Results May Vary: Overcoming Variability in Consumer Response to Advertising Music

Abstract

Although listening to music seems effortless, it actually involves many separate psychological mechanisms. This article describes and extends the multimechanism framework proposed by Juslin and colleagues, highlighting how the operation of psychological mechanisms leads to two general types of variability in consumer response to advertising music. First, the risk of between‐consumer variability (individual differences) in musical response is moderate or high for most mechanisms, and it often depends on each individual's particular history of exposure to music (listening biography). Second, within‐consumer variability occurs when different mechanisms have contrasting effects, so that an individual consumer's musical response is often mixed (e.g., guilty pleasures, bittersweet feelings, pleasurable sadness). Both types of variability can negatively impact advertising objectives (message reception, recall, acceptance, brand attitudes, etc.). The article offers preliminary suggestions for how marketers can use a multimechanism approach to successfully incorporate music in commercials and reduce the risk of unanticipated consumer responses. It ends with proposals for further research.

Advertising music: an alternative atmospheric stimulus to retail music

“…Lantos and Craton (2012) proposed a conceptual model depicting probable antecedents that help in building consumers’ A am ; relationships among A am , A ad , A b , purchase intention of consumers and their buying behaviour. Recently, Craton et al (2017) discussed various music-processing mechanisms that influence consumers’ A am .…”

“…Attitude towards ad music is defined as “a predisposition to respond in a favourable or unfavourable manner to an ad’s music during a particular exposure occasion” (Craton and Lantos, 2011, p. 401). “ A am is essentially what the consumer perceives, thinks, and feels in response to an ad’s music that is, how the consumer consciously experiences the music” Craton et al , 2017, p. 21). Recently, Raja et al (2018) mentioned A am as an evaluative response of consumers towards advertising music and they constructed a measurement scale for the latent construct A am .…”

“…Recently, Craton et al (2017) proposed a multi-mechanism approach that facilitates the usage of music in the ad and likely to reduce the risk of unanticipated consumer responses. In their conceptual framework, Craton et al (2017) presented nine music-processing mechanisms that simultaneously influence consumers’ A am .…”

Typologie des composants de la musique publicitaire et réponses du consommateur envers la marque

“…Les praticiens ont besoin de trouver une réponse à ces questions car ils utilisent de plus en plus la musique afin d’influencer la perception de la marque (Gallopel, 2000 ; Goudey, 2008). Cependant, prédire la perception induite par la musique publicitaire est difficile et les praticiens se sentent dépourvus quand il s’agit de choisir une musique (Craton et al, 2017 : 29). La sélection d’une musique publicitaire pertinente semble donc importante, d’autant plus que sa congruence avec la marque affecte l’attitude envers la marque et l’intention d’achat (Galan, 2009 ; Gallopel, 2000 ; Kellaris et al, 1993).…”

Persistent voting decisions in shareholder meetings

“…Such a study has never been conducted. Persistence in purchasing or consumption decisions is a prominent topic in the behavioral economics literature, with studies yielding some noteworthy findings regarding the role of marketing initiatives (Craton, Lantos, & Leventhal, 2017;Pratkanis & Greenwald, 1993). There is also evidence that investment decisions in financial markets may persist despite market risk (Piñeiro-Chousa, Vizcaíno-González, & Pérez-Pico, 2017).…”