Selling the Product, or the Music?

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

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

3. 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.

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

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

6. Procedure: • Play Advertisement 1 (with music) to Group 1 (10 participants). • Have Group 1 answer Questionnaire 1. • Play Advertisement 2 (without music) to Group 1. • Have Group 1 answer Questionnaire 2. • Play Advertisement 2 (without music) to Group 2 (10 participants). • Have Group 2 answer Questionnaire 1. • Play Advertisement 1 (with music) to Group 2. • Have Group 2 answer Questionnaire 2.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Data

11. 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.

12. Conclusion • The inclusion of music did make the consumer more inclined to purchase to product. • The inclusion of music did not detract from the consumer’s retention of visual or auditory information provided about the product. • 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.

13. 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.

14. 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. 12.3 (2007): n. page. • Consulted with: Dr. Joseph Yeager, Ph.D. Linda Sommer, Ph.D.