Music is a very powerful medium. Research has shown that music affects our moods and emotions and can produce corresponding changes in our behavior. As a result, it’s not surprising that music plays a huge role in marketing products and creating an atmosphere where shoppers purchase items based on the mood they are in while listening to the music the store plays in the background.
We are all aware of the little jingles that have become popular over the years that can readily be attached to a product that a company wants to sell. McDonalds is quite famous for its jingles that stuck in your head whenever you hear them on a commercial. Furthermore, research has found that the type of music played in a store will dictate how a customer shops there.
For example, an article by Ronald Millman published in the Journal of Marketing found that when background music was faster in a store, shoppers walked faster, bought only what they needed, and spent little time browsing. When the tempo was slower, shoppers slowed down, browsed more, and bought more. Very interesting!
Music has, and always will, play an important part of people’s lives on a daily basis. However, research is just now discovering how much of an impact music really plays in affecting our moods and the corresponding changes that produced in our behavior.