Psychology News
Researchers at the University of Bath revealed how music in marketing can influence ethical and sustainable consumer behavior. The study is published in the European Journal of Marketing.
The Study
The research team created several radio advertisements that promoted two fictitious products: an electric car (EcoCar) and a reusable coffee mug (EcoMug). They studied the role of music as a marketing tool and how music influences consumers’ purchase intentions.
The Findings
The results revealed that music in advertising had a key role in closing the consumer ‘attitude-behavior gap’ by 40% to 50%. Specifically, using up-tempo major mode music in marketing translated consumers’ ethical and sustainable market choices into action and significantly contributed to consumers’ green behavior. It was even helpful in converting free users to paid subscribers when it came to green products.
One of the lead researchers, Dr. Haiming Hang, elaborated: “When incorporating music into advertisements, marketers must recognize the importance of music mode and music tempo to ensure that a favorable attitude towards a brand translates into sales.”
To Know More You May Refer To
Gordon, L., Abolhasani, M., & Hang, H. (2022). Disentangling effects of subjective and objective characteristics of advertising music. European Journal of Marketing, 56(4), 1153-1183. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-01-2021-0017
