Hutchings 1
Melanie Hutchings
Andie Silva
English 1020
30 September 2008
Music’s Affect in Advertising
While advertisements today appeal to consumers through the images shown on a billboard or on a television screen, the music in an advertisement is just as, or even more influential on audiences. Whether a commercial is trying to sell airline tickets, cars, or bleach, the United Airlines, Ford Focus, and Clorox commercials use classical music in a creative way to appeal to people in all generations. In each of these commercials, the ideas in the advertisement are very creative and do not mention the product they are selling until the very end. Although images are able to sell products, using music in commercials helps to influence a consumer’s mood.
In a United Airlines commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fcwXzctIZE), a busy city is depicted in black and white, showing how defined each worker’s life is. Then a businessmen’s airline ticket is blown out of his hand and carried into a second, more colorful world. After taking a short tour through the colorful world, he is returned back to reality, where he is able to add color to the once monotonous day. The changes between the black and white monotonous images and the colorful, carefree images do influence how the consumer views the product; however, music in the commercial has a large sway over the consumer’s mood. The music starts off slightly gloomy; however, once the commercial transitions to the colorful section the music becomes lighter and more fun-filled, causing the consumer to want a change to his/her average day of work. Although the music is classical, it still appeals to all generations because it demonstrates how simple it is to change your life from a boring routine to something spontaneous yet relaxing. Even though United Airlines is only mentioned at the end of the commercial, the music accompanying the dialogue is very light and buoyant, complementing the narrator’s idea that “it’s time to fly”. The music in this commercial causes the mood of the consumer to become cheerful and wanting to fly.
Ford places an orchestra into the focal point of their commercial; however, the instruments are unusual in that they are created from pieces of the new Ford Focus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4y272NI7J8). In this advertisement, the use of music goes along with the images. The people are trained musicians, and are dressed as if ready to perform. In this case, the music is very soothing and laid back, almost mysterious, which entices the consumer into checking out the product. The music makes the consumer feel as if they are in a sophisticated restaurant in the simplicity, yet elegance of the composition. The atmosphere surrounding the consumer becomes serene, persuading the listener to check out the product. Once again, the product up for sale, the Ford Focus, is not shown until the end; however, this adds to the mysterious and sophisticated nature of the commercial. The style of music in this commercial allows consumer’s of all ages to enjoy the overall effect, conversely being convinced to buy the vehicle.
The Clorox commercial shows a boy on a horse, riding through hills and trying to catch fish; in actuality he is sitting in the bathroom pretending to be a pirate. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h9jPousvLQ). The neutral colors of the images and the music work together to influence the consumer’s mood. The imagination of the boy parallels the music because both are fantasy-like, acknowledging the creative side in all people. The music is very uplifting, and allows the consumer to revert back to their childhood imaginations. The music appeals to pathos, or the emotional side, in viewers: the younger children are encouraged to have their own dreams and inspirations while the parents are inspired to be young again. The happiness and young spirit the composition brings allows the consumer to feel at ease and believe that they need the product in order to obtain the lifestyle the music of the commercial represents. Clorox is not mentioned until the end portion of the commercial; however the speaker parallels the imaginative mood of the music by stating “because a bathroom can be more than just a bathroom, Clorox helps keep it clean”. This once again appeals to the pathos of the consumer because they want to broaden their horizons while being able to maintain a clean and healthy environment. The images in this commercial do help to sell the product; however, the relaxing and reminiscent character of the music enforces the consumer’s mood and willingness to buy the product.
Commercials rely on images to show their products to consumers, gaining visual approval. However, the music in a commercial is an extremely important component because it helps to set the mood and background for the product and consumer alike. Without the proper music, the product may not go over well or it can create a misleading impression. As shown in the United Airlines, Ford, and Clorox commercials, products can have similar music while expressing different ideas in their commercials. Although using classical music may be risky because some generations of people may disapprove of the genre, the overall soothing and cheerful nature of the music can entice any generation of people into desiring the product. Matching the dialogue at the end of the commercial to the music is important because it helps to reinforce the original idea the images and music created. Without music in commercials, emotions would not be able to be expressed or created as easily.
Works Cited
Clorox Pirate Commercial. 17 Nov. 2006. 23 Sept. 2008 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h9jpousvlq&feature=related>.
New Ford Focus "Beautifully Arranged" 1 Feb. 2008. 14 Sept. 2008 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4y272ni7j8>.
United Airlines Commercial - 2008 two worlds. 09 Aug. 2008. 13 Aug. 2008 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fcwxzctize&feature=related>.