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Dated: 01 February 2003
Music can have a very powerful influence on our emotions, moods and behaviour.
This has been recognised through the ages. Historically, it has been used for
such varied purposes as bolstering courage before battles, singing babies to
sleep, enhancing the courtship process, background for advertisements, amongst
a million other uses.
Movies and plays have long exploited the power of music to influence emotion
and shape viewer perception. In horror films, for example, the use of music
may not be realistic, but it can draw you into terrifying and unseen worlds.
Music can convey time and place and reveal a character’s motive, thoughts
and fears. Often, the combination of picture and sound can create a reality
that is greater than the sum of its parts. Even in the stages of cinematography,
music was used in place of words. It is the only true universal language; from
Asia to Jamaica to Zimbabwe, music breaks all language barriers.
Advertising also makes use of the power of music to move and manipulate. A
broadcast commercial does not necessarily convey what you need to know about
a product, it tells you what you are supposed to feel about that product. With
a few short notes, music can make a listener feel good about a product or company;
with a few short notes, music can create a company image. Hum the tune, get
the feeling, buy the product.
The perfect example of this is Intel. Whether or not you are familiar with
what a processor in a computer does, we all know the five notes that identify
an ad or TV or radio for a computer with “Intel inside.” It’s
a proven fact that music can determine what the consumer feels about the advertised
product or service.
Since all kinds of music is now available to most people, 24 hours a day, at
the flip of a switch, the click of a mouse or the press of a button, we know
that music is a very powerful medium. It is powerful at the level of the targeted
social group because it facilitates communication which goes beyond words, induces
shared emotional reactions and supports the development of group identity. It
is powerful at the individual level because it can induce multiple responses
— physiological, movement, mood emotional, cognitive and behavioral.
Music can influence behaviour in ways which are beyond our conscious awareness.
Knowledge of these effects can be used to manipulate the way we purchase goods
and services.
Music is a major component of consumer marketing. It is used encourage consumers
to buy particular products. There appears to be two main ways in which people
are persuaded to buy a product — the direct route to persuasion, where
people analyse the contents of the message and consider the arguments in light
of their own belief and knowledge and the peripheral route where the message
is not really examined and the recipient relies more on peripheral information,
for instance, associations.
It is here that music appears to have its greatest impact, however, the two
approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Music might enhance the attitudes
of high involvement customers it fits with or conforms to their conception of
the nature of the product, for example, exciting classical music in an advert
for an expensive luxury car.
The music is successful to the extent that it activates relevant information
which may support the choice of product. This includes being perceived to be
related to the identity of the prospective purchaser. Effects may be mediated
by the familiarity of the music, how much it is liked. If the music is liked,
it is anticipated that this positive response will be associated with the product.
Something that amazes me is that someone will spend hundreds of thousands of
dollars on the visuals of an ad to “get the right shot”; they will
hire the best voice over (VO) talent; the best editor, the best graphic artist
and then, after creating this great masterpiece, they just slap on a music bed,
more than likely something they downloaded from the Internet, with the poorest
of sound quality, just because they like the beat or it “hypes up”
the ad. This is the same as a chef in a gourmet restaurant taking his time to
select the best pieces meat, only to season it with stuff from the dollar store.
No matter how good the meat is, the flavour is determined by the subtle nuances
of the seasoning.
So when looking for music to put to an ad, remember that there is so much more
than “this piece sounds nice”. It has to be appropriate to reach
the target market that the product is geared to reach. It has nothing to do
with whether you as an individual like it or not. The key factor is to figure
out the following: Will the targeted customer relate to it? Will it evoke the
required emotion? If not, then a whole pile of money is just about to be blown
away.
Bear in mind that there is so much stock music available and if the ad has
the right budget, custom music might also be an option. Musicians can become
magicians, they can dramatically change the look, the feel and even enhance
the concept. Just like a producer or director, a musician can make (or break)
an ad. We all know that there are different budgets in advertising, so needless
to say, this determines the end choice of music. But even on the low end of
the scale, the selection process is still critical, because the fact is, you
can take the very same visual, add different pieces of music to it and watch
it transform into someting different.
We have not even spoken about jingles. This is now a whole different ball game.
They can take on a life of their own while they build a company’s identity.
I have seen where all I know is the jingle. Forget the VO, all I need to hear
is the jingle and if I like it, it is stuck in my head for a long time. Even
now, I hear jingles from my childhood and they can evoke such powerful emotions,
reminding me of yesteryear. This also subliminally shows a level of stability
because they are still around 30 something years later.
Whatever the underlying principles, there is jno doubt that music is effective
in enhancing the appeal of products. It can make it sexy, macho, exciting, relaxing,
interesting and much more. It is also very successful in promoting memory for
the product. One study demonstrated that 99% of participants successfully recognised
the music to selected brand names commercial. It is such a powerful selling
tool, even though subliminal, it sets the mood, the mindset and the willingness
to buy the product.
By Leighton Thomas
President/CEO of International Media Group of Companies, Inc. IMGC)
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