Advertising music: a perfect harmony or just noise? 🎶

Background

Advertising music has a powerful impact on the effectiveness of a commercial—it can even be the deciding factor between success and failure. Music in commercials is often chosen based on personal preference, but what someone likes isn’t necessarily what works best.
To ensure that the music used in their new campaign would be truly effective, ING turned to us for help.

ING's research question

• Which of the 5 specially developed brand tunes is the most effective to use in our commercials? 

How was this researched?

To measure the effect of music, we use fMRI. In this study, 24 respondents listened to five different tunes while we scanned the activation of their (unconscious) emotions. By comparing the results, we identified which advertising tune was most effective in triggering the desired behavioral intent—something that cannot be reliably determined through traditional surveys.
By measuring the activation of (unconscious) emotions, you avoid making decisions based on personal taste or gut feeling.

Results

Music activates all emotions—unfiltered into our emotional evaluation system

It’s fascinating to see how music activates all emotions, entering our emotional evaluation system unfiltered. The difference lies in the intensity of the emotional response. For example, we observed that the best-performing tune (Tune 3) had significantly more impact than the lowest-scoring tune (Tune 1) (see brain scans below). Tune 3 generated higher activity in the auditory cortex, the area next to the ears responsible for processing sound. Additionally, we detected activity in the Nucleus Accumbens, a key reward center in the brain—highlighting the emotional and motivational impact of the music.

Listen to the winning tune (Tune 3)

Listen to the lowest-scoring tune (Tune 1)

Deep in Our Emotional Center: The Limbic System

At the heart of our emotional center, the limbic system, lies the Nucleus Accumbens, our brain’s reward center. The MRI scan clearly shows that Tune 3 successfully activates this reward system, whereas Tune 1 does not.
The Nucleus Accumbens plays a crucial role in reinforcing behavior. When we repeat certain behaviors, this reward system is reactivated, strengthening the association over time.

In the image below, you can see the comparison between Tune 1 and Tune 3. The activation in the Nucleus Accumbens is clearly visible for Tune 3 (bottom brain scan on the right, located in the middle of the brain, between the auditory cortex regions).

Tune 3 Creates a Positive Feeling and Strengthens Brand Association

Tune 3 generates a strong positive feeling, and when used in the commercial, it will (over time) become associated with the product and the brand: ING.

The other tunes did not trigger strong activation in these key brain regions, making them less effective.

Advice for ING

From the above results, we advised ING to use the sound logo that activated both the reward system and Wernicke’s area as this indicated the most effective sound logo. We advised them to choose Tune 3. 

Conclusion

Music plays a crucial role in advertising. Music can make or break a commercial. Choosing music based on personal taste is risky—what sounds good isn’t necessarily effective. The only way to be sure you’re striking the right chord is by measuring its impact in the brain!

Want to know how this can help you?

• Are you looking to discover the best possible sound logo for your commercial?
• Are you deciding between several sound logos and want to know which is best?
• Are you developing a sound logo for your tv or radio commercial and want to know which one fits best?

Find more information about our Neuro Sound Test