Εξατομικευμένες μουσικές επιλογές στα ψηφιακά μηνύματα μάρκετινγκ : μελέτη περίπτωσης στον κλάδο τηλεπικοινωνιών

Σφακιανάκης, Κωνσταντίνος

Personalized music choices in digital marketing messages : a case study in the telecommunications sector

Doctoral Thesis

Author

Σφακιανάκης, Κωνσταντίνος

Date

2026

Abstract

This dissertation examines the role of music in advertising effectiveness, focusing on attitude toward the advertisement, attitude toward the advertised brand, and recall of key elements of the advertising message. The study is based on the premise that music does not function merely as an aesthetic or accompanying element of advertising, but as a multidimensional creative stimulus that may influence recipients’ emotional responses, as well as the meaning-making, evaluation, and mnemonic processing of the advertising message. The existing literature indicates that the effect of music in advertising is not uniform or unidimensional. On the contrary, the potential effects of advertising music depend on music and recipients’ characteristics, on its relationship with the message and the brand, and on the type of consumer response being examined. Music may function as an emotional stimulus and as a peripheral creative element, enhancing attitude toward the advertisement. However, it may also function as a mnemonic aid or, in some cases, as a source of cognitive interference. In this context, the present dissertation investigates the effect of the presence/absence of music in advertising, as well as of alternative musical moods, taking into account recipients’ demographic characteristics and musical preferences. The empirical research was based on an experimental design, including a control group without music as well as separate musical conditions corresponding to different musical moods. The final sample consisted of 883 participants and the study measured attitude toward the advertisement, attitude toward the advertised brand, recall of the music, recall of key elements of the advertising message, and recipients’ musical preferences. The results showed that the presence of music is associated with a more favourable attitude toward the advertisement and, to a lesser extent, with a more favourable attitude toward the advertised brand. The effect of music appears stronger in more immediate emotional evaluations of the advertisement, such as the extent to which it is perceived as pleasant. By contrast, its effect on attitude toward the brand is more limited and less uniform, indicating that the positive evaluation of the advertisement is not automatically transferred to the advertised brand. Furthermore, the findings showed that the effect of music differs according to recipients’ characteristics. Analyses by gender and generation indicated that certain musical conditions function more positively for specific subgroups, whereas others show a weaker or more negative pattern. This finding supports the view that music in advertising is not perceived in a uniform way by all recipients, but that its effectiveness depends on the audience to which it is addressed. With regard to its mnemonic effects, recall of the advertising music was positively associated with recall of key elements of the advertising message, such as the brand, the product, and the advertising slogan. This relationship suggests that music may be associated with improved recall of the advertising stimulus. However, this finding is not interpreted as concrete evidence of causality, since recall of the advertising music may constitute an indication of more general attention to, and processing of, the advertising message. Finally, recipients’ musical preferences were selectively associated with evaluations of the advertisement and the brand. Certain musical orientations, particularly those that indicate more “mainstream” preferences, showed a more systematic association with favourable attitudes. By contrast, the match between personal musical preferences and the musical stimulus did not show substantive explanatory power with respect to recipients’ attitudes or recall. This finding indicates that selecting music that corresponds to the audience’s stated preferences does not ensure the enhancement of advertising effectiveness. In conclusion, music in advertising appears to have significant conditional effects on recipients. More specifically, music may enhance attitude toward the advertisement and, to a lesser extent, attitude toward the advertised brand. Recall of the advertising music is also associated with recall of other aspects of advertising content. However, the effectiveness of advertising music depends on its inherent characteristics (i.e., musical mood), the creative context, audience characteristics, and the type of advertising response under examination. The contribution of the present dissertation lies in highlighting music as a multidimensional creative stimulus whose effectiveness depends on broader contextual conditions.

Department

Σχολή Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών. Τμήμα Ψηφιακών Συστημάτων

Number of pages

124

Language

Greek

URI

https://dione.lib.unipi.gr/xmlui/handle/unipi/19563

Collections

Τμήμα Ψηφιακών Συστημάτων

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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as
Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 3.0 Ελλάδα