Effects of music on consumer memory, attitudes and time perception

Abstract

This study is designed to explore the effects of music on various aspects of consumer behavior. The first experiment investigates how musical tempo and rhythm influence consumers’ time perceptions. Original music and digital technology are used to manipulate tempo and rhythm in isolation from other musical elements. Rhythm is used as an independent variable for the first time in the music-related time perception literature. Findings reveal a main effect of musical tempo on time perception, where higher tempo implies longer duration estimates. Tempo is also found to moderate the effect of rhythm on duration judgments. The second experiment explores how dramatic contrast, a construct proposed by the author to define the specific type of emotional ambivalence that results from conflicting music and message emotions in an ad, affects consumers’ memory, time perception and attitudes toward the ad. The moderating role of discomfort with ambiguity is also observed. Original music is composed to create the experimental stimuli. Results reveal that consumers who have a high level of discomfort with ambiguity generate worse message recognition and less favorable brand attitudes toward ads that contain dramatic contrast. Dramatic contrast also results in shorter duration estimates regardless of the level of discomfort with ambiguity.