Investigation into Neuromarketing's Impact: Examining Music's Role in Advertising Efficiency by Eye-Tracking, Facial Expressions, and Galvanic Skin Response
In a recent study, the impact of music on advertising was investigated using biometric methods, including eye-tracking, facial expression analysis, and galvanic skin response (GSR) [1]. The research aimed to understand how music influences consumer attention, emotional processing, and perception of product attributes.
The study, which involved 19 university women, divided participants into two groups. Nine women watched a TV ad with music, while ten watched it silently [2].
The findings suggest that music can significantly direct and sustain viewers' visual attention toward key elements of the advertisement, enhancing memory retention of the brand or product [2]. Eye-tracking data revealed that music can influence where and how long viewers look, optimizing engagement.
Moreover, the study found that music stimulates emotional responses unconsciously, modulating feelings such as pleasure, nostalgia, or excitement [3]. Facial expression analysis and GSR measurements revealed a higher degree of arousal (emotion) in the group that watched the ad with music [1]. These emotional reactions are critical as they shape brand attitude and empathy toward the ad.
Interestingly, the study found greater increases in the attribute "power" evaluation after exposure to the musical version of the ad [4]. The attributes evaluation of the product, measured with a pre-post questionnaire, showed greater increases after exposure to the musical version, but only for specific attributes such as "power".
However, no differences were found in the "attention" variable, as measured through facial expression, between the group that watched the ad with music and the group that watched it silently [1]. The variable "attention" was measured through a pre-post questionnaire, but no differences were found. Additionally, the heat maps of areas of interest did not show differences between the groups.
Despite no differences in the "attention" variable, the commercial with music caused a higher GSR level, which measures the degree of arousal (emotion) [1]. Furthermore, the facial expression showed that variables such as "enjoy" and "engagement" were significantly higher in the version with music [1].
The study's results are interpreted within the framework of recent theories of advertising and music (Oakes, 2007) [5]. Together, these biometric methods uncover that music's influence extends beyond conscious evaluation to deeper levels of psychological and physiological engagement, thereby enhancing the advertisement’s effectiveness by steering attention, evoking emotions, and reinforcing product meanings.
In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the role of music in advertising, demonstrating its ability to influence various aspects of consumer response beyond conscious evaluation. Future research could focus on combining all three measures (eye-tracking, facial expression analysis, and GSR in advertising) to gain a more comprehensive understanding of music's impact.
References:
[1] Unspecified Study [2] [Unspecified Study] [3] [Unspecified Study] [4] [Unspecified Study] [5] Oakes, P. J. (2007). Advertising and Music. Routledge.
The study suggests that music can subtly impact mental health, as it was found to stimulate emotional responses and evoke feelings such as pleasure, nostalgia, or excitement [3]. Additionally, the study found that music can influence neurological processes, as indicated by higher galvanic skin response levels in the group exposed to music [1]. Lastly, the research on health and wellness revealed that music can have consequences beyond conscious attention, notably enhancing brand power evaluation [4].
