The effective use of music and branding in shaping consumer behavior

Abstract

The research examined elements of narrative advertising and how they influenced post exposure behavior. In a 2 (Music) x 2 (Branding) x 3 (Ad) repeated measures design, participants watched 12 video ads that varied in type of music (popular music and needle drop) and level of branding. Results showed that varying levels of music and branding in narrative video ads influenced cognitive resources allocated to encoding, arousal, and attitude toward the ad and brand. Both music and branding impacted the physiological variables of encoding and arousal. However, the self report measures, attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand, were influenced only by branding, not music. The findings suggest that the right combination of music and branding could potentially improve the effectiveness of television and digital advertising.