K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T How to make the best use of music in an ad Music can be a powerful enhancement for an ad, when it is used well. Although the use of music does not automatically confer benefits, the inspired use of the right music can affect every aspect of an ad’s performance. Music is a regular component of TV advertising. About seven in 10 ads in our Link™ database have some form of music, but it varies enormously across the world, ranging from around 95 percent in Romania and the Ukraine, to under 40 percent in Denmark, Serbia and Montenegro, India and Egypt. Ma^ihlbmbo^k^Z\mbhgmhmablmkZ\da^ei^]`^g^kZm^Zlmkhg`^kk^lihgl^mhma^[kZg]% [hmakZmbhgZeerZg]^fhmbhgZeer :ggb^ Mhe]f^lhf^mabg`g^p /+ Ln``^lm^]maZmma^[kZg]blihineZk PZl^gm^kmZbgbg` 0- .2 0+ .) Ln``^lm^]maZmma^[kZg]bl^q\bmbg` While most ads have some music, its presence or absence has less impact on the commercial’s performance than the way in which the music is deployed. 0/ -- ;^mm^kmaZgfhlmZ]o^kml_hkfh[be^iahg^l .- ,1 FZ]^f^mabgdZ`ZbgZ[hnmma^[kZg] -1 ,1 FZ]^f^mabgdma^[kZg]bl k^Zeer]b__^k^gmmhhma^kg^mphkdl -2 +. !**0" +2 !**0" Lb`gb_b\Zgm]b__^k^g\^ Engagement However, this result is not guaranteed. An ad for a body moisturiser featured the well-known music Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve. It performed well. Two alternative versions were also tested with unknown music. One performed significantly worse, but the other performed as well as the Bittersweet Symphony edit. The biggest benefit of using music is that ads with music tend to be slightly more enjoyable; this effect is a little more marked in Europe. The use of music which has been specifically adapted for the brand can further boost levels of enjoyment. So too can the use of well-known music. The way the music is used can have a powerful effect on the levels of interest in the ad. In Australia, an ad for a non alcoholic beverage, featured a well-known piece of music. While the visual pace of the ad remained fairly level throughout, the music began after the first six seconds of the execution, and built in intensity. The music then stopped for about five seconds, before continuing quietly in the background for the remainder of the execution. The interest trace clearly demonstrated the impact the music had on interest in the ad. Two versions of an ad for a mobile phone network were tested. The ads were identical, except for the choice of music. One used a well-known song, Teenage Kicks, the other used a song that had not been a hit. The differences were clear: the Teenage Kicks soundtrack positively benefitted both rational and emotional responses. How to make the best use of music in an ad M^^gZ`^Db\dl © Millward Brown July 2008 K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T and a focus of recall from the ad, but branding of the ad was weak. The ad was re-edited, with the brand name being included prominently in the song. The ad’s efficiency doubled. The interest trace closely reflects the changing use of music Understanding No music 0 1 2 3 Music build 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 When the music has been used before, understanding is boosted, particularly in North America , indexing at 103. Music containing the brand name has a similar beneficial effect on understanding. However, in Europe, the use of prominent music tends to weaken understanding (indexing at 98). Background music No music 26 27 28 29 30 31 Time (seconds) Branding When the music has been used previously in ads for the brand, branding indexes at 103. Also, incorporating the brand name into the music can have a beneficial effect on branding; here the branding score indexes at 104. The use of jingles, not surprisingly, also aids branding, which indexes at 103. It is of interest to note the decline in the use of jingles in the U.K. and the U.S. (the two countries where we have been monitoring this information over the longest time period). An ad for a brand of beer was tested in two edits: one featured mellow music, the other featured upbeat music. The version with mellow music was enjoyed more, and was considered easier to understand (84 percent vs 71 percent). Analysis showed this was because the upbeat music actually drowned out some of the key parts of the conversation in the ad; respondents were unable to follow the story. Communication Nl^h_cbg`e^lbg]^\ebg^ +. Overall, there is little evidence that the use of music aids communication, even when it is connected to the message. :]lpbmacbg`e^l(leh`Zgl!" +) *. Nonetheless, on an individual basis, there are exceptions to this pattern. Two ads were tested in the U.K. for a car launch. The ads were identical except for the music. One used the well known song Anything You Can Do, the other a song less well-known. Responses to the ad were markedly different. Communication from the Anything You Can Do edit focused far more on an argument between the characters in the ad, whereas the alternative version was less confrontational. As a consequence, the ad with the less well-known music produced far stronger results, and was the version that was successfully aired. *) . +))0 +))1 +)). +))/ +)), +))- +))* +))+ *222 +))) *220 *221 *22. *22/ *22, *22- *22* *22+ *22) ) R^Zk N'D'pbmacbg`e^l(leh`Zgl N'L'pbmacbg`e^l(leh`Zgl Music can provide a powerful influence on branding. In the U.K., when asked for their memories and associations with Cornetto ice cream, 25 percent of respondents mentioned the music, a variant of O Sole Mio, even though it had not been used by the brand for 12 years. An ad for a deodorant featured the song Move Closer. The song was well liked How to make the best use of music in an ad © Millward Brown July 2008 K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T N'D'Ebgd¢ Ikhfim^]Zmmbmn]^l =h^lmabliakZl^Ziiermhma^Z]o^km8 *. :em^kgZmbo^ K N OW L E D G E >gchrZ[e^fnlb\[hhlmlZ]k^lihgl^l :mmbmn]^lmhpZk]lma^Z]l\hgmkZlmlmkhg`er BmpZl^gm^kmZbgbg` P O I N T :grmabg`Rhn <Zg=h 00 Bmln``^lm^]maZmma^\ZkblihineZk .- 0. .*) BpZlbgm^k^lm^]bgl^^bg`paZmaZii^g^] /. Bebd^]ma^\aZkZ\m^klbgbm /. BmfZ]^f^_^^efhk^ihlbmbo^Z[hnm ma^\ZkfZgn_Z\mnk^k ., BmfZ]^f^mabgdZ`ZbgZ[hnmma^\Zk .+ -1 ;^mm^kmaZgfhlmZ]l_hk\Zkl -, ,0 +/ .'), ,. -',, ,'0* +/ ,'12 ,'.1 +'12 Persuasion ;Zl^ Overall, the use of music has no effect on persuasion. In specific instances, however, if the right choice of music enhances communication, it can improve persuasion. In one ad we researched for a brand of ice cream, a change in music highlighted a change in atmosphere in the ad, which helped clarify the story and enhance the communication. Persuasion improved from an already strong 16 to a powerful 24. GhZo^kZ`^ 21 Bgoheo^f^gm *)) *)) ;kZg]bg` *)) *)) I^klnZlbhg *)* *)) :ii^Zebg` *)* 22 Ng]^klmZg]bg` 22 *)) D^r;^g^_bm *)* *)+ ;Zl^3@eh[ZeZ]l \!+-%)))" !*/+" ;kZg]bg` !f^Zgl\hk^" !f^Zgl\hk^" !f^Zgl\hk^" !*)+" !**1" I^klnZlbhg ;hmmhf*)fnlb\^gchrf^gm Wear-out One issue facing ads which are reliant on music is the possibility of wear-out. Wear- out is rarely seen in TV ads, however, when the ad is reliant on a fashionable song, an eye needs to be kept on that fashion. An ad for a confectionery \!**%)))" How to make the best use of music in an ad !*/+" It isn’t just the song that counts, the part of the song you use can make a difference. One brand made two edits of an ad, both featuring the song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. One focused on the upbeat chorus, while the other included the downbeat verse “If life seems jolly rotten…”. Since the ad was structured around a problem/solution scenario, this latter approach was more suitable. Enjoyment of the ad grew from 42 percent to 59 percent. :]l\hgmZbgbg`fnlb\Zk^ho^kZeeleb`amerfhk^^gchrZ[e^ *)* !*.0" Bgoheo^f^gm The way the music is used can also have a major effect. In the U.S., ads in a campaign for a food brand all featured the same song, but in different edits, with some being more upbeat than others. While the ads with the most upbeat music were enjoyed the most and were found to be the most involving, branding and communication were strongest when the mid-paced music was used. Ho^kZee%ma^nl^h_fnlb\aZlebmme^^__^\m R^lZo^kZ`^ !*/+" The edit Choosing music that is enjoyed can boost an ad. Looking at U.K. ads, when the music is liked, not only are the ads enjoyed more and found more involving, but branding is also stronger, and so is persuasion (when advertising is disliked, this can depress the persuasion score — see the Knowledge Point What Makes an Ad Persuasive for more details). >gchrf^gm !*/-" >gchrf^gm Mhi*)fnlb\^gchrf^gm Enjoyment of the music Fnlb\nl^] !*/+" © Millward Brown July 2008 K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T K N OW L E D G E P O I N T brand was focused around a hit song. It was aired in three bursts over two years and targeted teenagers. By the third burst, endorsement of “It’s amusing” had dropped from 81 percent to 63 percent, enjoyment from 71 percent to 56 percent, and a quarter found the ad irritating. Music can be hugely beneficial for advertising, but only when its role has been carefully thought through. Knowledge Points are drawn from the Millward Brown Knowledge Bank, consisting of our databases of 80,000 brand reports and 40,000 ads, as well as 1,000 case studies, 700 conference papers and magazine articles, and 250 Learnings documents. www.millwardbrown.com How to make the best use of music in an ad © Millward Brown July 2008