Music, voice, and sound can affect the emotions of your target group and make your ad memorable. We have discussed this topic in our previous article (4 Insane, But True, Benefits of the Power of Sound in Branding) and we, Rabbeats, believe that music can help your company to communicate more effectively.
But let’s see a real advert example: Netflix’s iconic ‘Ta Dum’ sound which is an essential part of their overall branding and messaging strategy. Listen for example their recent campaign: ‘Sounds like a good story is about to start’
What about another example? Coca-cola, a brand known for its sensorial advertising, has taken it one step further by brilliantly infusing its brand sounds in one of its ad campaigns.
Their ‘Try Not to Hear This’ campaign is all about Coca-Cola’s classic sounds like the opening of a Coca-cola can, uncapping of the bottle, and fizzing bubbles. Check this video that demonstrates the whole concept.
A study from UC Berkeley identified at least 13 fundamental emotions including joy, beauty, amusement, relaxation, annoyance, and others. Technology once again plays an important role here; AI and Machine Learning technologies can help you evaluate, for example, your ads against your brand voice, image, guidelines, and objectives before even your ad goes live.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you, but marketing is about telling stories that evoke emotions and inspire action. And goes without saying, music plays a huge role in telling stories because it makes your ads compelling by using the power of narratives.
In another study by The Association of Consumer Research which examined the impact of sound in ads, it was found that music can positively affect their overall performance by improving the purchase intent, positive/negative attitude towards the brand, ad recall, mental image memory and preference for the product.
We at Rabbeats believe (and as supported by several studies) that music can evoke emotions, tell a story, and even spark action! There aren’t any hard and fast rules to follow to make use of the real power of music in ads. But based on our experience, there are at least a few basics that you should follow.
We know that might sound boring to you, but you must always write down your ad goals! What are you trying to achieve? Do you want to tell a story? Evoke emotions? Increase brand awareness? Influence customer behaviour? And don’t forget that you must always choose the right music that pairs well with your artwork and visuals!
Then, consider your brand’s personality and voice! Are you targeting, for example, millennials and Gen Z? Then, to get a higher brand recall on social media platforms, you should license popular songs. If your brand, however, targets an older audience that aren’t used to pop music, you should pick, for example, slow instrumental tracks, Jazz, Classic Rock 60s-70s and/or Classical Music.
Today’s consumers are flooded with advertising messages all over the place, you name it: digital or not! Getting their attention becomes very competitive and a constant battle! Your brand’s music logo or your signature sound/track is not enough! It is therefore important to focus on integrating quality music that will emphasize your brand’s message in every customer touchpoint!
You have to make sure that everything is aligned with your ad objectives, brand personality, messaging, and visuals. This is essential if you wish to convey your message effectively and above all to get the audience to pay attention to it.
A very good example is Sony’s Bravia Televisions TV Commercial that incorporated a guitar ballad (Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez) to accompany the engaging and enthralling visuals of those bouncing balls (their objective was to apprehend and communicate the simple beauties of everyday life). And it goes without saying that there is a synergy between the music, visuals, emotions, and messaging.
There is no doubt that music is a powerful tool to evoke an emotional connection with your target group. But remember, to get the desired results you should use the right music that fits your brand and your target group.
Interested to know more about how Rabbeats can help determine the right music for your ads? Just contact us!!
