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Emotional Advertising

The Ad Piper

 
The Ad Piper

Ken Hudson

As a child, you may have read The Pied Piper of Hamlin. The town of Hamlin had a terrible rat infestation in 1240, which the Pied Piper claimed he could resolve for a nominal fee. The town’s people agreed and the Piper eerily played his flute, leading all the rats from the city and into the river to drown.

Even before 1240, music was known to have a psychological and emotional effect on both man and beast. Modern television and radio advertisers know this lesson well as they, like the Pied Piper use music to lure the unsuspecting target consumer to buy their product.

Target marketing data is collected by savvy ad agencies and used to select music popular by the group. These musical lures precede and surround the advertising message in order to hook the consumer. The consumer listens as the music works its charm, connecting consumer with product.

Classical music is often utilized to sell products such as jewelry or expensive automobiles -- a subliminal connection between classical music and luxury. IPOD commercials target the younger market as they show images of teens dancing to current beats. Songs made popular in the 50’s and 60’s are used to sell products to aging rockers.

Music in advertising is utilized to stir the consumer in the same manner it is used to enhance a good scare in a horror film. And, the best part about using music in ads is the return on investment that advertisers realize. Repetition of the music creates that strange human condition where you just can’t get the tune out of your head. The advertisers are still advertising, even when your television or radio has been turned off. You may be driving, or just waking from sleep when your mind decides to hold a personal concert, replaying the song over and over. While you are trying to find the off switch, the subliminal connection between the music and the product is being reestablished.

Just like the rats followed the Pied Piper, you find yourself mesmerized as you inwardly hum the tune, following the advertising message and buying the product. What song can't you get out of your head?

Graphic Credit:
Sabrina Segal

 

8 Comments

1. bigboy |Dec. 5, 2008 @ 5:35 AM

 
bigboy's avatar
Let us Sing Viva Viagra...Viva Viagra. I am a young guy and I do not need that little blue pill, but that stupid song just sticks in my head- maybe it was the chorus chanted by my nephews that just made me laugh
 

2. chenlu |Dec. 5, 2008 @ 5:48 AM

 
chenlu's avatar
When I went home to visit family in China last year, there was a large uproar over a Wine company using an American song- Tie a Yellow Ribbon as background music in its ads. It is about a prisoner who can't wait to see his wife. The more superstititious people believe that talking about jail brings bad fortune - and since it came out during the Spring Festival time, the older people were really upset since that is a time to secure good fortune for the family. Music does have its pitfalls in other markets. I wonder how many young people tried to download the tune just to annoy their parents?
 

3. JohnQSmith |Dec. 5, 2008 @ 5:55 AM

 
JohnQSmith's avatar
That new Wal-mart commercial for the holidays where the checkout lane lights light up and play Silver Bells is driving me crazy. I hear that chiming in everyone's cellphone ring tone....less than a month and it should be gone!!!
 

4. robwhite |Dec. 5, 2008 @ 6:02 AM

 
robwhite's avatar
Not only are the commercials really stupid but that freecredit report.com song is so annoying and i keep heairng it everywhere
 

5. caliorion |Dec. 5, 2008 @ 6:08 AM

 
caliorion's avatar
I remembered a story about the WHYs of this phenomenon and I found the actual student that explained why the music gets stuck in our heads. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2005/03/09.html. It is a real study from a reputable source
 

6. oa_01 |Jan. 20, 2009 @ 6:36 PM

 
oa_01's avatar
Probably freecreditreport.com and the theme from Sportscenter.
 

7. gjcampbell |Feb. 10, 2009 @ 9:13 PM

 
non-member comment
The J'Dore perfume commercial and the Target commercial from 2007. Those songs stick with me. The freeceditreort jingles, I have found myself singing them way after the commercial goes off.
 

8. MomDaddy |Feb. 17, 2009 @ 3:31 AM

 
MomDaddy's avatar
I know what you mean by music being used to induce a hypnotic and subconscious emotional response from consumers to buy a product. They also use coloration in the same way. These methods attack the person’s visual and audio receptors to evoke an emotional response that can be reactivated at a later time repeatedly without any more exposure to the commercial. When music is combined with a catch fraise, and a person is exposed to it over a short period of time, it can create a long term association in their memory linking it to the product or service provider way into the future. This is more commonly known as a jingle, which is what most for the responses I see here are.

At first I couldn’t think of anything. I had to regress back to my childhood, when I used to practice remembering facts and events for school. It didn’t take long before things started to pop into my head, but now I cannot stop them from flowing in my head. THANKS ALOT!!! LOL

Here are just a few that started to come to mind:

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
An apple a day, will keep the Doctor away.
Step on a crack, and brake your mother’s back.
Born free, my fathers a doctor! LOL
A shower a day, keeps odors away!
Zestfully clean!
Your in good hands with All State.
Like a good neighbor, State Farms is there.

Now anyone who reads my post is going to have a flood of jingles going through their head too. LOL Good Luck ALL! LOL

Tom P.
 

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