Music and advertising

[Extract]
Background music is used for many purposes in our day-to-day life. We often
listen to music while studying, entertaining guests, or just relaxing on our own.
Music creates a mood that subtly influences how we feel. In many situations, we
control the choice of music to ensure it has the outcome we desire, whether to
energize, relax, contemplate, or celebrate. But background music is also used in
contexts where we do not have control over the music. Television commercials,
retail stores, and restaurants often use music as a device to influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In all such cases, music is used to help advertise a product or service. The goal of using music is to influence potential consumers by increasing their positive attitudes toward a brand or service, thereby increasing the revenue potential of their business, whether that business is the sale of clothing, tourism, computers, or food. In the field of behavioral economics, such techniques are sometimes referred to as “nudges,” defined as strategies that subtly influence the behavior and decision-making of people without actually enforcing or prohibiting options.