Musical Congruity in Advertising

Abstract

This chapter provides a review of the empirical literature on music in advertising and uses the overarching concept of musical congruity (or musical fit) to identify underlying patterns and enable more meaningful analysis of frequently disparate studies. Established and emerging research themes in music and advertising are examined in depth. Although the chapter focuses mainly on the findings of quantitative studies, it concludes with a section examining the more recent phenomenon of netnographic research into music in advertising. Ways in which netnography builds upon ethnography for the digital age are examined. The chapter concludes with a discussion of future research themes in music and advertising.