Use of Music in Modern Advertising

The Use Of Music In Modern Advertising

Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc375909954” Integration of Cultures PAGEREF _Toc375909954 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc375909955” Public Relations Tool PAGEREF _Toc375909955 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc375909956” Benefits of Musical Advertisement PAGEREF _Toc375909956 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc375909957” Establishing Continuity in In-between Advertisements PAGEREF _Toc375909957 h 6

HYPERLINK l “_Toc375909958” Downside to Music Marketing PAGEREF _Toc375909958 h 7

Advertising and music have mutually developed and evolved over the past several decades. However, the integration of popular music into advertising itself has proven a lasting and profitable bond. Advertising and music industries grew conjoined during the early 1800s and they realized potential after the advent of commercial radio broadcasting in the late 1920s. The combination of music and advertising initially saw fruition thanks to the mass media, but the use of popular music in advertising began in 1900. Since then, advertising music has grown and evolved from being used primary as a mnemonic device to music to stimuli to captivate and lure the interest of a listener by altering feelings, setting, and mood (Milliman, 1982). As an advertising tool, music changes people’s minds and therefore helps change their buying patterns.

Advertising focuses on a key demographic, attempting to allure to their senses and entice the individuals into purchasing the product. Advertising differs from persuasive conversation because it relies on mass media and widespread social networks to gain market share. Advertisers seek to change the attitude and perception of a buyer to motivate them to purchase. Print media originally introduced advertising. Advertising in early newspapers was through short broadsheets filled with news text, creating revenue through reader subscription and word of mouth. However, as time progressed, newspapers, magazines, online websites and social media networks have gained momentum as modern advertising platforms. The advent of information and technology has created multiple channels of potential marketing growth, many of which lend itself directly towards the integration of music.

With the creation and evolution of Internet technology, music has proven a vital aspect in hooking a viewer or listener into the product, gaining their attention while the actual product displays its potential perks and advantages over the competition. Its availability and accessibility is now widespread since music is generated from a combination of traditional and modern technology. The Internet has connected diverse music groups to advertisers targeting specific demographic locations, as apposed to smaller, regional offerings and localized music styles. Marketing remains all about directing the message towards a key demographic who proves more likely to purchase a product. Music helps align the product with the key demographic, with rap and hip hop aimed towards one demographic, while classical music and jazz might reflect a different. The utilization of different music styles allows a company to directly tug at the emotional and mental connection an individual already has with the genre and help exploit it. (Milliman, 1982).

The fact that music has played a leading marketing role for commercial firms is not in doubt. One can validly argue that without incorporation of music in advertising, marketing firms would struggle to reach the same sales volume it currently enjoys, as products must produce a direct connection to the passions of a demographic, and the best way to do this is through the association of musical elements an individual already has. This does mean a company must utilize the best music possible for the product and the demographic though, as the wrong music could provide a negative impact towards the view of the product.

Integration of CulturesDifferent cultures are going to alter the way individuals purchase products and view goods for sale. These values and beliefs also influence the kind of products these people consume and hence determine consumption patterns of particular good. As a medium of communication, music helps connect to these individuals directly on their own personal belief and cultural levels, which drastically helps increase sales thanks to marketing companies changing their ability to advertise to different demographics. Due to enhanced understanding, people begin to appreciate each other as well as their goods. This way, music plays a leading role of market penetration by introducing new goods to new markets (Milliman, 1982). Because there are so many different sub-categories in personal demographics, being able to reach each demographic through the integration of music into the marketing in order to bring in more sales form the sub groups. In other circumstances, businesses innovate and create new products altogether to satisfy their customers better. One of the best ways of providing this sort of service is through the application of music into the advertisement (Park & Young, 1986).

Public Relations ToolAs the old adage goes, image is everything and therefore, the perception people have concerning a particular business determines whether they are going to buy from it or not. It is therefore a matter of importance for any business to mind the company’s overall appearance and how the consumer sees it. The company should always strive to maintain it if not improve upon it. One good way of polishing a company’s image is through music. They can hire reputable artists to compose songs praising them as well as highlighting their strengths to the public. If for some reason an organization’s image has been tainted, music often helps clean up the situation and reduces the impact of negative press (Park & Young, 1986). Regardless of how exceptional a product is, without appropriate marketing, it doesn’t really matter. If nobody knows the product is good, nobody is going to buy one. The integration of music into the advertising campaign is essential in bringing up interest to the product and to send possible buyers to the product to purchase it (Park & Young, 1986).

Companies such as multinational institutions operate in different nations with varied languages. Language is an important business tool. It is possible that customers cannot understand a certain language but they can decipher information from music from the same language. In this case firms use music beats to communicate with people. Music is ideal in breaking language barriers, which cultural differences might present. Besides, breaking language barriers, music promotes crossovers between cultures, allowing different individuals from all over the world to enjoy the same product, regardless of what it is or what services it provides. However hard it is to compare and contrast Chinese music to jazz, in a dance club the solution becomes amplified by the rhythmic movement of the listeners (Park & Young, 1986).

The use of music into the marketing process is very important in bringing in new customers, all while maintaining current customers. Every customer requires basic understanding of what entails goods or service before being motivated to purchase and own it. Many firms use music to pass product information to buyers. In circumstances where the market already knows about the product, music plays a precursory role to entice customers to buy a product. Therefore, use of music people identify with is ideal in advertising industry when marketing a product. Music creates a lasting impression on people’s minds and that alters how people react to an advertisement (Kellaris & Cox, 1987).

Benefits of Musical AdvertisementNo matter the company, the bottom line financially is very important to the overall wellbeing of the business and if it is able to expand and grow or not. Therefore, a prudent business keeps their cost as low as possible to maximize on profit. Advertisement costs are a component of business cost and that will determine how much a business invests in integrating music into advertising. Unknown music artists have low public appeal compared to music by celebrated artists who control a commanding public profile. A combination of a celebrated music and a product creates a perceived celebrity mood in the mind of the customer who identify with music and the artist. However, the cost of procuring a celebrated artist is higher compared to a local music producer. Music is more effective in appealing to the wide market compared to other advertisement strategies such as billboards. It is more effective in passing information, faster to testing people’s reaction and take appropriate action to improve on the advertising strategy (Park & Young, 1986).

With the cutthroat competition in the business world today, customer loyalty is very crucial because it aids in customer retention and increase revenues. Music in the market has played a leading role in creating customer royalty. For instance, in the cosmetic industry, whenever a stereotypical successful female accompanied by a trendy music audio-visual done by a popular artist advertises a new personal care product, a large groups of people who identify with female, the musician, the music and the audio-visual accompaniments become royal customers. Types of music have a differentiated effect on demographic age groups. For, instance hip pop music is appealing to the young generation compared to elderly customers who like jazz (Park & Young, 1986).

Product credibility in the market is very important because it has a direct bearing on how customers respond to the product. Music has been widely used to establish authority of a product in the market. Marketers use well know music piece together with the product technical expert talking about the advantages of using the product. People are more likely to identify with the product and trust it more if it is accompanied by a music version they very well know. In another incident, you can have the celebrities like music artists talking about the product; its advantages, uses and how it has changed their lives. Customers are likely to fall for the product because they identify with the celebrities and their music (Kellaris & Cox, 1987).

Most of the advertisement monies have been wasted in focusing on the wrong customers. For instance, most buyers are never in the market to buy diapers or school-going population cannot be in the market to shop for farm implements. On this account, music can be a very powerful tool in customer targeting. Advertisers’ use an advertising channel whose demographic characteristics match with the group being sought (Milliman, 1982).

Once a target group has been identified then next thing online should be cultivating the target group to respond to the product on offer. This is where musical styles come in in customer targeting; music genres that resonate with a particular market segment is useful in engaging them because it might be a status or socioeconomic identifier (Kellaris & Cox, 1987).

However, advertisers should be careful not to overuse music in targeting because if over used, it can be monotonous and therefore, end up achieving exactly the opposite of the original intentions. A good mix of music that hits at the target group is therefore important (Rugman, 1965).

Establishing Continuity in In-between AdvertisementsInitially, music got its continuity purpose from acting movies where music is used to catch the attention of the audience during transition from one scene to another. In modern commercial advertisements, music is used as a commercial break tool. It comes in between advertisements, where apart from establishing continuity in the advertisements it also serves to create memorable mental pictures that customers associate with the product (Park & Young, 1986).

In addition, another Structural function of music is to establish some emphasis on the advertisements. Some musical notes can be used at some junctures to emphasize some important use of a product. Emphasizing can be used to achieving multiple advertisement goals, including becoming memorable and enhancing image creation in the people minds (Rugman, 1965).

For long time music, has had great influence to the society. In traditional societies, it has been used as a cultural identification tool. However, music has commercialized both itself as a product and as a medium for advertising other products. It is no doubt that music has great influence to the market today. This in itself attracts some advantages and disadvantages to the commercial firms, consumers and the public (Kellaris & Cox, 1987).

Music arouses customer’s emotions about a certain product such that once a given piece of music is played the customer remember the product right away. This way, music is useful in identifying certain products in the market, and hence promoting their consumption (Park & Young, 1986). Music creates psychological effects on people minds and therefore influences their decision-making ability. A good song or beat can positively influence an individual’s perception of a product hence considerably increasing their purchases (Batra & Ray, 1983). Music since time immemorial is known for soothing people into softening their stand and influencing them to embrace things they did not consider initially as good to them. Influence of commercial music in the market today is advantageous because it slowly galvanizes people into accepting products on offer in the market. This is especially the case of introducing new products in the market which customers do not have an idea about (Milliman, 1982).

Downside to Music MarketingSome aspects of some products such instructions of using some drugs need to be properly written where a customer can frequently refer to if he or she forgets about them. Music does not conveniently offer such capability of a product because even if it is recorded, it will be very inconvenient and expensive to play a music record whenever a consumer uses a product (Rugman, 1965). It follows that even though music may dominate and have immense influence on the market, it is not exhaustive and therefore, it may need some other supplementary advertisement method. Music alone does not sell a product, but instead well placed music along with desirable information and material that can influence the buyer and key demographic of the service or material in question (Batra & Ray, 1983).

Music has very powerful impact on peoples’ minds and can alter their way of thinking. For instance, a company using best music can pass for supplying the best products. Music stimuli works independently about the product or service being sold to the customer. This is very dangerous because it makes them just recipients of information. Manufacturers and retailers want to associated with the pleasure sector of a viewer’s and listener’s brain, and if they already connect a particular artist or musical record with success, power and desire, they are more likely to buy the product, regardless of what it is or if they need it at all in the first place (Rugman, 1965). Brainwashing is common among the teenagers and children who tend to identify with advertisement content without questioning the credibility of the presented illusions. The law requires business to advertise without exaggerating ingredients and effects of their products and services to avoid lying to the public (Milliman, 1982).

Despite strict censorship and strict rules regulating consumption of music, improper music content filled with adult content is in the market due to laxity within the business law. Although propaganda asserts that sex, nudity and sexually explicit music content sells best a commercial advertisement, in the long run, the community is exposed to negative norms. This is because it slowly but surely weakens the social fabric that is holding the society together. This is against the principle of corporate social responsibility that advocates for protection of customers and responsible dissemination of information (Kellaris & Cox, 1987). It is important that commercial businesses understand the importance of protecting the population that they sell their products to and look after their heritage by tailoring sustainable advertisements. If the customer base is destroyed, then they can be sure of the being technically out of business due to inadequate market (Aaker, Stayman & Hagerty, 1986).

Over shadowing of music impact in the market is not very good because it is full of assumptions that may be different from reality. Illusions presented in some market segments can work but mostly, they backfire whenever content discriminates against morality. Mature markets segments such as adult and elderly people prefer natural goods sold under soothing sounds compared to modern products sold using contemporary music genres, which are widely used in commercial advertisements (Batra & Ray, 1983). These people are part of the market and it is only logical if their market share is exploited using music that appeals to older generation. For this reason, marketers have to come up with compensatory advertisement measures. Every advertiser is cautious when selecting music to make sure that the music fits the target market segment. Religion plays a role in marketing and advertisement and sometimes-religious differences are highlighted by designing advertisements that mimic a stereotypical Christian or Muslim lifestyle (Kellaris & Cox, 1987).

The business world is a fast-paced stage where dynamic changes occur daily and with technology, competition keeps growing and music advertisement is changing to fit the new market dynamics. These changes are a great undoing for music influence in the market because before the customers get used to some music prevailing in the market, it has already changed and new music is running in the market. With time, music suffers from old age setbacks but with research and development, an informed decision can be reached concerning market trends. Drastic changes in the music industry and celebrity status means that a hired celebrity is not identified one year down the line, which means that the public appeal is done and the advertisement is no longer effective. This confuses the customer and affects sales’ performance (Batra & Ray, 1983).

As much as it is good, music stimuli has a far-reaching negative impact on the society and the consumers by influencing what the consumer should buy. For instance, uncensored music can instill bad morals in some sections of the society and affect vulnerable people like children. That breaks the social moral fabric that holds the society together and unsustainable advertising causes future loss to a company business. And if the society is corrupted by music advertisement, business will run out of market since the appeal to buy destroyed the same society that buys (Aaker, Stayman & Hagerty, 1986).

Work Cited

Aaker, D.A., Stayman D.M., & Hagerty, M.R. (1986). Warmth in Advertising: Measurement, Impact, and Sequence Effect. Journal of Consumer Research, 12, 365 -381.

Batra, R. & Ray, M L. (1983). Advertising Situations: The Implications of Differential involvement and Accompanying Affect Responses. n R.J. Harris (Ed.), InformationProcessing Research in Advertising. (pp. 127-151). Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

Kellaris, J.J. & Cox, A.D. (1987). The Effects of Background Music In Advertising: AReplication and Extension. In S.P. Douglas, et al., (Eds.), AMA Educators’ Proceedings(Vol. 53, p. 283.). Chicago: American Marketing Association.

Rugman, H.E. (1965). The Impact of Television Advertising: Learning without Involvement.Public Opinion Quarterly, 29, 349-356.

Milliman, R.E. (1982). Using Background Music to Affect the Behavior of SupermarketShoppers. Journal of Marketing, 46, 86-91.

Park, C. W. & Young, S.M. (1986). Consumer Response to Television Commercials: The Impactof Involvement and Background Music on Brand Attitude Formation. Journal ofMarketing Research, XXIII, 11-24.