Exploratory Essay

Is the use of music in advertisement effective? Music in ads seems to be a very important aspect when it comes to its effectiveness. Music has both a physical and emotional effect in advertising. If the music genuinely is used to increase the consumer rate then it can be very effective. This must be thought out perfectly with the audience in mind in every step. If not however, it could be ineffective especially if the music doesn’t coincide with the action being done in the ad, it doesn’t appeal to the audience’s genre of music or the repetitiveness of the music could cause the audience to sway away from the ad, eventually not finding it appealing.
In some cases the music in advertisements are ineffective. Perhaps the producer of the commercial and the overall picture of the actual commercial in which the producer is trying to compose do not coincide. There is a plethora of different music genres therefore the producer must take in a lot of consideration when choosing the music that best fits the ad. Producers normally lean towards their intuition and personal experience to make the best choice. Nonetheless, if a producer does not understand the intention or purpose for the music it can be very ineffective. For example, in the Jared's commercial the music does not enhance the commercials message or correlate with the visuals displayed. The music gives off themes of holiday season as opposed to a more romantic one that should be played. This clash in visuals and sounds causes distractions to the audience viewing the commercial.
The effectiveness of the music could be ranked according to whether or not the audience likes the genre in the advertisement or not. . I know from my personal experience if I see an advertisement where one of the artists or genre’s that I enjoy listening it being played that will further my attention and actually keep me interested in the product being shown. If the audience is a fan of Country music and Country music is being played in the advertisement then that could keep the audience's attention. Likewise if the audience despises Country music the advertisement will not be effective, because most likely if a person despises Country music they are going to change the channel. The artist may determine whether or not the advertisement is effective or not as well. Imagine the Mountain Dew commercial coming on featuring the rapper Lil Wayne and an audience is not a fan of the persona displayed by the rapper this could cause the advertisement to be ineffective. Lil Wayne does not have one of the best track records, especially because he has been incarcerated on many accounts. His most recent imprisonment was due to possession of a weapon. However, for example Beyonce’ indorses Pepsi and sings in the commercial. This can be very effective concerning all of the Beyonce’ or R&B fans. This can also be seen in Drake’s Sprite Commercial, after hearing the song Forever be played multiple times the effectiveness in selling the Sprite my plummet. Personally I enjoyed Drake’s song Forever but I wasn’t a Sprite fan but seeing him indorse the brand, I became interested in drinking it more often. Unfortunately after hearing the commercial so many times I no longer liked the song or drank the soda as much due to always thinking about the commercial when I saw the drink. This is a prime example of how music in advertisement can be a fail.
Believe it or not some of the most well know advertisements could have a bad repetition. Some ads seem to get played more then often which could result in both a good and bad effect on the audience. I know we all remember both the ICDC College commercial which featured Romeo rapping about being in college and the JG Wentworth, which advertises structured settlements and cash for annuity very vividly. They both have really catchy theme songs, which can be very effective when necessary.

Show More