An ad’s musical congruity with the brand fires purchase intent

Steve Oakes

The author discusses the use of music in commercials. It can have a dramatic impact on brand perceptions, provided it is chosen carefully to be congruous with the mood of the ad.

An ad's musical congruity with the brand fires purchase intent

Steve Oakes

The impact of music in advertising on consumers is acknowledged as an increasingly important avenue of research for practitioners and academics. Despite often contradictory findings from many studies, it is possible to identify underlying patterns that allow for appropriate categorisation.

The table (at end of article) highlights the most prominent variables analysed in the literature and identifies the impact of 10 variants of congruity between musical stimulus and purchase intent, brand attitude, recall facilitation and affective response. It reveals how musical congruity has helped to achieve desired outcomes...

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