Press Read More