Sonic logos and consumer behaviour

Abstract

This thesis investigates the impact of sogo music on consumer perception and behaviors. The sogo elements were deconstructed into frequency (high vs. low), tempo (slow vs. fast), and instrumental timbre (masculine vs. feminine). The research findings reveal that, in Chapter 2, while tempo is not associated with healthfulness, higher-frequency (vs. lower-frequency) sogos are perceived to be more associated with healthier (vs. less healthy) foods. This effect can extend to analogous visual cues (i.e., high vs. low-frequency grating images). Additionally, sogos can increase purchase intention when they are congruent with food attributes (i.e., high frequency with healthy food and low frequency with filling food). Chapter 3 demonstrates that consumers tend to associate feminine instruments with plant-based foods and masculine instruments with meat-based foods, although the feminine-plant association is more pronounced at an implicit level. Moreover, playing a sogo with a feminine instrument can enhance the perception of plant appeal in plant-based meat alternative food and subsequent brand selection due to semantic congruence. Chapter 4 reveals the associations between instrument type, brand personality and semantic attributes. Specfically, sogos played by feminine instruments are perceived as sincere, which can be explained by the connotation of positive valence. Sogos played by masculine instruments are rated as rugged, which can be explained by the connotation of potency. Further, creating sogos with instruments that match a brand’s personality evokes congruence of brand attributes, which in turn positively impacts brand attitude and purchase intention. In summary, this thesis has demonstrated that exposure to a brief melodic tune of a few seconds duration is sufficient to influence consumer responses providing the sogo is congruent with product/brand attributes.