The Role of Soundtrack in Audio-Visual Advertisements: A Case of Coca-Cola Commercials

https://doi.org/10.58256/njhs.v3i4.10

Authors

  • Amos Mochama Department of Linguistics, Languages and Literature Kisii University, Kenya
  • George Obara Nyandoro Department of Linguistics, Languages and Literature Kisii University, Kenya
  • Christopher Okemwa Department of Linguistics, Languages and Literature Kisii University, Kenya

Keywords:

Audio-visual commercials, cinematographers, content analysis, convenience sampling, soundtrack, signs, semiotics

Abstract

Audio-visual Coca-Cola commercials are conceptualized as art that falls in the genre of film. They use soundtracks that are in congruence with advertisers’ messages. The review of extant literature shows that the frame by frame presentation of images is enhanced by the use of the right melodies that are in form of customized popular music. Following the principles of semiotics, the researcher conducted a content analysis on a sample of twelve audio-visual Coca-Cola commercials, identified through convenience sampling from YouTube. The purpose of this paper was to assess how soundtracks interact with visuals in audio-visual Coca-Cola commercials to create images that are a representation of mediated reality. The findings of this study indicate that the audio-video Coca-Cola advertisements rely on a combination of visual image and sound to create signs (constellations of signifiers) that encourage audiences to identify with characters featured taking Coke drinks, as they exhibit excitement and enthusiasms. The interaction of lyrics and other visual elements enable the audience to interpret created images, assign meanings, and assume the subject positions defined by themes in commercials.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Dimensions
Ahmed, N. (2000). Cross-cultural content analysis of advertising from the United States and India. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi.
Allan, D. (2006). Effects of Popular Music in Advertising on Attention and IVIemory. Journal of Advertising Research • Available at DOI: 10.2501/S0021849906060491
Anisimova, T., & Mullern,T. (2014). Popular music in audio-visual advertising: a study of the roles and functions of lyrics in TV-commercials. Advances in social sciences research journal.
Brender, R. & Vranica, S. (2010, October 22). Global ad agencies flocking to Africa. Wall street journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article
Bruner, G. (1990). Music, mood, and marketing. Journal of Marketing, 54(4), 94-104. doi:10.2307/1251762.
Byant, N. (2011). Coca-Cola goes global: a content analysis of Coca-Cola advertisements from six countries. Master Thesis, Gonzaga University.
Chou, H & Lien, N. (2010). “Advertising effects of songs' nostalgia and lyrics' relevance”, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 22 Issue: 3, pp.314-329
Fetisova, T. (2015). “Understanding Coca-Cola advertising campaigns: a strategic analysis of the ‘share a coke’ campaign” Thesis, State University of New York in Prague, Empire State College.
Frith, S. (1987). “The Industrialization of Popular Music” in Popular Music and Communication, ed. James Lull. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications
Friedrich, P. (2002) English in advertising and brand-naming: Sociolinguistic considerations and the case of Brazil. English Today 18(3) 21-28.
Gillick, J & Bamman, D. (2018). Telling Stories with Soundtracks: An Empirical Analysis of Music in Film, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved from https://aclweb.org/anthology/W18-1504
Gilliland, N. (2018, August 7) Science of sound: how music makes advertising more memorable. E-consultancy (Blog post). Retrieved from https://econsultancy.com/science-of-sound-how-music-makes-advertising-more-memorable.
Hecker, s. (1984). Music for advertising effect. Psychology & marketing. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.4220010303
Hoeberichts, N. (2012). Music and advertising: effect of music in television commercials on consumer attitudes. (Bachelor thesis), Erasmus University Rotterdam. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2105/11734
Jameson, F. (1991). Postmodernism or, the cultural logic of late capitalism. Duke university press.
Jillson,A. (2014). The Effects of Popular Music in Television Advertisements on Branding Senior Capstone Project https://digitalcommons.bryant.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=honors_marketing
Kebaya, Charles & Wanjala Henry (2016) Popular Music and Identity Formation among Kenyan Youth. Muziki: Journal of Music Research in Africa, Vol.13, Issue 2, 20-35.
Kellaris, J., ox, A., & Cox, D. (1993). The Effect of Background Music on Ad Processing: A Contingency Explanation. Journal of Marketing, 57(4), 114-125. doi:10.2307/1252223
Le, J.N.J (2016) Music in Advertising: An Overview of Jingles, Popular Music and the Emotional Impact of Music in Advertising. A senior honors thesis, Liberty University.
Lusensky, J. (2010). Sounds like branding: using the power of music to turn customers into fans. London: Bloomsbury.
Morris, J.D & Boone, M.A. (1998). “The effects of music on emotional response, brand attitude and purchase intent in an emotional advertising condition”, NA-Advances in consumer research volume 25, eds. Joseph W. Alba & J. Wesley Hutchinson, Provo, UT: association for consumer research, pages 518-526
Park,C.W. & Young, S.M. (1986). Consumer response to television commercials: the impact of involvement and background music on brand attitude formation. Journal of marketing research.
Peirce, C. S. & Welby, V. (1977). Semiotic and Significs: The Correspondence between Charles S. Peirce and Victoria Lady Welby. SS. Edited by C. S. Hardwick. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Taylor, A. (2018, September 5). Music in advertising: the right soundtrack makes all the difference (Blog Post). Retrieved from https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/music-in-advertising
Wagner, M.S. (2008). Dimensions of music: the effect of music/brand congruity on advertising and brand evaluations. Doctor of philosophy dissertation, The University of Michigan
Yue, N.P. (2011). An analysis on the effectiveness of music in advertising towards consumers’ buying behavior. Barchelor research project, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

Published

2019-10-22

How to Cite

Mochama, A. ., Obara Nyandoro, G. ., & Okemwa, C. . (2019). The Role of Soundtrack in Audio-Visual Advertisements: A Case of Coca-Cola Commercials. Nairobi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(4), 16-27. https://doi.org/10.58256/njhs.v3i4.10

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 4 (2019)

Section

Articles
Copyright & Licensing

This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY-NC-SA) license.

You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.

Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. 

Under the following terms: 

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. 

No additional restrictions You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC