Noteworthy response Whenever former Virgin Records managing director Jon Webster has a bad hangover he will lie down and put on a recording of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett's legendary Cologne concert, writes Steve Hemsley. During a long music industry career this has been Webster's personally prescribed morning-after cure.

It exemplifies the power of music to influence the way we feel and act. Few things stimulate a response as directly as music. It reflects or shapes our mood at the time of listening and our taste for a long time afterwards. The genres we follow when we are young can also make up part of our identity, by connecting us to a particular social group or moment. Webster runs a music industry consultancy these days. But during his time at Virgin during the 1980s and 1990s he worked with many acts, such as Genesis and Peter Gabriel, whose music had a poignant effect on their fans.

‘Brands must never underestimate the impact music has on people's lives,' he says. Marketers wanting to use music to influence consumer behaviour enter this emotional minefield. Get it right and you can join the advertising hall of fame: Hamlet Cigars (Bach), Levi 501s (1960s soul), Coca-Cola (the New Seekers). Get it wrong and you can end up with Missy Elliott, Madonna and the Gap or the Rolling Stones and Microsoft - combinations that are criticised by the act's fans and end up generating negative, or at least distracting, coverage for the brand.

Whether it is choosing music for a television commercial or a sonic background for customers - British Airways plays birdsong in some terminals to relax travellers - marketers must pay attention to sounds associated with their brands. This is now a question as much for areas such as events sponsorship, product placement and brand extensions as traditional above-the-line advertising. Music psychology is a growth area. Researchers at the University of Leicester claim that restaurant diners spend about 10% more on food and drink if music is played in the background while they are eating (classical works best, then pop; there are no data for thrash garage).

John Sloboda, a professor at Keele University, says playing German, French or Italian music in the drinks aisles of supermarkets has increased sales of each nation's wines. ‘Music is sensory and, as such, is a strong mnemonic. Get it right and music can trigger the right consumer reactions in terms of conjuring up very visual brand images. It is this kind of emotional connection that creates brands rather than just selling products,' says Natasha Kizzie, head of entertainment at Euro RSCG KLP, the marketing agency. The Jungle Jim consultancy was launched last week to deal with this area. It was set up by Ben Pincus, founder of sponsorship agency The Works London, Mike Kettles, the creator of events such as Tennents in the Park and the V Festivals, music industry lawyer Dave Perez and producer and promoter Jim King.

The consultancy has conducted an online study of 525 14-25 year olds to find their top influences: music, movies, sport, where they grew up or none of these. Eighty-two per cent of respondents said music was one of the top three influences on their lives. Thirty-one per cent said it was more important than any other factor. How do brands, looking to exploit this appeal, identify the right music partners? As part of its research, Jungle Jim investigated which particular brands attracted which music fans. From a list of 50 lifestyle brands selected by the agency, followers of acts such as Coldplay and Keane rated products from the likes of Vans and Doc Martens as credible. Fans of Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears favoured Levi's and Top Shop.

Dance enthusiasts chose Red Bull and Smirnoff. R&B devotees desired clothing from Rocawear, Puma and Lacoste. Pincus says: ‘The challenge for marketers is to navigate their way through what can be a complicated path. You must understand how young people relate to particular music and know who to talk to in the music industry to get deals done. Very few brands have got this area right and this is due in part to the music business's approach to brands as cash cows and its failure to understand what brands can do for the industry in return.'

Music consultancy Frukt also has a seven-step programme called Music Brand Affinity which uses ongoing customer feedback and research to assess the types of music influencing a brand's consumers at a particular time. ‘The personal nature of music and the varying tastes people have mean it is as easy to alienate an existing or potential consumer as it is to create a relationship,' warns Frukt's creative director Jack Horner. Trying to understand how music affects a consumer's attitudes and feelings is clearly enough to give any marketer a headache. The stress remedy, of course, could turn out to be a dose of Keith Jarrett. Source: Steve Hemsley (2004) Financial Times, 26 October. Reprinted with permission.

Question

1. Discuss how marketing research might be used to try to understand how music affects a consumer's attitudes and feelings.