The effects of music mood and binaural beats on academic advertising

Abstract

How music affects our mood, cognition, and feelings has been studied extensively. Since the effect of music on mood and cognition has been demonstrated many times, it has found significant applications, particularly in advertising. In recent years, the use of music in advertising has grown significantly, with 86 % of advertisements now incorporating some form of musical stimuli. Our study specifically analyzed the effect of music mood in advertising while introducing the new concept of binaural beats. Conducted in a lab setting, the study incorporated biometric measures such as electroencephalography (EEG) and eye-tracking to enhance the research. The results revealed that calming music combined with binaural beats led to the highest levels of information retention and engagement, as indicated by increased left frontal beta power, relative theta power, and area of interest (AOI) dwell time percentages. Left frontal beta power is associated with increased attention and cognitive engagement, while relative theta power is linked to enhanced memory encoding and relaxation. The area of interest (AOI) dwell time percentages reflects the time participants focused on key areas of the advertisement, indicating higher attention levels. Although the study found unique connections between music mood and binaural beats, calming music with binaural beats produced the most favorable conditions for attention and memory retention. These findings provide valuable guidelines for future marketing strategies, particularly in academic advertising.