Dance to the Music! How Musical Genres in Advertisements Can Sway Perceptions of Image

Background musical genres can have a profound influence on the perceived image of real and fictitious universities in television and radio advertisements.

Dance to the Music! How Musical Genres in Advertisements Can Sway Perceptions of Image

Steve Oakes

University of Liverpool

Adrian North

Curtin University

Management slant

  • Compared to a no-music treatment, dance music superimposed over advertisements significantly enhanced the perceived image attractiveness of the advertised university; classical music had the opposite effect.
  • Although dance music in advertising increased the desire to apply for postgraduate study at the university, classical music enhanced perceptions of a sophisticated learning environment and produced expectations of higher fees.
  • Broadly, the results suggest that musical genres may influence perceived image and purchase behavior when advertising comparably intangible...

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