Selling the Product, or the Music? Lindsay Michel 9 th Grade

Problem: What are the effects of music on consumer perception of television advertisements?

Research: Music in advertising has been studied since the early 1960’s; earliest notable study was Fishbein (1963). This experiment deals primarily with Involvement Theory and Music Theory. – Involvement Theory: active/central processing v. passive/peripheral processing. – Music Theory: music has the potential to enhance attention, recall, and preference. Attitude Theory: consumer’s attitude towards the stimulus can effect the consumer’s attitude towards the product.

Hypotheses: 1.If music is included then the consumer will be more inclined to purchase the product. 2.If music is included then it will detract from the consumer’s retention of information provided about the product. 3.If music is included then it will detract from the consumer’s visual perception of the advertisement and advertised product.

Materials: 40 questionnaires 1 Laptop computer – Including videos used (1 commercial with music, and 1 without) Occasional use of Smartboard/projector

Procedure: 1)Play Advertisement 1 (with music) to Group 1 (10 participants). 2)Have Group 1 answer Questionnaire 1. 3)Play Advertisement 2 (without music) to Group 1. 4)Have Group 1 answer Questionnaire 2. 5)Play Advertisement 2 (without music) to Group 2 (10 participants). 6)Have Group 2 answer Questionnaire 1. 7)Play Advertisement 1 (with music) to Group 2. 8)Have Group 2 answer Questionnaire 2.

Procedure Dependent variable: the participants’ responses to the questionnaires and stimulus (music). Independent variables: the absence or presence of music in the advertisement, the order in which the questionnaires were administered. Constants: the visual content of the advertisement, the questions asked in the questionnaires.

Data 40% of Group 1’s answers to the questions designed to target retention were correct. 20% of Group 2’s answers to questions designed to target retention were correct. 45% of Group 1 and 45% of Group 2 most remembered a visual aspect of the advertisement.

Data 75% of Group 1 was inclined to try the product after viewing the commercial with music. 60% of Group 1 was inclined to try the product after viewing the commercial without music. 40% of Group 2 was inclined to try the product after viewing the commercial without music. 60% of Group 2 was inclined to try the product after viewing the commercial with music.

Data

When asked how well they thought the shampoo in the commercial works, Group 1 answered an average of 4 on a scale of 1 to 5. Group 2 answered an average of 3.5. When asked how likely they were to try the shampoo, Group 1 rated themselves an average of 3.2. Group 2 rated themselves an average of 2.8. Willingness to try the product did not change on account of introduction or subtraction of music.

Conclusion 1.The inclusion of music did make the consumer more inclined to purchase to product. 2.The inclusion of music did not detract from the consumer’s retention of visual or auditory information provided about the product. 3.The inclusion of music did not detract from the consumer’s visual perception or awareness. Hypothesis 1 was supported, while hypotheses 2 and 3 were not.

Conclusion Further research conducted could include: – Brand preference – Effects of other stimuli when paired with music Improvements to be made include: – Experimentation in a controlled environment – Meticulous scheduling so that participants can be tested as a group.

Works Cited Allan, David. "Sound Advertising: A Review of the Experimental Evidence on the Effects of Music in Commercials on Attention, Memory, Attitudes, and Purchase Intention." Journal of Media Psychology (2007): n. page. Consulted with: Dr. Joseph Yeager, Ph.D. Linda Sommer, Ph.D.