Understanding how the presence of music in advertisements influences consumer behaviour

Abstract

This study investigated how consumer behaviour is influenced by music's emotional valence (sad vs. happy) in advertisements. Female participants (N = 134) watched the same four advertisements with either happy or sad background music. The advertisements were split into two advertising breaks which were embedded in a television programme. Participants were tested on their recognition and recall of the advertised material, as well as their intentions to buy the advertised products. As predicted, the results revealed that brand recognition was higher with sad background music in the advertisements, while buying intention was higher when the advertisements were paired with happy background music. Although overall advertisement free recall was found to be better for sad than happy music, musical valence was not found to affect product recall. The findings are discussed in terms of the power of emotions and the possible effects of brand attitudes and music congruity. Limitations and suggestions for future research are presented.