Lecture 6: Sonic branding

Question 1

What is sonic branding?

Answer 1

the strategic use of music or sounds to promote the distinctiveness of a brand and/or increase brand loyalty

Question 2

What makes sound special compared to visual stimuli?

Answer 2

Sound is more likely to generate an emotional relation than visual stimuli, and to trigger a specific meaning
Sound can influence behavior

Question 3

Why is music a vague signifier?

Answer 3

it is difficult to interpret or consider Music without considering the context in which it is inserted

Question 4

There is a strong interplay of music and images. It is useful for…?

Answer 4

o Useful for advertisement
o Useful to connect to brand image
o Useful for recall

Question 5

Sound can serve as 3 things:

Answer 5

Sound as identity and brand fit
Sound as behavioral control
Sound as mnemonic

Question 6

Sound as identity and brand fit

Answer 6

e.g. Carglass
choices of sounds (with or without lyrics) for a brand can become as strong as a visual logo

Question 7

Sound as behavioral control

Answer 7

Mood effects of sound
- Presence of (high volume) music in store -> consumer arousal
- In-store music might make consumers more tolerant of a crowded shopping environment
- Some evidence of fast music affecting volume of purchases and average expenditure
- However effects become much smaller if asking participants if they think they are being manipulated

Question 7

Sound as mnemonic: what is episodic memory?

Answer 7

our capacity to connect individual memories to sounds, songs, or pieces of music

Question 8

Sound as mnemonic

Answer 8

Vast evidence about music stimulating our episodic memory

Particularly strong if connected with lyrics

Question 9

Attentive vs Inattentive listening

Answer 9

• Attentive listening (intentional, focused, active)
• Inattentive listening (distracted, unfocused)

We live in a world of constant listening, most of which is inattentive.
Especially when it comes to advertisement, sound branding inserts itself within our inattentive listening.

Question 10

Sound and brand fit: what is musical fit?

Answer 10

The degree of fit between a brand and the various components of music can be fundamental or a relationship between use of music and brand identity

Question 11

Sound and brand fit: what is genre?

Answer 11

the fit between connotations of the genre and those of the brand. E.g. classical music in wine cellar – more expensive purchases than pop music

Question 12

Sound and brand fit: what is lyrics?

Answer 12

serve the function of activation (inattentive -> attentive), which happens by semantic relevance

• Often with jingles, think of: “Haribo maakt kinderen blij, ouderen horen ook daarbij!”, “Kids and grown-ups love it so – the happy world of HARIBO

Question 13

Sound and brand fit: what is voice?

Answer 13

can be fitting due to tone, but also because of the person it belongs to

Tone = e.g. sports drink ad best fitting with vibrant energetic voice and banking ad most successful with reputable, trustworthy voice

Voices of celebrities transport some reputation from the celebrities, e.g. politically engaged artist might be more useful for a political campaign than a famous popstar who has no political charisma

Question 14

Vermeulen & Beukeboom (2016 | Can music influence product choices?
What is the research question?

Answer 14

can SINGLE exposure to music influence the product choices of consumers?

Question 15

Vermeulen & Beukeboom (2016 | Can music influence product choices?
This study is based on the study of Gorn (1992). What was studied and what were the limitations?

Answer 15

Students were exposed to a slide showing a light blue or beige pen while either ‘liked’ or ‘disliked’ music was played for one minute. After participants rated the music, they were offered a choice between a light blue or beige pen (one of which was previously shown on screen) as token of appreciation

Liked music + advertised pen = best

Limitations:
- Low power, sample of students, difficult to generalize
- Bias in selection of music – would Indian music be ‘disliked’?
- The music samples are too different, and therefore difficult to compare

Question 16

Vermeulen & Beukeboom (2016 | Can music influence product choices?
Explain study 1 en its results

Answer 16

• Mobile phone cases (blue vs red -> pre-tested as being most similar)
• Rihanna ‘we found love’ (liked song) vs a cover by an unknown artist of the same song (disliked song)
• Results: ‘Liked’ song is significantly associated with choice of advertised product BUT effect is far smaller

Question 17

Vermeulen & Beukeboom (2016 | Can music influence product choices?
Explain study 2 en its results

Answer 17

• Bicycles (green vs orange  pre-tested as being most similar)
• Rihanna ‘we found love’ (liked song) vs a cover by an unknown artist of the same song (disliked song)
• Results: NO significant effect of liked/disliked song on choice of advertised product

Question 18

Vermeulen & Beukeboom (2016 | Can music influence product choices?
Explain study 3 en its results

Answer 18

• Laptop sleeves (same product)
• Daft Punk ‘Get lucky’ (liked song) vs a cover of an unknown artist of the same song (disliked song)
• Results: positive and negative effects of liked music on attitudes towards brand and product attitudes, not on attitudes towards logos, slogan, product names OR purchase intention

Question 19

Vermeulen & Beukeboom (2016 | Can music influence product choices?
What is the answer to the research question (can SINGLE exposure to music influence the product choices of consumers?)?

Answer 19

Yes but
- Very weak effect
- Very specific circumstances: does not work for more expensive/more involvement goods
Repetition might be necessary
Generalisation is unlikely