A study by the University of Liverpool has found that the genre of music used by universities in adverts to promote student life strongly influences how the institution is perceived.
Music is used extensively by the advertising industry to develop brand image. Different musical genres have different associations and advertisers use the genre of music which is most likely to engage with its target audience.
It revealed that when the television and radio advertisements used dance music, the universities were perceived to be more attractive, modern, exciting and trendy.
When classical music was used, the advertised universities were perceived to be more sophisticated, serious places of learning. Classical music also resulted in an anticipation of higher university fees compared to no-music and dance music treatments.
Dance music, however, increased the desire to apply for a place at the university by implicitly communicating the pleasures of student life.
Steve Oakes, Senior Lecturer in Marketing who led the research, said “Whilst this research is of value to senior managers in the higher education sector who are seeking to recruit students in an increasingly competitive market, it also has wider applications for advertising involving a diverse range of goods and services.”
The research is published in the Journal of Advertising Research