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The soundtrack to selling: why advertising with popular music needs to be pitch perfect

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/morteza-abolhasani-1346513">Morteza Abolhasani</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-open-university-748">The Open University</a> At some point today, it’s likely that you’ll listen to music. It may be during a commute or school run, while you do some exercise or take some time to relax. Music is all around us – an accessible and popular art form which <a href="https://online.ucpress.edu/mp/article-abstract/22/1/41/62190/Uses-of-Music-in-Everyday-Life?redirectedFrom=fulltext">accompanies our daily lives</a>. Advertisers have long understood the popularity and emotional power of music and used it to sell us things. Much time – and money – is spent on securing the right soundtrack to adverts in a bid to boost sales, such as when Microsoft <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1999-05-23/sing-a-song-of-selling?leadSource=uverify%20wall">spent a reported US$3 million</a> (£2.4 million) to use The Rolling Stones’ song Start Me Up as part of their advertising campaign for Windows 95. So how do companies choose the right music for their product? And why is it such a valuable ingredient in the mission to make us consume? Research suggests that the specific qualities of music as an art form enhances the science of selling. As one researcher <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mar.4220010303">puts it</a>: “Music […] is the catalyst of advertising. It augments pictures and colours words, and often adds a form of energy available through no other source.” Other <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-531-18916-1_19">studies have shown</a> how music transports, underlines or amplifies the persuasive message of adverts. Used well, it creates memorable commercials which influence our attitudes to a product or service. Take the visually simple but <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6bGnSEwdKY">compelling advert</a> for Air France, with the soundtrack of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. It projects grandeur and elegance, in the hope that viewers will associate those qualities with the airline. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J6bGnSEwdKY?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1470593117692021">My research</a>, which looked at hundreds of viewer comments about the music used in advertising, suggests it was successful. Air France’s use of a sophisticated piece of classical music created a direct perception of a sophisticated and premium airline. This is supported by other <a href="https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/38632/chapter-abstract/335307151?redirectedFrom=fulltext">research</a> which suggests that music which matches the main message of an advert has a positive effect on consumer engagement. This alignment, known as “musical congruity”, can result in enhanced attention, a positive emotional response, and improved brand recall, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of an advert. <h2>Down memory lane</h2> Music is also effective at triggering <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1470593114521451?journalCode=mtqa">feelings of nostalgia</a>. The extent to which music arouses emotional memories – “musical indexicality” – in adverts creates associations with consumers’ past experiences. The music for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NwBcCUh24I">an advert</a> for Old Navy inspired <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1470593117692021">positive comments</a> based on viewers’ memories. A good choice of music allows businesses to tap into this nostalgia for commercial benefit, and my <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1470593117692021">research suggests</a> that music with autobiographical resonance can be particularly effective. Another example of this is when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pink+moon+vw">Volkswagen used</a> Nick Drake’s Pink Moon. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_-kqUkZnDcM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> As one viewer commented: “Rarely do I get sentimental with commercials, but this one takes me back to the time when I was dating my wife and when we were first married. We used to take drives like this in the mountains and I remember looking at her beautiful face in the moonlight. The music is perfect. The sentiment is perfect.” (In this case, the 1999 advert also had a big impact on Nick Drake’s popularity, with album sales <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nick-drake-pink-moon-song-volkwagen-commercial-182739/">dramatically increasing</a> after the advert’s release. Drake, who died at the age of 26, never saw commercial success in his lifetime.) <h2>Commercial clash</h2> But using music to advertise products doesn’t always work. For one thing, music can infiltrate the mind, repeat itself continuously and become extremely difficult to dislodge. This is why we can’t get some jingles out of our heads for ages. Involuntary and repetitive exposure to a piece of music can quickly reach the point of annoyance. The use of popular music in advertising can also provoke arguments around <a href="https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/currentmusicology/article/view/5206">the tensions</a> between artistic endeavour and commercialism. Some people believe a work of art should not be used for the pursuit of profit. In fact, the findings of my study on viewer comments showed that consumers sometimes passionately oppose the use of music by revered musicians being used in adverts, as they believe that doing this undermines its aesthetic integrity. For example, Nike’s use of the The Beatles’ song Revolution was seen by some as exploiting John Lennon’s lyrics to sell shoes. It made some Nike wearers so angry that they boycotted the brand. One wrote: “This is disgusting. Shame on Nike for exploiting priceless art. I will never buy another Nike shoe again.” Another said: “John didn’t mean change the brand of your trainers!” So advertisers need to be careful. For while the right choice of music can attract customers, boost sales, and inspire brand loyalty, the wrong choice can create something of a backlash. For many people, music is precious, and using it as a marketing tool does not always have harmonious results.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203856/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/morteza-abolhasani-1346513">Morteza Abolhasani</a>, Lecturer in Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-open-university-748">The Open University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-soundtrack-to-selling-why-advertising-with-popular-music-needs-to-be-pitch-perfect-203856">original article</a>.

Music

Gym slammed as “fatphobic” over detail in advertisement

A small detail in a gym’s advertising calling for models to promote their new apparel range has sparked outrage online for being “fatphobic” and lacking size inclusivity. The gym chain shared a notice online looking for female models between a size extra small and a small. Hundreds of people called out the gym for the “sickening” size requirement, saying it is unfair to gym-goers bigger than a size eight. However, some pointed out models of larger sizes could already be included or casters are trying to find people who fit in sample sizes. The gym has explained the post was a “miscommunication” and that they were looking for models of a specific size based on the clothing their suppliers provided. “How's this for size inclusivity?” one of the gym members wrote online alongside a screenshot of the advertisement. “We are looking for male and female eCommerce models to shoot our new apparel - Melbourne based,” the message from the gym read. It said they were after medium-sized male models and female models who fit an XS or S. The woman’s post reached hundreds of people, many sharing their outrage over the ad. “Yuck they actually put this on the internet," one woman wrote. “I hate it here. How hard is it to just support inclusivity??” another added. “Because people still don't like us fat people, especially gyms,” a third replied. Many came to the gym’s defence and didn’t see any issue with the detail asking for smaller models. "I'm a chunky girl and honestly this isn't that serious or offensive. More important things to worry about!” one woman wrote. “It's really not that deep, they are probably modelling sample sizes,” a second added. “It's also a gym so they're gonna wanna be promoting 'fitter' people more than likely,” a third responded. Sample sizes refer to clothing sent out by brands and designers for press, modelling and PR purposes. They are typically made in small sizes supposedly to save money on fabric but have been slammed for not representing average body types. Those angered by the ad were not convinced by the defenders’ reasons, with one saying, “The fact there are so many 'what ifs!' Instead of just supporting body inclusivity is mind boggling to me.” “I'm gonna need a follow up when they post photos from their model call because the amount of people in here assuming they've already shot larger sizes are sweet, but most likely wrong,” a second added. After explaining it was a “miscommunication”, a spokesperson for the gym added that it did not intend to exclude anyone or insinuate negative stereotypes. They said they had only received clothing in extra small and small from suppliers despite requesting a range of sizes. Image credit: Instagram/Shutterstock

Body

"I'm lovin' it": McDonald's face public outcry over unfortunately placed ad

McDonald's has faced the wrath of angry locals in Cornwall, UK, after a poorly placed advertisement was called out for being "tasteless". The advertisement in question was for the fast food franchise's new McCrispy burger, which was placed in a prime position on the side of a bus stop. However, what the company didn't realise was that the sign right next to it pointed to Penmount Crematorium across the road, in an unfortunate yet humorous coincidence. Local media outlet <a href="https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/mcdonalds-remove-tasteless-sign-opposite-8133444" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CornwallLive</a> was the first to report on the poorly placed ad, and asked local residents if they thought the sign should stay or go. "Fell off the chair laughing," one commenter who saw the picture online said. "I'm lovin' it," wrote another, in reference to the popular McDonald's slogan. "I only recently lost 2 loved ones & to be honest if I'd seen that sign near the crematorium I would have smiled. I don't find it offensive at all," said another. "My parents are in this crematorium. My old man had a brilliant sense of humour, so I'm sure he would have chuckled at this!" another added. One concerned local said, "I think how funny it is will probably depend on how long ago you followed the crematorium sign wearing a black tie." One woman, who's mother-in-law was cremated at the crematorium, said, "Although I can see the funny side, it is tasteless and I'm sure some grieving family members won't like to see it when visiting Penmount for the funeral and cremation of a loved one." Cornwall Council, who are in charge of both the crematorium and the bus shelter, have yet to comment on the matter, while McDonald's are taking the concerns about the ad seriously. A spokesperson told CornwallLive, "We were unaware of the road sign in the vicinity of this bus stop. However, in light of the concerns raised by CornwallLive, we have asked for our advertisement to be removed." Image credits: Twitter

Caring

Landlord slammed for “dirty trick”

A landlord has come under fire for using an unusual advertising technique to lease out a studio apartment in Leeds, UK. <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7dwvy/luxury-shopping-bags-rental-flats-photos">Vice</a> writer Joel Golby noticed the one bedroom studio flat available to rent for £535 ($943AUD) a month excluding bills on real estate website <a href="https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/61269048/?search_identifier=e41b2d510aba81ae7a72f962cd2c3501">Zoopla</a>, when he noticed some very out of place accessories. Almost all of the photos attached in the advertisement featured shopping bags from luxury brands such as Harrods, Chanel and Harvey Nichols. The landlord had increased the price of staying at the property by £9 since the ad was first created, despite its bleak appearance. “The Chanel bag is there to dazzle us: we, foolish non-property owning fools like we are, will easily be distracted by the bag, and ignore the fact that the living room and kitchen are only demarcated by slightly different carpet textures because we know the person renting it to us owns either a really nice card holder or a too-expensive belt,” Joel wrote. Despite being listed as partially furnished, the property seems to have all the basic amenities and little space for the renter to bring much of their own belongings. The photos of the flat include images of the small kitchen, living room, bedroom and half of the bathroom, with most surfaces adored with the luxury boxes. Joel slammed the landlord’s “dirty trick”, and challenged readers to share their own stories of upselling rental advertisements, as well as any potential tenants for the “miserable” studio apartment. Image credits: Zoopla

Real Estate

Brutally honest housemate ad applauded

A man has been praised online for his brutally honest advertisement for a roommate, in which he laid out some very specific ground rules for potential tenants. The man from Perth posted the ad on the Perth Buy And Sell Western Australia Facebook group, stating he “really really didn’t want a housemate” but needed someone to share the rent so he could “save for a motorbike”. He went on to list the many traits he wanted in his future housemate, which included someone who smokes outside, “no paedophiles” and a preferably introverted roommate who largely kept to themselves. “I really really don’t want a housemate, especially someone who talks too much or who has lots of visitors,” he wrote. “Prefer someone who just wants to use the room to set up a lan for computer hacking 9-5 or FIFO workers 4/1.” “No eye contact or boring ‘polite’ casual conversations.” On offer in the home was one large room with high ceilings, unlimited internet, with access to a large contained backyard complete with a lemon and orange tree, with the rent also enticingly priced at $165 a week. He also went on to say the prospective roommate could grow marijuana or magic mushrooms in the backyard but only “if you share”. The man who shared the ad has been praised online for being “refreshingly honest” and upfront, with many commenters appreciating his transparency. “Best room to rent ad ever. Expectations and boundaries laid upfront,” one woman wrote. It is as yet unclear if the man has found a roommate that meets his list of demands to move in with him – but we sure hope so. Image credits: Getty Images / Facebook

Real Estate

Hotel chain adds royal touch to their new ad

A luxury chain of hotels have enlisted the help of honest to goodness European royals to help advertise their latest project. Raffles Hotels & Resorts launched the new ad for their London hotel, which features Princess Maria Olympia of Greece and Prince Nikolai of Denmark. In the two-minute advertisement, a group of six royals and high-society figures take viewers through the company’s rich history while showcasing their Singapore location. The first royal cameo comes from George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford, who is featured having a flower attached to his lapel in the breakfast room. Princess Maria is then seen posing with a dog and cockatoo in the drawing room. Princess Mary’s nephew Prince Nikolai also makes an appearance holding a bird and painting. Next, the Archduchess of Austria and Princess of Hungary and Bohemia Anna Catharina von Habsburg, is filmed writing a letter at the Raffles Writer's Bar, and elsewhere her mother Archduchess Gabriele, can be seen lounging by the pool. Another royal cameo is made from Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, who is seen gallantly riding in on a horse in the art gallery. The new advertisement finishes with all of the royals seated together for a lavish dinner in the Raffles Singapore resort. When asked to take part in the project, Princess Maria Olympia told <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2021/11/02/raffles-hotel-launches-stunning-new-campaign-featuring-actual-royalty/">Forbes</a> that, "Raffles is emblematic of so much history and sophistication, and the brand has played host to so many notable moments with fashionable icons through the ages". Upon launching the royal campaign, Raffles stated on its official website, "Welcome to Raffles for our social season of enchantment and wonder, by appointment with six illustrious ambassadors.” "In the spirit of adventure, we invited them to step into an imaginary day in the life of their beloved Raffles, as wittily conjured up by filmmaker extraordinaire Peter Greenaway CBE. Celebrating our shared love of heritage and Raffles' role as the birthplace of stories and legends – past, present and future." Check out the video here: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZyavSZKjX-I" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Image credits: Raffles Hotels & Resorts

Travel Tips

Queen under fire over abysmal job salary

The royal family have come under fire after a job advertisement has been described as "disastrously" out of touch. The latest vacancy at Buckingham Palace is for the position of Personnel Security Adviser for the royal family, which requires applicants to have a degree in security, experience and the confidence to "deliver vital work". The ad tells applications of the job that they will "make important decisions every day" and will be "helping to protect a world-famous institution." The position oversees tasks at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral, with the potential applicant working five days a week. Despite the importance and high-ranking position of this job, the pay rate has been labelled a "meagre" rate of only $24 an hour. The salary amounts to roughly $48,000 per year, and has been blasted by royal critics who have described the rate as next to nothing compared to the royal family's "incomprehensible" wealth. A reporter for The Mirror said the Queen's wealth is "double-edged sword" and said the advertisement was "disastrous", considering the family costs the UK public approximately $128 million a year. "Everyone knows the monarchy brings money into the country — but is it an excuse to offer such low pay in comparison to their own wealth?" he said. The pitiful wage has coped global scrutiny, given the opulent and exclusive lifestyle ledgy the royal family, particularly in terms of weddings. Reports show that the cost of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding expenses was around $61million, while the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton cost roughly $48million. These royal events also feed money back into the country's economy through global tourism opportunities, with reports of Harry and Meghan's wedding made the UK over $1.8billion in tourism revenue. Image credit: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Hallmark Channel apologises for pulling ads featuring same-sex weddings

The Hallmark Channel is backtracking on their decision to pull advertisements featuring same-sex couples and apologising for removing them in the first place. The decision comes after Hallmark parent company Crown Media Family Networks faced criticism from viewers and advertisers over the TV spot, with them threatening to boycott the network. The ads, from online wedding planning company Zola, showed same-sex couples celebrating marriages. Hallmark president and CEO Mike Perry said Sunday the company made the “wrong decision” and wants to reinstate the commercials. “The Crown Media team has been agonising over this decision as we’ve seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused. Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision,” Perry said in a statement to CNN Business. “Our mission is rooted in helping all people connect, celebrate traditions, and be inspired to capture meaningful moments in their lives. Anything that detracts for this purpose is not who we are,” he said. “As the CEO of Hallmark, I am sorry for the hurt and disappointment this has caused.” Zola said earlier that the ad was one of several that were scheduled to run on Hallmark and that “the only difference between the commercials that were flagged and the ones that were approved” is that the flagged ads included a lesbian couple kissing. They then revealed that an ad featuring a heterosexual couple kissing was approved. One of the ads in question shows a lesbian couple at the altar on their wedding day, talking about whether they should have used Zola to share details of their ceremony and registry with their guests. But after conservative group One Million Mums targeted the network, demanding for the ads to be taken down, Hallmark caved into the pressure. In its original statement, Hallmark said it pulled the ads because the “debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our network, which is to provide entertainment value.” But now, CEO Perry says that Hallmark will discuss with Zola on ways to “reestablish our partnership and reinstate the commercials.” It will also work with the advocacy organisation GLAAD to “better represent” the LGBTQ community across its brands.

Relationships

The Queen advertisers for a new cleaner for Windsor castle

The Queen has announced that she’s on a hunt for a new cleaner for Windsor castle. While no salary has been mentioned as yet, the job is for 20-hours a week and involves to “clean and care for everything from carpets and furniture to historic vases and irreplaceable paintings.” The advertisement on the royal website states that the job of “daily cleaner” reports to the “master of the household’s office”. See the full ad below. It sounds like quite a job. <img width="651" height="434" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/23675/ad3_651x434.jpg" alt="Ad3 (1)"/> Do you think you could “admire a spotless room before doing thousands of the same”? Let us know in the comments below. Related links: <a href="/news/news/2016/06/duchess-of-cambridge-spectacular-outfit/">The Duchess of Cambridge steps out in her most spectacular outfit yet</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/06/queen-sends-her-second-tweet/">Queen sends her second tweet</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/06/queens-scolds-prince-william/">The Queen scolds Prince William on live television</a>

News

8 politically incorrect ads you have to see to believe

Modern day advertisements are bad, but back in the day companies could get away with so much more! We’ve taken a look at some of the stranger commercials from years gone by. Some of these are worth a chuckle, others are genuinely disturbing: <img width="381" height="500" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11017/image-1-.jpg" alt="Image (1)"/> <img width="450" height="584" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11018/image-3-.jpg" alt="Image (3)"/> <img width="483" height="640" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11019/image-4-.jpg" alt="Image (4)"/> <img width="498" height="645" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11020/2e7169cf00000578-3318841-radioactivity_was_portrayed_as_modern_and_exciting_in_the_1950s_-a-120_1447549212820_498x645.jpg" alt="2E7169CF00000578-3318841-Radioactivity _was _portrayed _as _modern _and _exciting _in _the _1950s _-a -120_1447549212820"/> <img width="500" height="685" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11021/image_500x685.jpg" alt="Image"/> <img width="450" height="582" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11022/image-6-.jpg" alt="Image (6)"/> <img width="468" height="416" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11023/image-2-.jpg" alt="Image (2)"/> <img width="381" height="520" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11024/image-5-.jpg" alt="Image (5)"/>

News

How to use the internet to advertise your business

If you want to expand your business’ reach, or if you’re starting a new business and want to get the word out there, there are a variety of low-cost advertising and promotional tools that you should take advantage of. Customers enjoy being able to research companies and read about them online, so building your presence in this space should go to the top of your priority list. Here are some top tips that will help you to get the word out there. Set up a website Whether you set up your own website or pay someone to set it up for you, having a company site offers customers another touch point to your brand, gives your company credibility and allows people to search and stumble across your offering. There are now many sites where you can quite easily set up your own website using a template, or the other option is to pay someone to build a custom website for you. Depending on your budget, the costs range from relatively low to extremely high contingent on your needs and how bespoke you require the site to be. Pay-per-click advertising Advertising online has a large reach and is the way many sites prosper or survive online. The good news is you only have to pay when someone clicks on your ad. These ad formats allow you to set up a daily advertising budget giving you the freedom to cancel and restart your ads any time. Get on Facebook If your company is not on Facebook, then this should be the first thing you do! And if your business does have a Facebook account, make sure it is optimised to get the most out of it. Facebook ads, updates and fan pages are a great way to keep customers informed on your business activities while promoting engagement with your company. Guest blogging Writing for other popular blogs in your area of specialty is very beneficial in generating traffic, especially if the places you guest write for have a big following. By including a link to your website somewhere in the guest post, you can draw in new visitors. Look at companies that advertise well Understanding the evolution of online advertising from the beginning, and how it has developed into a multi-million dollar advertising industry, is crucial in ensuring you advertise your company in the right way.

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The soundtrack to selling: why advertising with popular music needs to be pitch perfect

Gym slammed as “fatphobic” over detail in advertisement