Political Affiliation of Musical Artists Contributing to Sonic Elements of Advertising

Introduction

The use of music from an artist known to have a particular set of political views can be the source of connection with an important target market for some advertisers. Carefully constructed advertisements using sonic elements may lower the risk of backlash from consumers with opposing political views. In this chapter, underlying theory and practical examples are presented to assert that advertisers can utilize music as a secondary element of advertisements as a way of creating that connection, and therefore strong appeal. The balancing act of appealing to a target group without offending consumers outside of that target group is an important issue for advertisers. Political views are often an emotional hot button for some viewers, so using political viewpoints as an appeal for non-political products can be risky. Therefore, the use of a secondary element is presented as a way of creating the connection while minimizing the risk of backlash.